In This Issue:

• FEATURE: Seeking Sea Change in Ocean Literacy
• Shaping the State of New Jersey Marine Affairs
• Grassroots Organization Plants Seeds of Progress in Urban New Jersey
• The Knauss Fellowship Experience
• Coastal Vignettes

Seeking Sea Change in Ocean Literacy

by Marsha Samuel

       Life began in the oceans many millions of years ago, when the first single-celled organisms evolved, made their way upon the earth, and staked a claim on dry land. From that day to this, both the Earth and the ocean have evolved in their own ways, but one thing remains constant: man’s connection to the sea. Life on this planet cannot be sustained without the ocean: approximately seventy percent of the earth is covered by water— its depths contain some of the planet’s highest mountains and its deepest gulfs. It existed long before we did and its history precedes ours.  For many people, the ocean simply exists, serving primarily as a playground during the warm summer months or as a source of the fish and shellfish that comprise a good meal. Little thought is given to the ocean depths, and the burgeoning community of organisms, great and small, which make their residences there. By and large, the majority of the national population, even those who live nearby or on the coast, remain ignorant of the critical connection between ocean health and human welfare. The ocean became a hot topic of international dialogue in the 1960s and 1970s with the advent of marine explorers like Jacques Cousteau, yet in spite of the many advances in technology and available information since that time, all that we know about the ocean remains only a drop in the bucket.

       The United States Commission on Ocean Policy, established about eight years ago, sought to plumb the depths of collective knowledge of the ocean. It had been over three decades since the last large scale review of U.S. ocean policy, and the physical and political landscapes had undergone radical changes during that time. The formation of the Commission was the direct result of Congress’ passage of the Oceans Act of 2000, an act which codified the importance of the oceans to human existence. The Commission launched a three-year long exploration of ocean knowledge, the effort of numerous oceanographers, marine scientists, legislators and other coastal shareholders. The sixteen- member Commission panel, comprised of ocean experts with diverse backgrounds, were given this task: to develop a single document that would identify and recommend a new and comprehensive approach to developing ocean policy. The Commission heard testimony from close to 500 contributors from the fields of science, government, technology, and industry, as well as from environmental organizations and private citizens. After three years, and much careful thought and consideration, the Commission released its report: a 676-page long document entitled “An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century.” This ten-part document contained thirty-one chapters, each addressing a different component of ocean stewardship. This “blueprint” as it was called, would direct the development of United States’ policy regarding the marine environment. The document would be reviewed and amended several times before the Commission expired, under the terms of the Ocean Act, on December 19, 2004. Marine science educators studied one section of the document with particular scrutiny: the eighth chapter of the Blueprint, entitled “Ocean Stewardship: The Importance of Education and Public Awareness.” The Commission’s findings indicated that “most people lack a full awareness and understanding of the ocean, its health, the benefits it provides, and its connection to the nation’s collective well-being”  and suggested that strengthening public awareness, from the smallest school child up, of the importance of the ocean to the success of human life, would create an ocean literate population, one educated and poised to make informed decisions regarding policy governing ocean stewardship for the next generation.