Obama administration officials are in Hawaii this week to hear opinions on how it should shape a new national policy on oceans. 

Andy Winer, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official, said today that the policy aims to boost coordination among the 20-some federal agencies who work with the oceans. 

He said the coordination should help the government avoid bad decisions so that, for example, fishermen don’t wake up to discover a wave energy project being built in prime fishing grounds. 

The administration held a "listening session" in Honolulu that also included Internet video links to Kauai, Maui and the Big Island as well as American Samoa, Guam and Saipan so people could comment from these other locations in the Pacific. 

The public may also submit comments through the White House website.