Tag Archives: Northeast Ocean Plan
Northeast Ocean Plan would coordinate 20-plus federal agencies, Public comment period underway
The Northeast Ocean Plan will offer a new system for federal agencies to look at each other’s data and gather more information from stakeholders like fishermen and shipping companies. The plan is a result of a 2010 executive order and is being facilitated in New England by the Northeast Regional Ocean Council. Similar plans are being crafted in the mid-Atlantic and West Coast regions.,, Anne Merwin, director of ocean planning at the political advocacy group Ocean Conservancy, said there are more than 20 federal agencies with jurisdiction over the ocean.,, John Williamson, who previously worked in the commercial fishing industry, said the new plan will be helpful for offshore stakeholders, especially fishermen. Offshore wind power, for example, has grown, and Williamson said it is expected to continue growing in the next 10 years. (it appears he has embraced this! http://www.seakeeper.org/) Erik Anderson, a former commercial fisherman from Portsmouth, said some fishermen fear data found in the plan will be used to create new restrictions on where fishing can take place, designating those areas to other industries like offshore wind power. Read the rest here 09:32
Nation’s first regional ocean plan discussed in Portsmouth
The Face of Bureaucracy
State and federal officials joined members of the public in a roundtable conversation Monday night to discuss a draft of the nation’s first regional ocean plan. The Northeast Ocean Plan is significant because there are numerous federal agencies with jurisdiction over the Atlantic Ocean, and prior to its development, there had never been a good way for them to communicate with each other and those who live and work on the water, according to Portsmouth native John Williamson, a former commercial fisherman. Today, Williamson lives in Kennebunk, Maine, and works in ocean management. Members of the public who were at the meeting had concerns that the plan is redundant, and that federal agencies will not take their comments and opinions into account before the final document is published. Read the rest here 18:35
