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USCOP Audio Clips

Download audio clips about the report in MP3 format. (Click link to listen; right-click and "save as" to place them on your hard drive. File is 2.3 megs.)

Transcript

"The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, a congressionally mandated 16-member panel tasked with studying the ocean, today provided its comprehensive report to governors and select members of Congress. This Commission spent the past three years developing recommendations for a coordinated and comprehensive national ocean policy."

"The report is the second of two pivotal, high-level ocean studies to appear in the past twelve months. This study arrived at the same major findings as the other blue ribbon panel, the Pew Ocean Commission."

"The report will now be open for comments from governors and US citizens. Once comments are incorporated into the report, the report will be sent to the president. The president will then have 90 days to respond to the recommendations."

"The US Commission on Ocean Policy report is the second of two historic, reports released this year on the status of our oceans. Both reports came to the same conclusion. The science is clear and our oceans are beginning to deteriorate."

"Overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution and mismanagement are leading to the decline of our ocean wildlife and the collapse of entire eco-systems."

"It’s not too late to act and implement necessary safeguards to ensure the future of our oceans and the life within them."

"It is imperative that citizens and our nation’s governors to send a clear message to the president — a new conservation policy is crucial to the long-term health of our oceans."

"This report should serve as a wake-up call to Congress and the president. Our lawmakers need to strengthen ocean conservation laws."

"This report has settled the debate on our oceans — they are in trouble. Yet, this is just the beginning of the discussion on the solutions to the problem."

- Matt Rand, Director Marine Fish Campaign, National Environmental Trust