June 6, 2002 News Release

Seattle, WA – Ocean exploration, fisheries management, conservation, aquaculture, living resources management and coastal zone governance are among the key issues marine experts and area officials will discuss at the Northwest Regional Meeting of the Presidentially-appointed U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, set for June 13-14, 2002, at the Port of Seattle, 2711 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA.

The public meetings will feature remarks by top ocean scientists, environmental organizations, citizens and government officials on the impact of federal, state and municipal ocean policies on business, conservation and recreation in the Northwest Region.

A press briefing with Commission Chairman Retired Navy Admiral James D. Watkins and local commissioners Bill Ruckelshaus and Dr. Marc Hershman, will be held at 2:10 p.m., Thursday, June 13, at the Port of Seattle. Click here to view the full agenda.

Prior to the meetings, the Commission will be conducting site visits with the Nisqually Tribe in Olympia, and the National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office in Seattle, on Wednesday, June 12, to discuss marine and coastal issues important to the Northwest.

The Northwest Regional Meeting is the sixth of nine stops for the 16-member Commission, which is conducting similar site visits and public meetings in the nation’s coastal regions over the next four months. Based on the information gathered at the public meetings and its in-depth analysis of U.S. coastal policies, the Commission will be compiling recommendations for the development of a comprehensive federal ocean policy to effectively preserve and utilize the world’s oceans and their resources.

The Commission’s findings and recommendations will be presented to Congress and the President in a final report in the spring of 2003. For more information on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy go to: http://oceancommission.gov.


Contacts:

David Roscow
703-276-2772 x21

Kate Naughten
202-309-5476


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