President George W. Bush's ocean conservation legacy was responsible for creating the Marine Protected Area around the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, known as the Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument.
Now, President Obama has now given the United States the first national ocean policy.
President Barack Obama on Friday set up a task force to craft the first US national policy for sustainably managing the country's oceans, drawing praise from environmentalists who said the move was long overdue.
"We are taking a more integrated and comprehensive approach to developing a national ocean policy that will guide us well into the future," Obama said in a proclamation declaring June "National Oceans Month."
The proclamation was issued along with a memorandum setting up the high-level Ocean Policy Task Force.
"Our nation's economy relies heavily on the oceans ... They support countless jobs in an array of industries including fishing, tourism and energy," the president said.
The task force will be led by the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality -- the main environmental policy adviser to the US president -- Nancy Sutley, the memorandum said.
Made up of senior policy-level officials, it will draft several recommendations and draw up a "comprehensive, integrated, ecosystem-based" framework for sustainably using the resources of US oceans, coasts and the Great Lakes.
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It's always nice to see top politicians taking ocean conservation seriously.
Hat tip: Dive Photo Guide
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