The Global Programme of Action Coalition for the Gulf of Maine (GPAC) is a bi-national working group comprised of some forty individuals representing federal and state/provincial governments, the research sector, the private sector, non-government organizations, communities and First Nations. Formed in 1997, the GPAC meets regularly and has developed an Action Plan to guide its initiatives in 1998-1999. The primary goal of the GPAC is to establish a collaborative, short-term organization dedicated entirely to the implementation of the United Nations Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities in this region.