(10-7-09) The Obama administration’s Ocean Policy Council is calling for a coordinated approach to restoring fragile ocean areas, many of which have been damaged by decades of piecemeal management decisions by the federal government.
According to Larry Crowder, a professor of marine biology at Duke University, dividing ocean management among multiple agencies has taken a heavy toll on marine ecosystems and economies. "There were 20 different federal ocean science agencies trying to enforce 140 different ocean laws."
Comparing the work of ocean agencies to that of doctors evaluating patients, Crowder said that collaboration is essential. "We need to get all of the ocean specialists in the same room before we can ask: How are we going to treat Long Island Sound?"