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U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy — Recent Editorials

Click on each highlighted editorial title to read the full piece as a .pdf.

"Two comprehensive studies have concluded that immediate action is necessary if the oceans are to avoid irreparable damage. The question now is whether Congress and the Bush administration care enough to respond."

— Washington Post, "The Oceans are Dying" May 3, 2004

"The Bush administration and Congress have the rare opportunity to put in place solid recommendations that are supported by a wide spectrum of groups. Enacting many of the suggested changes won't be easy, but now is the time to act."

— Bangor Daily News, "Sea Change" May 1, 2004

"State and national leaders can't afford to let this be another government report that is paid lip service and then shelved. Too much is at stake."

— Miami Herald, "Country is surrounded by troubled waters: REPORT: TREAT OCEANS AS THOUGH OUR LIVES DEPEND ON THEM" April 27, 2004

"The report's finding echo earlier ones, but its power and urgency come from who wrote it. The commission members were appointed by President George W. Bush. If this commission thinks there's a problem, there's a problem."

— San Jose Mercury News, "Reports on the health of the world's oceans have a predictable monotony" April 27, 2004

"The U.S. came out of its last period of introspection about the oceans with great leaps in the form of the Magnuson Act and other legislation. This time, the emphasis is on building on what we have learned and keeping the science rolling in. The oceans will continue to sustain us if we are intelligent about what we do."

— Seattle Times, "Life preservers for America's oceans" April 27, 2004

"But there is little will in the nation to change the things that need changing. And it isn't just a lack of political will. The American people don't want to be told that too many of us already live near the ocean, and the growth must slow. Commercial fishermen don't want to be told that they are the problem - nor do seafood lovers want to hear that. Recreational fishermen don't want to hear that they are the problem."

— Press of Atlantic City, "The State of the Oceans: Fighting the tide" April 26, 2004

"Congress should move forward on those ideas. The sooner we provide better protections for our oceans and coasts, the better our chances of success."

— Charleston Post & Courier, "Critical call for ocean protections" April 26, 2004

"President Bush has proposed a manned mission to Mars as part of the nation's continuing exploration of space. The proposal has yet to generate much enthusiasm. It would seem much more cost-effective and rewarding to begin spending more on ocean research instead. Was there ever life on Mars? Probably at one time. But, we know from experience that there are life forms within our oceans that have yet to be discovered and which may hold keys to medical drugs and energy sources that could greatly enhance life on Earth. Yet, 95 percent of the world's oceans have yet to be explored."

— Fort Pierce Tribune, "Findings in ocean report demand actions" April 26, 2004

"The future of the world’s oceans — and, by extension, life on this planet — is the responsibility of all coastal nations. It is not simply about a 200-mile band adjacent to each nation. It is about the 70 percent of what might be described from space as "the water planet."

— Foster's Daily Democrat (NH), "'Planet Ocean' needs our help: Sen. Gregg continues to be a leader on environmental issues" April 26, 2004

"New Jersey has learned the hard way that local interests cannot govern areas that have regional impact. Likewise, the fate of the nation's oceans cannot be left to a patchwork of state and federal laws and the competing interests that guide them."

— Home News Tribune (NJ), "Oceans require global vision" April 26, 2004

"Yes, there have been many commissions over the years, and many of them have published thoughtful, detailed reports -- which have quickly sunk without a trace. Whether this will happen with the Commission on Ocean Policy report depends on many factors, not least President Bush's willingness to take the recommendations under his wing and see that they produce results."

— Providence Journal, "Saving the oceans" April 26, 2004

"A presidential commission's call for protecting the oceans deserves a strong response. America must take greater responsibility for the unique blessings of its oceans."

— Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Healthy oceans for sustainable future" April 26, 2004

"The commission's report is too important to be read by a few people, and then put on a shelf to gather dust...Saving the coastal waters of the United States will require a national commitment, and preserving the world's ocean resources will require a global effort."

— Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, "Ocean Report Sounds Alarm" April 25, 2004

"Watkins said we must act now to save our oceans before it's too late. There's very little room remaining for disagreement."

