Pew Commission Report
State of America's Oceans and Recommendations for Change
The oceans are our largest public domain. America’s oceans span nearly 4.5 million square miles, an area 23 percent larger than the Nation’s land area. Their biological riches surpass those of our national forests and wilderness areas. The genetic species, habitat, and ecosystem diversity of the oceans is believed to exceed that of any other Earth system. Yet, incredibly, we are squandering this bounty. Humanity’s numbers and the technological capacity of our age result in unprecedented impact upon the oceans and coasts. The disturbing signs of these impacts can be found nearly everywhere we look. Most obviously, we are depleting…
