Addressing H.R. 21: Oceans Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act, this team outlined the policy objectives, design goals, implementations, and successes of the pending legislation. The marine ecosystems of our planet are facing grave decline due to erosion, warming, land loss, and severe storms. The ultimate goal of their policy is to institute an ecosystem-based approach to managing marine ecosystems rather than one that is politically-based. This would require clearly established baselines for ocean governance, national and regional coordination within new framework, and strategic planning for instituting the best practices in the first year and over the long term. They proposed an $8 million budget to cover education, analysis and planning, and organizational development within the NOAA. They believe that the heart of the work must be done at each regional level, but coordinated on a national or even international scale.