The Ecosystem Model Mandate for a Comprehensive United States Ocean Policy and Law of the Sea

In this Article, Dean Belsky compares the premises and recommendations of the Stratton Commission, set up to formulate a comprehensive national program for marine affairs, to America\u27s national ocean policy and program. The author then suggests that a mechanism exists to provide for the establishment of a coordinated and integrated national ocean policy. That mechanism is the new international law requirement of comprehensive research, planning, and management for the ocean\u27s space and resources. This comprehensive model is binding in domestic law and can be implemented under existing statutes by existing federal and state agencies. In light of the absence of a comprehensive U.S. ocean policy, the author proposes the ecosystem management model calling for research and regulatory decisions that would recognize the interrelationship between the oceans and the species that make the oceans their habitat