SeaWeb - Press Releases

photo by Jiangang Luo
Jiangang Luo/Marine Photobank

SeaWeb’s President Dawn M. Martin
Praises Obama for Making the Ocean a Priority

June 12, 2009—SeaWeb applauds President Obama and the Council on Environmental Quality for recognizing the vitally important role the ocean plays in the health and well-being of all life on Earth, including humans. The ocean provides more than half of our oxygen, regulates our climate, supplies food to at least a sixth of the human population and is also a source of beauty and inspiration.

Because the ocean is the lifeblood of our planet, it is in our own self-interest that we proactively address the negative impacts that humankind is having on the ocean as a result of pollution, climate change and depletion of marine life. A unifying ocean policy to address these critical concerns has long been needed, and the White House proclamation today is an important first step in the right direction.

We look forward to working with the federal agencies as they articulate the necessary elements of a national ocean policy and are particularly pleased to see that marine spatial planning is a key element of this effort. We have decades of experience in making land-management decisions, and a growing practice of developing regional ocean management plans will be vital to draw on as we translate this concept into the ocean realm. The ocean is a public trust and it is high time that we manage this precious resource with the long-term interest of the public as our primary goal and highest value.

Dawn Martin Signature