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At the 3rd Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council held 2002 in Inari, Finland, Ministers recognized "....what existing and emerging activities in the Arctic warrant a more coordinated and intergrated strategic approach to address the challanges of the Arctic coastal and marine environment..." and agreed "... to develop a strategic plan for the protection of the Arctic marine environment under leadership by PAME."

The Arctic Marine Strategic Plan (AMSP) was endorsed by Arctic Council Ministers in November 2004. The Arctic Council’s vision for the Arctic marine environment is:

A healthy and productive Arctic Ocean and coasts that support environmental, economic and sociocultural values for current and future generations.

 The goals of this Strategic Plan are as follows:

• Reduce and prevent pollution in the Arctic marine environment
• Conserve Arctic marine biodiversity and ecosystem functions
• Promote the health and prosperity of all Arctic inhabitants
• Advance sustainable Arctic marine resource use

The environmental, economic and socio-cultural changes occurring in the Arctic today are primarily driven by two key factors: climate change and increasing economic activity. The 29 strategic actions in the AMSP were selected according to its goals, principles and approaches, taking into consideration the current and emerging situation affecting the Arctic marine environment, its ecological integrity and the social, cultural, economic and physical well-being of its peoples.