1998 Year of the Ocean Ocean Living Resources 



can contribute to the restoration of fisheries through stock enhancement and by reducing pressure 

 on wild-stock harvest. This interaction between aquaculture and fisheries suggests that a holistic 

 fisheries management approach to the marine environment should include both components. 



The goal of U.S. ocean programs should be to maximize the benefits from the nation's 

 ocean resources that are received by U.S. citizens. This goal includes sustainable fisheries in the 

 context of a healthy coastal and ocean environment. Marine aquaculture can begin to fulfill its 

 potential to help achieve these goals through a dynamic effort by the federal government in 

 cooperation with other state and local governments and the private sector to promote and refine 

 it. 



Enhancing the Protection and Recovery of Marine Species by Working in Partnerships 



Protected marine species in the United States include marine mammals and species listed 

 under the Endangered Species Act. Many of the direct threats to protected marine species arise 

 from human activities such as fishing, shipping, coastal and watershed development, water 

 pollution, seismic exploration, and offshore mineral development. Reducing conflicts between 

 these species and human activities in the marine environment is the key to their conservation and 

 recovery. In addition, some marine mammals may cause harm to other protected marine species, 

 such as salmon, or interfere with fishing or aquaculture operations. All these conflicts require 

 more "people managemenf than "wildlife management." Years of regulatory approaches have 

 not been completely successful in reducing human-caused mortality and injury to protected 

 species. A number of federal programs and policies now recognize the value of involving local 

 stakeholders in decision making and implementation of management actions. Natural resource 

 managers have begun employing new stakeholder models to gather information, assess problems, 

 and find the technology or ingenuity to solve them. 



Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 

 1973, the National Marine Fisheries Service has been working with fishermen to identify means 

 to reduce interactions with marine mammals during fishing operations, restore habitats for 

 endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest and California, develop conservation plans to 

 restore coho salmon, and reduce the entanglement of albatrosses in longline fishing gear in the 

 North Pacific. Similar efforts to engage user groups in helping to solve protected species 

 problems is one strategy for recovering protected species and incorporates the new goal of 

 openness or transparency in marine resource decision making. 



In addition, the United States is working to: 



• Assess the status of, and impacts to, protected species. Information is needed to 

 identify and focus management actions, limit the scope of restrictions, and promote 

 the recovery of all protected species. 



C-29 



