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Breakthroughs, launches, and warnings on World Oceans Day

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The spectrum of actions marking the UN's annual World Oceans Day ranges from the celebratory to the cautionary as ocean health is assaulted by challenges that include climate change, oil spills, pollution and overfishing.

Rockfish recruits on the top California's Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, taken on the first visit by NOAA divers, 2010. [NOAA]

New York's iconic Empire State Building will be lit this evening in purple, blue and white, from bottom to top, representing the different layers of the ocean in honor of the United Nations World Oceans Day.

At Capital Hill Ocean Week in Washington, DC Tuesday, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco said, "Healthy oceans are everyone's business," because the U.S. economy and the ocean economy are inseparable - millions of Americans depend on the health of the oceans for their livelihood.

"That inseparable connection between the health of the ocean, the health of the American economy, the health of the job market and the well-being of people emerged as an indelible message from the Deepwater Horizon tragedy," she said.

"An unprecedented environmental disaster, the Deepwater Horizon spill oiled over 1,000 miles of shoreline, 3/5 of them in Louisiana. Although the vast majority of the oil in the Gulf is now gone, oil remains close to shore in many of these Louisiana coastal areas, and the effects on Gulf ecosystems and communities will be felt for years. Communities and economies throughout the Gulf were devastated by the spill."

Representatives from the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative and the Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting made two major announcements at a joint press conference late yesterday as part of Capitol Hill Ocean Week.

The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative called on national, state and local officials to support effective implementation of the first U.S. National Ocean Policy to better protect local economies, national industries and encourage innovation.

According to the National Ocean Economics Program, in 2007 the ocean economy generated over 2.3 million jobs and more than $138 billion of the GDP of the United States. The data show that 156 million people live in coastal counties, where they hold 69 million jobs that contribute $7.9 trillion to the U.S. economy.

The report recommends: 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.

In 2012, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative will publicly assess progress toward implementing the National Ocean Policy.

New Consensus on High Seas Protection

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature is celebrating. Last week at the United Nations, countries took the first, essential steps towards closing the huge gaps in international law that leave the high seas beyond national jurisdictions poorly protected.

Countries agreed to establish a UN-based "process" that could lead to a new multilateral agreement under the UN Law of the Sea Convention.

"This truly was an unexpected and exciting breakthrough," says Kristina Gjerde, IUCN's high seas policy advisor. "We were hoping to get this sort of commitment at the Rio+20 conference next year, not at this meeting. But governments were fired up, and willing to compromise on some key issues."

UNESCO's Inspiration: Youth: the Next Wave for Change

To mark the day, UNESCO and its Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission "join hundreds of aquariums, zoos, museums, conservation organizations, and thousands of individuals around the world celebrating the day by participating in fun, inspirational, and educational events," the agency said.

This year, celebrations around the world draw attention to the importance of getting young people in our communities inspired to protect the ocean, kicking off a two-year theme, Youth: the Next Wave for Change.

"The importance of oceans is not matched by our knowledge," said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova in her message for World Oceans Day. "The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission has promoted marine science and research for 50 years, but the fact remains that oceans are still relatively unexplored."The report shows how sharing knowledge and best practices across different sectors can make marine management more effective, and offers guidance using over 20 case studies and success stories, ranging from polar ecosystems in Antarctica to atolls in the Indian Ocean.