Admiral James D. Watkins
Chair, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy
Our Oceans
Good science and good policy are inextricably intertwined. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of ocean policy. Decisions are made every day with important economic and environmental consequences: How many fish should we catch? Where and how should we extract critical resources from the sea? How can we promote coastal tourism without damaging the very resources people come to enjoy? What kinds of climate change and fluctuations can we expect in the short and long term? None of these questions can be answered without a strong understanding of ocean and coastal processes and a robust observing system to monitor the ocean realm.
