Reports
On June 7, 2011, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative released a report, America’s Ocean Future: Ensuring Healthy Oceans to Support a Vibrant Economy, that calls on leaders to support effective implementation of the National Ocean Policy. The report makes recommendations about three fundamental components the Joint Initiative believes are essential for the National Ocean Policy to achieve its potential to improve ocean governance: robust federal coordination, in particular enhanced collaboration with and support for states and regions; better collection and delivery of science and data to support decision making; and immediate investments that would increase government efficiency and effectiveness, including through establishment of an ocean investment fund. These recommendations set the stage for a future assessment by the Joint Initiative, in the form of a report card, of progress in implementing actions that will protect ocean ecosystems so that they can support ocean and coastal economies and protect the many American jobs that depend on them.