1998 Year of the Ocean Ocean Living Resources 



Convention on Biological Diversity exemplifies this approach, as does the FAQ Code of 

 Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. 



The importance of habitat conservation has always has been a part of the Marine 

 Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, and it has gained increased emphasis 

 in fisheries with passage of the Sustainable Fisheries Act in 1996. The Sustainable Fisheries Act 

 has provided significant new tools to protect and conserve the habitat of marine, estuarine, and 

 anadromous fish and shellfish resources. By October 1998, all Fishery Management Plans must 

 be amended to identify and describe "essential fish habitat" — defined as those waters and 

 substrate necessary to fishes for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity — for each 

 federally managed species. The Act also includes new provisions to ensure the conservation and 

 management of essential fish habitats once these areas are designated. Fishery Management 

 Plans must include measures to minimize to the extent practicable adverse fishing and non- 

 fishing related effects on essential fish habitats. In addition, federal agencies that authorize, fund, 

 or undertake actions that may adversely affect these habitats must consult with the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service to evaluate the effects of their actions on the habitat and the associated 

 life stages of the fisheries involved. These new policies represent an important application of the 

 precautionary approach to fisheries and environmental management. 



Just as the sources, types, and routes by which land-based pollution affect species and 

 ecosystems are complex, so are the mitigating measures. The human side of the equation is an 

 equally complex, dynamic web of interrelationships among human institutions, societal and 

 economic demands for products and services, and natural resources. Society's demands from a 

 coastal area can exceed the area's capacity to meet the combined demands simultaneously. For 

 that reason it can be difficult to maintain an area's long-term environmental integrity, which is 

 critical to marine biodiversity. The management system that attempts to achieve this balance 

 must be flexible and adaptable, and must be capable of responding to dynamic changes over 

 time. 



As a process for decision making, integrated marine and coastal area management aims to 

 prevent, control, or mitigate adverse impacts of human activities on the coastal environment. It 

 involves all stakeholders, including decision makers in public and private sectors, resource 

 managers, non-governmental organizations, land users, and the general public. A central feature 

 is the use of economic incentives. These are often more effective at changing human behavior, 

 and can be more politically feasible. They also can be more effective in terms of results and 

 cheaper to manage and enforce than the use of restrictive regulations. 



Marine protected areas, as part of a larger integrated area management scheme, provide 

 one of the most effective mechanisms for conserving marine living resources and the habitats on 

 which they depend. Marine protected areas can: 



• be a valuable management tool to protect areas that are repositories for marine 

 biodiversity; 



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