Off Narragansett Town Beach

Journal photo by Bob Thayer

RHODE ISLANDERS are rightly proud of the Ocean State. Its history and economy revolve around the saltwater that supports our fisheries, recreation, shipping and tourism, and holds new potential for alternative energy.

Last Thursday afternoon at the Rhode Island Convention Center, the Ocean State was host to President Obama’s Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force. How fitting that this group met in Rhode Island. The Task Force has been asked to chart a new course for our country and to coordinate better the 20 federal agencies that currently manage our oceans. This is a tall order and critical to the future of our oceans and our economy. Fortunately, many people care about the health of our coasts and oceans and they are making their opinions heard.

Our oceans are often managed like the wild frontier, with a “first-come, first-served” approach that the marine environment holds infinite resources. But the collapse of groundfish stocks and the loss of 98 percent of American oyster reefs show otherwise. And yet demands for our oceans continue to grow, especially to satisfy our growing appetite for energy. Liquefied natural gas, wind turbines and offshore natural-gas leases are in the news up and down the coast, often clashing with recreational and public-safety concerns.

When our nation’s oceans suffer, our economy suffers, and nowhere is that more true than in Rhode Island. Fishing, recreation and tourism, shipping, energy development and defense industries all rely on clean and safe ocean waters. The productivity of our oceans depends on our making smart decisions that safeguard the marine resources that support our way of life. But with over 140 different laws governing how we manage our oceans, it is difficult to both ensure reasonable access and a healthy future.

I am encouraged that the federal Task Force’s interim report promotes the use of marine spatial planning to avoid the “ocean sprawl” that threatens our waters. Marine spatial planning allows for human activities in the oceans to be viewed comprehensively and assessed against information about the other uses and natural values. Rhode Island is a national leader in this area, with work currently under way on an Ocean Special Area Management Plan to define use “zones” off-shore. By applying a clear process for making decisions about all uses in our oceans, we can work together to craft the vision of our oceans that we want to leave to our children. The Nature Conservancy looks forward to continuing to work with the task force that met in Providence over the months ahead to help shape a proud legacy of healthy, productive oceans.

One doesn’t need to look far in Rhode Island to see the diversity and power of the bay and ocean on our doorstep. This summer, I was reminded of the ocean’s bounty when I looked down from a Block Island ferry and saw a pod of dolphins arcing through the waves, escorting us across the sound. This one glimpse of the vast diversity of marine life off our shores brought inspiration along with an indication of what is at stake here. Unfortunately, we are headed toward a “tragedy of the commons,” where everyone taking a piece of something exhausts the resource. A national policy that lays out a better vision is long overdue. And Rhode Islanders have an important role to play in charting that course.

For more information on the national Oceans Policy Task Force go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/

Janet Coit is director of the Rhode Island chapter of the Nature Conservancy.