The need for a regional approach to addressing marine problems was emphasized in An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century4 and America’s Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change3. In response, Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the Next Decade: An Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy2, Advancing NOAA’s Priorities through Regional Collaboration1, and Changing Oceans, Changing World5 recommend that federal agencies and NOAA take a regional approach. The 2004 Reauthorization of HABHRCA also acknowledged the need for a regional approach to HAB research and response by establishing a procedure for requesting Regional Assessments of HABs. Further regional coastal and ocean governance bodies like the West Coast Governor’s Agreement on Ocean Health and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance have identified HABs as an issue of priority in their respective regions6, 7. In addition the regional rotation will make more efficient use of the funding available for the large, regional ecosystem-scale studies frequently funded by these programs and facilitate the proposal review process.
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NOAA Program Planning & Integration, 2007. Advancing NOAA’s Priorities through Regional Collaboration http://www.ppi.noaa.gov/Regional_Collaboration/Regional_Collaboration_Overview_041307.pdf
NSTC Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, 2007. Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the Next Decade: An Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy http://ocean.ceq.gov/about/sup_jsost_prioritiesplan.html
Pew Oceans Commission, 2003. America’s Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change. Summary Report. Pew Oceans Commission, Arlington, Virginia. http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Protecting_ocean_life/POC_Summary.pdf
U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, 2004. An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century. Final Report. Washington, DC, 2004 http://www.oceancommission.gov/documents/full_color_rpt/welcome.html
Joint Ocean Commission Initiative. 2009. Changing Oceans, Changing World; Ocean Priorities for the Obama Administration and Congress. Meridiana Institute, Washington, DC. 20036-5037, 38 pp.
Action Plan for the West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health, 2008 http://westcoastoceans.gov/docs/WCGA_ActionPlan_low-resolution.pdf
Gulf of Mexico Alliance Governor’s Action Plan for Health and Resilient Coasts, 2006-2009
http://gulfofmexicoalliance.org/pdfs/gap_final2.pdf
