Gulf of Maine Council > Fact sheet
Mission
The mission of the Gulf of Maine Council is to maintain and enhance environmental quality in the Gulf of Maine and to allow for sustainable resource use by existing and future generations.
Who we are
The Gulf of Maine Council is an international body established in December of 1989 through an “agreement on the conservation of the marine environment of the Gulf of Maine” signed by the governors and premiers of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Council fosters cross-border cooperation among government, non-government, academic and private groups. The Council’s daily operations are governed by the Management Committee.
What does the Council do?
The Gulf of Maine Council has created Action Plans—statements of goals, strategies, and actions—to guide research and management activities in the Gulf of Maine. The Action Plans enable agency managers, environmental professionals, research scientists, and educators to identify and target priority Gulf issues. Through its Committees, the Council implements specific initiatives to address the priority issues.
Summary of 2001-2006 Action Plan
- Goal 1: Protect and restore coastal and marine habitats
Coastal and marine habitats throughout the Gulf of Maine are healthy and support Gulf’s diversity of plant and animal species.
Objectives:- Increase awareness and improve management of regionally significant habitats
- Increase habitat protection
- Increase habitat restoration
- Increase awareness and improve management of aquatic nuisance species
- Enhance citizen stewardship
- Goal 2: Protect human health and ecosystem integrity
Contaminants in the Gulf of Maine are at sufficiently low levels to ensure human health and ecosystem integrity.
Objectives:- Increase awareness and improve management of priority contaminants
- Identify reduction strategies for priority contaminants
- Enhance citizen stewardship
- Goal 3: Encourage sustainable maritime activities
The Council’s vision for 2025 is that marine research and nature-based tourism provide unique and significant economic opportunities for the region. During the next five years, the Council will create strategies to achieve these new objectives.
Objectives:- Create and implement a marine research and monitoring strategy that responds to pressing management issues and supports regional economic development
- Develop and implement a nature-based tourism strategy that sustains the environment and the well-being of local people