Massachusetts with nation's first ocean management plan
USA: Massachusetts is getting ready to embark on the first comprehensive ocean management plan in the United States. The process will get under way when the public is invited to participate in the determination of the uses of the state's waters.
The goal is to protect marine resources by managing ocean uses such as liquefied natural gas facilities, to renewable energy, to aquaculture projects. Historically, managing ocean resources has been on a piecemeal basis, without any comprehensive plan. Massachusetts is about to change this.
According to the state's Oceans Act of 2008, public hearings will be held over the next several weeks. These "listening sessions" will be used to gather the public's input.
The Oceans Act of 2008 is quite new, signed into effect in May this year. The act requires that the state's Environmental Affairs Secretary develop an ocean management plan by the end of next year. A draft plan is required by next summer.
The plan will not be developed solely based on public hearings. Assistance will also come from two different groups; the ocean advisory commission and the ocean science advisory council.
The ocean advisory commission is a 17-member body that will include state legislators, agency heads, a commercial fishing representative, an environmental group representative, an expert in the development of offshore renewable energy and representatives from the coastal regional planning agencies.
The ocean science advisory council will be made up of nine scientists with expertise in marine sciences and data management.
