The President has charged the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force with developing a recommendation for a national policy that ensures protection, maintenance, and restoration ofoceans, our coasts and the Great Lakes.
Its mission is to promote international cooperation and to coordinate programmes in research, services and capacity building to learn more about the nature and resources of the oceans and coastal areas, and to apply this knowledge to improved management, sustainable development and protectionof the marine environment and the decision making processes of its 144 Member States.
Meanwhile, the House Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans began hearings Tuesday on the effectiveness of the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act to evaluate what changes should be enacted during this year's reauthorization.