WASHINGTON, D.C. – The following statement was issued by Ocean Conservancy’s CEO Janis Searles Jones (@InVeritas_Jones) in appreciation of several key ocean-related milestones announced by the White House in honor of World Ocean Day today:

“On World Ocean Day, the Biden-Harris Administration has set a course to tackle some of the greatest global challenges to our ocean with the nation’s first Ocean Climate Action Plan, steps to reduce plastics pollution and nominations for new marine sanctuaries.

“Ocean Conservancy thanks the administration for continuing to demonstrate a commitment to restoring a healthy ocean and climate. We welcome the emphasis on a whole-of-government approach and environmental justice. We also celebrate the nation-to-nation engagement between Tribes and the federal government to protect important marine places including Alaĝum Kanuux̂  and the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area.

“Ocean Conservancy is ready to support all these endeavors to safeguard what President Biden describes as the ‘beauty and bounty’ of our ocean. We encourage Congress to continue to ensure that agencies have the resources necessary to carry out this critical work.”

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Janis Searles Jones is available for interview upon request. 

NOTES TO EDITOR:

The White House announcement includes:

• Nation-to-nation coordination on the stewardship of the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area between the Federal government and Tribes in the Bering Sea.
• A whole-of-government Ocean Climate Action Plan that will guide significant ocean-based climate mitigation and adaptation actions, including green shipping, ocean-based renewable energy, blue carbon, and other ocean-related solutions.
• Committing the Federal government to advancing environmental and ocean justice across Federal ocean science and technology activities.
• Joining the UN Environment Program’s Clean Seas Campaign, which serves as a voluntary, multi-stakeholder platform for individuals, civil society groups, industry and governments to promote policies, standards, and practices to reduce marine debris.
• Announcing the Department of the Interior’s Secretary’s Order to reduce and eventually phase out the sale of single-use plastic products in national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands.
• Expanding marine protected areas, including by adding Alaĝum Kanuux̂ (Heart of the Ocean)  to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Inventory of Successful Nominations and by moving forward with conserving the Hudson Canyon area as a national marine sanctuary. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will seek public comment on the potential boundaries for the Hudson Canyon sanctuary and other factors related to its future management.

Ocean Conservancy is working with you to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together, we create evidence-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.