BENCHMARKS

GOAL

Protect and restore the marine waters, habitats and species of the Northwest Straits region to achieve ecosystem health and sustainable resource use by

• designing and initiating projects that are driven by sound science, local priorities, community-based decisions and the ability to measure results;
• building awareness and stewardship and making recommendations to improve the health of the Northwest Straits marine resources;
• maintaining and expanding diverse membership and partner organizations;
• expanding partnerships with tribal governments and continuing to foster respect for tribal cultures and treaties;
• recognizing the importance of economic and social benefits that are dependent on marine environments and sustainable marine resources.

BENCHMARKS

Marine Habitat
Protect and restore marine, coastal and nearshore habitats, prevent loss and achieve a net gain of healthy habitat areas by

• protecting habitats from human activities that cause degradation;
• designing and implementing local and regional projects that restore natural processes;
• surveying and mapping marine resources and physical characteristics of marine habitats; and
• making policy and scientifically-based recommendations about appropriate management tools to protect marine habitats, including designation of marine protected areas.

Marine Water Quality
Protect marine water quality of the Northwest Straits region, and restore the health of marine waters by

• working to reduce the input of contaminants, including toxic substances, to Northwest Straits marine waters;
• promoting management actions that would restore areas experiencing degraded water quality and sediment contamination; and
• designing and supporting projects that will restore and maintain marine waters clean enough for safe marine harvest and consumption.

Sound Science
Collect high quality data and promote its use and dissemination by

• developing protocols for the collection, analysis and use of scientific data that supports Northwest Straits goals;
• identifying gaps in data that limit protection and restoration efforts and work to fill those gaps;
• promoting the development of comprehensive, accessible, marine resource databases;
• promoting the consistent collection and coordination of data to assist the efforts of Northwest Straits and its partners in protecting and restoring habitats and species of concern; and
• translating and disseminating scientific information about local marine resources to management agencies and the public.

Education and Outreach
Promote stewardship and understanding of Northwest Straits marine resources through education and outreach by

• informing the public about threats to living resources and presenting them with practical measures they can take to prevent further harm;
• coordinating outreach and education programs with other organizations and evaluating their effectiveness;
• engaging the public in active stewardship opportunities through community workshops, restoration projects and educational programming; and
• communicating the status of Northwest Straits habitats and resources to regional policy makers and resource managers.

Implementation

These goals and benchmarks will be used to guide the development and implementation of workplans that have specific and measurable objectives by the Commission and individual MRCs.

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