Download Catalogue Record - APEC Meeting Document Database

___________________________________________________________________________
2009/MRCWG/007
Agenda Item: 1
Economy Report – United States
Purpose: Information
Submitted by: United States
22nd Marine Resource Conservation Working
Group Meeting
Vancouver, Canada
1-3 June 2009
United States of America
Economy Report
22nd APEC MRCWG Meeting
June 1-3, 2009, Vancouver, Canada
Domestic
New Marine National Monuments
In January 2009 President Bush designated three areas in the Pacific Ocean as marine national
monuments. The monuments will protect an area over 195,000 square miles – this is larger than the
size of California and almost 50 percent larger than all U.S. national parks combined. Destruction or
extraction of protected resources within the boundaries of the monuments will be prohibited along with
commercial fishing in the coral reef ecosystem areas of the monuments. Scientific and recreational
activities may be permitted as long as they are consistent with the protection of the resources located
in the monuments.
The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument consists of three components. The first component
is made up of the waters and submerged lands encompassing the coral reef ecosystem of the three
northernmost islands. These reefs are home to more than 300 species of stony corals. The second
component is the Marianas Trench – the deepest place on Earth. The third component is a series of
active undersea volcanoes and thermal vents that support life in some of the harshest conditions
imaginable.
The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument protects the pristine coral reef ecosystems
around Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, Howard, Baker, and Jarvis Islands, Johnston Atoll, and Wake
Island. These areas support a large number of nesting seabirds and migratory shorebirds. The coral
reefs support hundreds of fish species, predators, and endangered turtles.
The Rose Atoll Marine National Monument protects the pristine coral reef ecosystem around a remote
part of American Samoa. Rare species of nesting petrel, shearwaters, and terns thrive on the island.
The waters surrounding it are home to giant clams and reef sharks.
The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument [established in 2006] (in the Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands) has been nominated by the United States to become a UNESCO World Heritage
Site. The nearly 140,000 square mile area protects a dynamic coral reef ecosystem with over 7,000
species. The area has already been designated as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) by the
International Maritime Organization (IMO) – only one of eleven other marine areas designated
globally.
National System of Marine Protected Areas
In an effort to conserve critical natural and cultural marine resources, the U.S. Departments of Interior
and Commerce are partnering with federal, state and territorial agencies to form a national system of
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). MPAs are areas where natural or cultural resources are given
greater protection than in the surrounding waters. In the U.S., these areas may span a range of
habitats including the open ocean, coastal areas, inter-tidal zones, estuaries and the Great Lakes.
The majority are ‘multiple-use’ areas, which allow fishing, diving, boating, swimming and other uses.
‘No-take’ MPAs allow human access but prohibit extraction or significant destruction of natural or
cultural resources. They are sometimes used as research and monitoring zones, to protect spawning
or nursery grounds, or to protect ecologically important deep-water habitats.
Two hundred and twenty-five (225) existing MPAs managed by various agencies will initially enter the
system, which aims to enhance protection of marine resources, build partnerships to address issues
affecting MPAs, and improve public access to scientific information and decision-making about marine
resources. While MPAs have been established throughout the U.S. for decades, there has not been
an overarching mechanism to coordinate effective ecosystem management. About 100 federal, state,
territory and tribal agencies manage the nearly 2,000 MPAs across the country, often with no
Page 1 of 4
coordinated strategy.
Federal Agencies Address Marine Debris
EPA, NOAA and nine other federal agencies announced in September 2008 the completion of an
interagency report that guides the strategies of individual federal agencies and of the Interagency
Marine Debris Coordinating Committee (IMDCC) to prevent and reduce marine debris. The report
also discusses marine debris efforts, recent progress and innovative ways to reduce the problem in
the future. Marine debris, which includes improperly discarded plastic grocery bags, bottles, ropes,
tires, soda rings and lost fishing gear, is found in the ocean and along coasts around the world.
Marine debris threatens public safety, hurts the economy with costly cleanups and deterred tourism,
and harms and kills marine life such as seals, sea turtles, sea birds, and coral reefs.
