1998 Year of the Ocean Perspectives on Marine Environmental Quality 



management within the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone is the responsibility of the 

 federal government and regional Fishery Management Councils. Nearshore fisheries within 

 approximately 3 nautical miles from U.S. shores are managed by coastal states and interstate 

 marine fisheries commissions. This joint and overlapping jurisdiction requires that these councils 

 work together to protect fisheries resources. The Endangered Species Act directs federal agencies 

 to ensure that actions they authorize or conduct are not likely to jeopardize the continued 

 existence of endangered or threatened species, or result in the destruction or modification of their 

 critical habitat. The Marine Mammal Protection Act provides a framework to develop specific 

 protection programs for marine mammals.'"' 



In a 1997 report, the National Research Council (NRC, 1997) concluded that 

 "Developing a coherent framework to guide the nation's activities in the ocean and coastal 

 regions is especially important in this time of growing national interest in the ocean, which 

 includes heightened awareness of the need to protect it, along with recognition of new 

 opportunities to utilize marine resources." The National Research Council recommended that the 

 general elements of the framework include: (1) creation of a National Marine Council which 

 would improve coordination and facilitate issue resolution among federal agencies, (2) creation 

 of regional marine councils to coordinate and facilitate issue resolution at the local level, (3) 

 enhancement of individual federal ocean/coastal programs, and (4) adoption of management 

 tools by the regional councils and agencies, such as zoning and the creation of refuges, and user 

 charges. 



Technical Basis for Action and Research Programs 



Many of the ocean's functions and processes remain a mystery. For example, studies 

 indicate that the relative contribution of pollutant loading from atmospheric deposition can be 

 significant. Yet to date, knowledge of atmospheric and surface water processes is not sufficient 

 to determine, with confidence, the overall magnitude and impact of atmospheric deposition on 

 marine waters. Knowledge gaps such as this have been recognized by researchers, planners, and 

 governments. U.S. government funding of coastal research was $673"" million between 1991 and 

 1993 (NSTC, 1995). In 1997, the Department of Defense, the Navy, and the Army spent nearly 

 $90 million in basic ocean research and more than $50 million in applied ocean research.^^ State 

 and local governments, universities, private nonprofit institutions, and industrial organizations 

 also spend additional large, but unquantified, sums annually for activities that support coastal 

 science. 



The Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and 

 Liability Act, and the Oil PoUufion Act of 1990 created an upsurge in research and development 

 efforts. These efforts have focused on prevention, clean up, and spill mitigation. Recent emphasis 

 has centered around the human health aspects of marine environmental quality and on 



30 See the Living Resources Year of the Ocean Discussion Paper. 



3 1 DOD contributions to coastal science are not included in this figure. 



32 These funding levels do not coyer marine environmental quality at the basic research level; those funding levels are included 

 in Chemistry by DDR&E. 



E-20 



