Marine policy: Global Ocean Commission produces a rescue package for the global ocean

The Global Ocean Commission is an independent organization that was initiated by the Pew Charitable Trust, with membership comprising influential policy-makers, business people and lawyers.

It has published a final report (June 2014) From Decline to Recovery: a Rescue Package for the Global Ocean on its website Mission Ocean.  This briefly reviews current ocean governance and priority issues, together with drivers of ocean decline. The main body of the report is eight proposals for recovery:

1. UN Sustainable Development Goal for the ocean - putting a healthy living ocean at the heart of development
2. Governing the high seas - promoting care and recovery
3. No more overfishing - ending harmful high seas subsidies
4. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing - closing seas, ports and markets
5. Plastics - keeping them out of the ocean
6. Offshore oil and gas - establishing binding international safety standards and liability
7. Global ocean accountability board - monitoring progress toward a healthy ocean
8. Creating a high seas regeneration zone