A milestone in the effort to rationalize national policy on the oceans will be reached on 21 May 2004, when the comment period ends for 50 state governors who are reviewing the preliminary report by the United States Commission on Ocean Policy (http://www.oceancommission.gov). The report, released on 20 April, is the first comprehensive review of marine issues in more than 30 years, motivated by the recognition that our approaches to ocean policy are not working today. The report was mandated by Congress, with commission members appointed by the president. Some of the problems identified by the academic, governmental, and commercial constituents of the commission are neither new nor necessarily exclusive to the United States: overfishing, shoreline erosion, pollution, and harmful algal blooms. Others, such as dead zones and the introduction of invasive species, are growing in prominence. These problems, further compounded by a growing coastal population, call for new strategies and more and better information.
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