— Honolulu Advertiser, "Latest oceans study necessitates action" April 25, 2004

"Yet the warnings couldn't be more clear. Our oceans - which we rely on for food production, recreation, scientific research, psychic renewal and perhaps existence itself - are in peril."

— St. Petersburg Times, "Troubled waters" April 25, 2004

"We are encouraged by the commission's report and are hopeful that the president and Congress will make their recommendations a major priority before the oceans pass the point of no return and we lose not only the benefits we now depend on, but the ones we have yet to find."

— Stuart News (FL), "Act to save oceans commitment: Findings in oceans report demand all-out" April 25, 2004

"The oceans are vital to our quality of life. President Bush's sensitivity to the environment is negligible. This is his chance to show environmental stewardship is more than political prattle."

— Wilmington News Journal, "Delaware coastline also depends on ocean stewardship" April 25, 2004

"...everyone seems to agree with the report's fundamental premise: that rescuing the oceans from pollution and shoreline overdevelopment will require a radical change in how both land and water resources are managed. That imperative should override all others."

— Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Deep Thinking" April 24, 2004

"In Hawaii there's no political will to protect the ocean, largely due to those who say they should be allowed to do what their fathers and grandfathers did. Politicians will do what the public demands, but the public voice needs to be loud and sustained. Anything less dooms our ocean."

— Maui News, "Ocean needs to be protected" April 24, 2004

"But some suspect that with a war on and an election to win, the administration may not give oceans policy the attention and priority it deserves. That's where the public comes in. A commentary period on the preliminary report will run through May 21."

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The virtues of healthy seas" April 24, 2004

"Our ocean resources are too valuable to the nation to allow an uncoordinated, scattered approach to management to continue."

— Portland Press Herald, "Ocean resources need better management, protection" April 24, 2004

"The oceans provide billions of dollars in economic activity for the United States. Congress and the Bush administration should move quickly to protect these invaluable resources by acting on the report"

— San Antonio Express-News, "Show love for oceans by keeping them alive" April 24, 2004

"Congress and the President should not ignore these reports...Although independent and bipartisan, the Pew Oceans Commission leans toward conservationists. The Bush-appointed U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy overrepresents industry. All views are here, and they concur: The oceans need help."

— Philadelphia Inquirer, "Charting the Oceans' Health: A sea change to regret" April 23, 2004

"State regulation can do a large part of the job, but an overall policy from the federal government, along with a trust fund to help coastal states with preservation and conservation, would be an important step."

— Raleigh News & Observer, "Trouble in the deep" April 23, 2004

"The evidence is unambiguous; federal and state officials must act."

— San Diego Union -Tribune, "Troubled waters: Failing oceans need major rescue effort" April 23, 2004

"We must safeguard this precious resource for future generations."

— Brunswick Times Record, "Our precious oceans" April 22, 2004

"Because where the America's ocean interests are concerned, citizenship - not living in a coastal state - is the qualification that counts.

— Grand Forks Herald, "An ocean of concern: A new federal report charts a course of sustainability for the oceans and America's coasts" April 22, 2004

"It is a moment to move ocean policy to the forefront of environmental concern in Congress and throughout the country."

— Portland Oregonian, "On Earth Day, troubled seas: A powerful new federal report finds the nation's oceans overfished, understudied, polluted and poorly managed" April 22, 2004

"The ocean has nurtured humans for millennia, but as the commission’s chairman points out, we could damage it beyond recovery in a matter of years. We must reverse that trend, and soon."

— Salem Statesman Journal, "Quick comments needed to aid oceans: The public has just 30 days to urge action on a new federal report" April 22, 2004

"The commission has sent the draft report to governors. Later this year, a final report will go to Congress and the White House. Now is not too early for Floridians to start lobbying on behalf of stronger protection of the Atlantic, the Gulf and other coastal waters."

— Sarasota Herald-Tribune, "The need for a sea change: Government should answer commission's call to protect the oceans" April 22, 2004

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