NOAA, CHINA STATE OCEANIC ADMINISTRATION SIGN AGREEMENT ON MARINE AND FISHERIES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

May 1, 2007 — NOAA and its sister agency in China, the State Oceanic Administration, strengthened the collaboration between the two agencies and pledged to continue to work on issues that align with ocean science and service priorities. (Click NOAA image for larger view of Richard Spinrad, NOAA assistant administrator of ocean and atmospheric research, and Deputy Administrator Chen Lianzeng of the State Oceanic Administration of the People's Republic of China signing statement of intent. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

The U.S.-China Joint Working Group on Cooperation in the Field of Marine and Fishery Science and Technology met April 24-25 in Silver Spring, Md. The meeting culminated with the signing of a statement of intent on the last day of the meeting.

"Our two nations have a long history and much in common in the marine and fisheries areas," said Richard Spinrad, NOAA assistant administrator of ocean and atmospheric research and co-chair of the 17th meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Working Group on Cooperation in the Field of Marine and Fishery Science and Technology. "The statement of intent that we signed today brings the United States and China closer to share scientific information, advance our collective understanding of ocean processes and dynamics, and implement best practices for the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources."

Spinrad co-chaired the meeting with Deputy Administrator Chen Lianzeng of the State Oceanic Administration of the People's Republic of China. Chen led a 10-member delegation.

The two nations have worked together on marine and fisheries issues under a 1979 protocol.

"The 1979 protocol produced many accomplishments," said Spinrad. "What we signed today ensures that we build upon those accomplishments to achieve even greater results and strengthen the relationship between our two nations in these areas." (Click NOAA image for larger view of Richard Spinrad, NOAA assistant administrator of ocean and atmospheric research, and Deputy Administrator Chen Lianzeng of the State Oceanic Administration of the People's Republic of China following the signing statement of intent. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Under the statement of intent, the two countries will pursue further opportunities to strengthen collaboration on marine and fisheries science and technology that align with national priorities, such as the U.S. "Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy of the United States," and the "11th 5-Year Plan for the Development of Marine Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China."

Areas of mutual interest include the role of the ocean in climate change, oceanographic data and information, living marine resources, integrated coastal and ocean management, and polar sciences.

"This statement goes beyond science and technology to include management and applications," said Rene Eppi, director of the NOAA Research International Affairs Office.

The participants agreed to send representatives to the Ocean Policy Forum this fall in the Republic of Korea, as well as a similar forum hosted by China in 2009.

NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

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NOAA Research International Affairs Office

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Media Contact:
Jana Goldman, NOAA Research, (301) 734-1123
(Photos courtesy of Warren Keenan, NOAA Research.)