New England Environment

NE Ocean Plan cover

Ecosystem-based management moves ahead

Today’s a great day for our nation’s oceans! The National Ocean Council has certified the Northeast Ocean Plan, and the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Plan. Congratulations and thanks to all who made this work possible, particularly in the Gulf of Maine region. Now let’s get to work. University of Maine marine scientists and students, including those based […]

Read more

Clean water supports the Bay’s many benefits

For her senior independent research in Marine Biology, Brown University undergraduate researcher Karen Cortes (Class of 2014) synthesized the water quality data available for Narragansett Bay. Her work highlights the importance of water quality for many of nature’s benefits, including food provision, recreation and coastal protection. She summarizes her findings in a two page brief as well as […]

Read more

Measuring Ocean Health

This summer, Heather and several students are focused on elements of ocean health in Narragansett Bay and the broader New England region. Read more…

Read more

New England’s protected waters threatened

A short-sighted plan threatens New England’s coastal ecosystem. Thousands of square miles of protected waters could see the return of damaging fishing practices, putting the recovery of cod and other struggling marine life in peril. When fish populations crashed in the 1990s, these closed areas were created to protect juvenile fish, spawning areas, and seafloor […]

Read more

Reflections on marine spatial planning in the Gulf of Maine

On October 5, 2011, three members of our group – Marcy Cockrell, Kara Woo, and Bridgette Black – attended the second annual research conference held by the Research Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine (RARGOM) in Portsmouth, NH. The major theme for the conference was “The nexus between climate change and marine spatial […]

Read more

See http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/01/24/open-comments-ntl-ocean-policy-strategic-action-plans for more information. The 9 priority objectives of the NOP can be divided into two categories: “How we do business” and “ Special Emphasis”. The first includes Ecosystem-Based Management, Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning, Inform Decisions and Improve Understanding, Coordination and Support, and Ocean Coastal and Great Lakes Observations Mapping and Infrastructure. The […]

Read more

New England says, National Ocean Policy plans should be ‘plans to act’

On Monday, June 27 in Exeter, NH the National Ocean Council (NOC) held a regional listening session to solicit feedback regarding the nine priority objectives of the developing National Ocean Policy (NOP), along with the outlines of the related strategic action plans. For more information on these SAPs click here. Read more… The National Ocean […]

Read more

Northeast data portal launched!

On behalf of its partners, the Northeast Regional Ocean Council is pleased to announce the launch of the Northeast Ocean Data Portal –www.northeastoceandata.org. The data, map viewer, and other tools included with the Northeast Ocean Data Portal are the result of over a year’s worth of extensive effort of multiple organizations with data development experience […]

Read more