Larry Robinson, the No. 2 at NOAA, held a town hall meeting Nov. 12 in Anchorage about the new National Ocean Council formed through an executive order signed by President Barack Obama July 19.
Robinson also met separately with members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which expressed concerns about its role under the new national ocean policy.
The new policy sets as a goal the comprehensive management of the oceans, coasts and Great Lakes through coastal marine spatial planning across all user groups, including fisheries, oil and gas, shipping and national defense.
The National Ocean Council is made up of 27 federal entities, including the departments of defense, state, homeland security, interior and commerce. NOAA is an agency of the Commerce Department and will be represented on the council by director Jane Lubchenco. The executive order signed by Obama also calls for the formation of nine regional planning bodies.
Read the complete story from The Alaska Journal of Commerce.