Mission statement

The mission of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment is to maintain and enhance environmental quality in the Gulf of Maine to allow for sustainable resource use by existing and future generations.

Principles

The following principles help guide the Council and participating agencies in their decisions involving the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Each principle is congruent with international protocols, as well as state, provincial, and national legislation in Canada and the United States.

• Ecologically sustainable development
  The Council seeks to meet the region’s current social, cultural, and environmental needs without compromising the needs of future generations. Working in partnership with others, it strives to sustain ecological processes and enhance the region’s quality of life.
• Ecosystem-based planning and management
  The Council supports collaborative management that integrates economics and ecological values and objectives, emphasizing natural rather than political boundaries.
• Environmental protection through precaution
  The Council supports conservation of the coastal and marine environment, and urges its members to proceed with caution when scientific information is incomplete to avoid environmental degradation.
• Public information and participation-based planning and management
  The Council is committed to a participatory process that informs and engages the public in setting priorities, forming policies, and pursuing efforts to conserve the Gulf’s environment.