Obama Sets Forth New Ocean Policy

The Obama administration on Monday announced the formation of the National Ocean Council responsible for organizing the myriad of policies, laws and regulatory agencies governing the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes. Consisting of 24 individuals, this group will cannot draft law, rather it will set broad goals and balance conflicting ocean related interests.

The forging of new ocean policy is the outcome of a one-year study by the ocean policy task force commissioned by Obama, which released recommendations this past Monday. The report calls for ocean policy embracing eco-system management and science based decisions as guiding principles.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has emphasized the vulnerability of ocean environments and highlighted the importance of healthy and secure coastal ecosystems and economies. Obama’s Executive Order states, “America's stewardship of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes is intrinsically linked to environmental sustainability, human health and well-being, national prosperity, adaptation to climate and other environmental changes.”

The order also provides for a “more integrated, comprehensive, ecosystem-based, flexible, and proactive approach to planning and managing sustainable multiple uses.” Sure, this all sounds like a huge step in the right direction and following the Deep Horizon oil spill, it may come as a huge relief.

But remember that the National Ocean Council does not have the power to draft legislation and that no new laws have been passed to assure the security and health of oceans. Furthermore, it is difficult to imagine an ocean policy task force study barely touching on oil drilling policy and completely neglecting coastal protection philosophies; though the task force recommendations do touch on effective oil and gas exploration and management.

Oil and drilling policy may remain under the auspices of the Department of the Interior, but an effective National Ocean Council organization would likely have something to say about offshore drilling, especially as it pertains to the security of America’s coastlines evident in the recent Gulf environmental disaster.

Why coastal protection seems to have been forgotten in the recommendations by the task force is curious, but we remain hopeful and encouraged by number of changes. The Executive Order – labeled “Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes” represents the desire to take responsible and sustainable action regarding decision governing these natural resources. Similarly, it is exciting to see emphasis placed on recreation as an important factor in managing coastlines and water bodies - we could not agree more. 

Considering the challenges currently facing marine environments, ecosystem management and science based decisions come as a relief and a step in the right direction. It would also be hard to over the proposal for more organization and communication between governing agencies. How effective or to what degree new guiding principles will impact policy and action can cannot yet be determined; we remain cautiously optimistic.

Stanley's: A Lost Treasure

Yvon Choiunard of Patagonia reminds us of Stanley’s, a surf break lost to coastal development. While ASR ltd. creates innovative and sustainable solutions for coastal protection, habitat development, and recreation, we want to also remind everyone that surf breaks are still at risk and need our protection.

Arguments are made that building artificial reefs are attempts to mitigate the loss of surf breaks around the globe. This unfortunate allegation is far from the truth. Coastal conservation, an extremely important goal, and sustainable development are two very different objectives. It’s important to continue preserving our threatened coastlines. But it’s also important to be innovative and responsible in cases where coastal protection elements are unavoidable.

ASR ltd. wants to continue reminding individuals of the importance of coastal preservation and support the people fighting these battles. But we also want to call attention to the fact that coastlines are over developed and that traditional coastal property defenses are costly and degrading to the environment. If you want to learn more about traditional and detrimental coastal defense construction projects, check out or last post on the case for Kovalam’s Multi-Purpose Reef.