Northeast Regional Ocean Council

In 2005, the six New England governors created NROC to facilitate the development and implementation of coordinated and collaborative regional goals and priorities to improve responses to issues and challenges that are inherently regional.  NROC is a direct response to the call for the development of new institutions and partnerships for regional coastal and ocean governance in the US Ocean Action Plan issued by President Bush in 2004 and the Ocean Blueprint for the 21^st Century issued by the US Commission on Ocean Policy also in 2004.

NROC's role as a regional body devoted to coastal and ocean issues is to coordinate activities and programs across New England and foster the identification and pursuit of cross-sectoral, region-wide issues and priorities.  In 2007, NROC convened representatives from state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions at the region’s first Ocean Congress to identify priority issues that demanded a regional response.  The Ocean Congress resulted in four priority issue areas for NROC partners to address: 

• Ocean and Coastal Ecosystem Health                                      
• Coastal Hazards Resilience
• Ocean Energy Planning and Management, and                                                       
• Maritime Security

The Ocean Congress as well as state partners informed NROC’s first Ocean and Coast Action Plan in 2007.  This Action Plan was revised in 2008 and serves as the guidance document for NROC activities.