US President Barrack Obama has established an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force in order to better meet the US'' stewardship responsibilities for the oceans, coasts and Great Lakes.
The Task Force will develop recommendations that include:
• A national policy that ensures the protection, maintenance, and restoration of the health of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems and resources; enhances the sustainability of ocean and coastal economies; preserves maritime heritage; provides for adaptive management to enhance understanding of and capacity to respond to climate change; and is coordinated with national security and foreign policy interests.
• A United States framework for policy coordination of efforts to improve stewardship of the oceans, coasts, and the Great Lakes.
• An implementation strategy that identifies and prioritises a set of objectives the United States should pursue to meet the objectives of a national policy for the oceans, coasts and the Great Lakes.
• A recommended framework for effective coastal and marine spatial planning.
The Task Force will terminate upon the completion of its duties.
