The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative works with all sectors of the ocean community to encourage action and monitor progress toward meaningful ocean policy reform. Our shared commitment to achieving a coherent and coordinated national ocean policy is grounded in our firm belief that healthy and vibrant ocean and coastal ecosystems are crucial to our sustained economic and environmental well-being, public health, and standard of living, both now and in the future.
It is the Joint Initiative’s view that our nation must move toward ecosystem-based management, balancing the long-term health and sustainability of the ecosystem while also supporting economic prosperity. Doing so will require our nation’s leaders to take action to reform ocean governance, enhance the role of science in making management decisions, increase our commitment to education, and adequately fund ocean and coastal programs.