HARBOR BRANCH - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

FLORIDA OCEAN ALLIANCE TO HONOR KEN PRUITT AND NOMINATE MEMBERS FOR NEW OCEAN COUNCIL AT HARBOR BRANCH MEETING

FT. PIERCE -- On Wednesday, June 15, 2005, the Florida Ocean Alliance, a nonpartisan government-academic-private consortium, will meet at Harbor Branch Oceanographic to discuss, among other topics, the implications of the just passed Oceans & Coastal Resources Act,. The group will also begin work to nominate members for a new bill-mandated Florida Oceans and Coastal Council, which will have far-reaching and profound impacts on the state's substantial ocean resources and related future research activities. The Ocean Alliance will also present State Senator Ken Pruitt with a plaque to honor his dedication to improving the state's ocean management and research programs.

The new oceans bill, drafted in response to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy report, released in April 2004, was signed into law by Governor Bush last Wednesday. The bill mandates creation of a new Florida Oceans and Coastal Council that will review all state marine research activities, and make recommendations for future state funding priorities.

This council will include five members appointed by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which must draw from a list of nominees chosen by the Florida Ocean Alliance. One of the group's key tasks on Wednesday morning will be to begin preparing this slate of nominees based on member input. The list will then be finalized later this month. Both the Department of Environmental Protection and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will also each appoint five members to the council but without a requirement for outside input on nominees.

One of the council's main tasks will be to conduct an extensive review of all ocean-related research, both public and private. On a yearly basis, the council will then recommend priorities to be used by the Florida Legislature in funding initiatives to protect and more wisely use Florida's ocean resources. These will cover a wide range of topics including achieving sustainable fisheries, promoting marine biotechnology research, preservation and restoration of coral reefs, and marine mammal protection.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Ocean Alliance will present to State Senator Ken Pruitt an award recognizing his substantial efforts in supporting Florida ocean research through support of the Oceans & Coastal Resources Act among numerous other legislative initiatives.

For more information please contact Mark Schrope at 772-216-0390 or schrope@hboi.edu.

Information on the Oceans & Coastal Resources Act can be found by searching bill 1855 at myfloridahouse.gov

Find information on the Florida Ocean Alliance at www.floridaoceanalliance.org

HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution was founded in Ft. Pierce, Fla., in 1971 to support the exploration and conservation of the world's oceans. The institution has held to this mission and grown into one of the world's leading oceanographic institutions with a 500-acre campus, over 200 personnel, and a fleet of sophisticated research ships and submersibles.