The recommendations in the IMDCC’s report focus on prevention, response to debris already in the
environment, research and development, and coordination. While several agencies currently conduct
marine debris activities, further actions are being developed by the IMDCC and individual agencies to
further implement the recommendations. The IMDCC and its member agencies will focus activities on
supporting efforts to change public attitudes and practices, research to understand the full effects of
marine debris and ways to reduce its negative impacts, and work directly to reduce the amount of
marine debris already in the marine and coastal environment.
International
NOAA Satellite Conference Helps Users Prepare for Future
Weather and climate forecasters, emergency managers and other users of NOAA satellite information
met with top NOAA officials in December 2008 to learn more about new equipment and software
requirements. The new equipment will be needed to retrieve data from the next generation of NOAA
satellites. NOAA satellite data will be available to direct readout users throughout the world and
support a wide range of meteorological, oceanographic, terrestrial and solar activities. Users will have
to modify, or replace, current receiving equipment and basic software as the next generation of NOAA
satellites is launched.
The new requirements will take effect in the next seven to eight years, once NOAA implements its
future satellite missions, the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System
(NPOESS) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Series R (GOES-R). At the
conference, NOAA experts focused on helping users change the data-receiving technology they are
using for the current geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites to fit the advanced technology of
GOES-R and NPOESS.
Experts and users at the conference also discussed the continued importance of developing the
Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). GEOSS seeks to connect the producers
of environmental data, including satellite measurements, with users, who apply the information to
solving global issues. Promoting common technical standards, GEOSS will help users access data
from thousands of different instruments combined into coherent data sets through the integration of a
global and flexible network of content providers.
Ocean Data Added to Google Earth
Visitors to the popular online exploration tool Google Earth will discover an abundance of NOAA
information and images during their use of the tool. Google Earth unveiled “Ocean in Google Earth”,
a new way for exploring the ocean’s depths. The launch of Ocean in Google Earth took place in San
Francisco. NOAA contributed and will continue to contribute a variety of data and imagery to the
project. Some of the expeditions from the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, such as
a trip to the submerged wreck of the Titanic, and information and ocean current maps demonstrating
marine debris movement from the NOAA Marine Debris Program are included. NOAA also provides
data from NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center and seabed maps of U.S. coastal waters. Other NOAA
contributions include information on marine protected areas including U.S. national marine
sanctuaries and marine national monuments that are highlighted with underwater video footage,
seabed maps, and photography.
Page 2 of 4
Collaboration on Sustainable Ports
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in coordination with the Maritime Administration
(MARAD) and other U.S. Federal agencies, is promoting voluntary international collaboration with
Pacific ports and carriers (shippers, rail lines, trucking companies) to improve their individual and
collective environmental performance, with goals of protecting human health, economic resources,
and the environment. The EPA recognizes the steady growth in global maritime commerce and the
critical role ports and related transportation and supply chain partners play in managing the
environmental impacts of moving goods across the globe. We are elaborating the international
partnership as a component of EPA's Strategy for Sustainable Ports.
EPA is currently working with the Ports of Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Hong Kong to manage vessel
air emissions at berth and in transit. The Agency is working with the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey and the Port of Rotterdam to develop hybrid hydraulic yard vehicles to eliminate air
emissions as cargo containers are transported at port facilities. Moreover, the Ports of Seattle,
Tacoma, and Vancouver, BC are partnering on vessel speed optimization and green ship design.
Additional projects are being developed to further diversify EPA’s Global Environment partnerships.
Coral Triangle Initiative
The United States is contributing approximately $40 million over the next five years to the Coral
Triangle Initiative (CTI) in the East Asia/Pacific region. The CTI includes the countries of Indonesia,
Malaysia, Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. This regionallydriven initiative is developing a comprehensive plan to address the threats of resource exploitation
and climate change. The CTI will focus on three primary areas: 1) protecting coral reefs from manmade and natural disturbances, 2) developing sustainable fisheries, and 3) ensuring food security for
the region’s inhabitants. The United States has long been a supporter of integrated coastal resources
management, improved coastal governance, and coral reef conservation within the region.
USA
May 2009
Page 3 of 4