[Coral-List] The Diving Industry and Ocean Conservation

[Steve Mussman]

   "DEMA is not supportive of the NOP, because they distrust the players and
   motives, and there are some parts of the NOP they don't like at all."
   Mel,

   DEMA  has a simple mandate to follow. The organization is charged with
   promoting sustainable  growth  of  the  industry, but it is allowing a
   dilemma to develop because it appears to view this objective to either be in
   conflict with or subordinate to their simultaneous obligation to protect the
   underwater  environment. In my view there needs to be more balance and
   further that to oppose a policy like the NOP only reinforces the perception
   that they fail to recognize that their two primary objectives are in fact
   inseparable and innately linked. Although DEMA points out that they are not
   members of the National Ocean Policy Coalition, they have clearly partnered
   with this organization and in doing so have sided with a number of special
   interests that are not encumbered by commitments to conserve and protect
   natural aquatic resources. So while I can sympathize with the concerns
   of extraction   industries   and   others   as  they  contemplate  the
   policy's implementation, I can find no legitimate reason for DEMA to view
   the policy with comparable distrust and skepticism.


   Regards,

    Steve
   -----Original Message-----
   >From: Melbourne Briscoe
   >Sent: Nov 22, 2013 4:33 PM
   >To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
   >Subject: Re: [Coral-List] The Diving Industry and Ocean Conservation
   >
   >Here are two things I've heard expressed, often forcefully!
   >
   >** The NOP is a creation of the Obama administration, and has no apparent
   >Congressional support, there may even be some enmity there. As such, it
   >will likely go away when the Obama administration goes away, as did the
   Bush
   >Ocean Action Plan before it. Even the Obama administration has not been
   >particularly supportive of the NOP, at least not with money. NOAA is the
   >plan's biggest advocate, but now NOAA has a new administrator....so who
   >knows?
   >
   >** DEMA is probably correct in not getting behind the NOP. Why waste the
   >effort and any silver bullets they may have? Relationships between NOAA and
   >the dive industry have not been especially cordial, so the level of trust
   >toward NOP/NOAA is low.
   >
   >In my view,
   >The folks on this list are quite supportive of the NOP because they take it
   >at face value and there are parts of it they like a lot.
   >DEMA is not supportive of the NOP, because they distrust the players and
   >motives, and there are some parts of the NOP they don't like at all.
   >
   >I think one can get more legacy from discussions with Congress in the many
   >coastal states, than by lining up behind sweeping administration policies
   >that probably doomed.
   >
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