IV

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 440

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should

be established a National Ocean Day to recognize the significant role

the ocean plays in the lives of the Nation’s people and the important

role the Nation’s people must play in the continued life of the ocean.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 14, 2000

Mrs. MINK of Hawaii submitted the following resolution; which was referred

to the Committee on Resources

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that

there should be established a National Ocean Day to

recognize the significant role the ocean plays in the lives

of the Nation’s people and the important role the Nation’s people must play in the continued life of the ocean.

Whereas the oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth’s surface

and are key to the life support systems for all creatures

on this planet;

Whereas the oceans contain a wondrous abundance and diversity of life, from the smallest micro-organism to the

mammoth blue whale;
2

•HRES 440 IH

Whereas two-thirds of the world’s people live within 50 miles

of a coast and one out of six American jobs is in fishing,

shipping, or tourism;

Whereas oceanic research has contributed to an understanding of global warming and the effects of the ocean

on climate and weather, which inevitably impacts on safety and quality of life;

Whereas the ocean is an endless universe of exploration and

discovery and a key source of life-saving medicines and

treatments;

Whereas international trade will nearly triple over the next 2

decades and more than 90 percent of this trade will be

transported by ocean;

Whereas the ocean’s resources are limited, and nations must

work together to preserve them;

Whereas poor stewardship of the oceans pollutes beaches,

contaminates the food supply, and robs people of a precious resource they depend on;

Whereas the oceans are the warmest they have been in 104

years, and the 5 hottest years since 1400 have all occurred in the 1990’s;

Whereas 10 percent of the ocean’s coral reefs, the ‘‘rain forests of the sea’’, have been destroyed and another 30 percent will disappear within 20 years;

Whereas more than two-thirds of the world’s fisheries are

overexploited and more than a third of the world’s fisheries are in a state of decline;

Whereas the ocean’s shores must be saved from off-shore oil

drilling, which spoils coasts, kills marine life, and destroys fragile ecosystems;
3

•HRES 440 IH

Whereas decades of pollution from industrial waste, sewage,

and toxic runoff have taken their toll on the health of the

oceans and on the marine life in them, with many species

of fish threatened with extinction;

Whereas the Clinton Administration has announced a new $4

million effort to conduct a comprehensive exploration of

the oceans surrounding the United States, using the most

advanced underwater technology to locate historical artifacts such as sunken ships, to map the ocean floor, and

to discover new forms of marine life and promising

sources of life-saving drugs and minerals;

Whereas the Clinton Administration has proposed a $224

million initiative to enhance the health of the oceans;

Whereas by the year 2002, a new ocean monitoring system

will be developed to give us a better understanding of the

critical relationship between oceans and global warming;

Whereas a deepened understanding of the seas will enable us

to track marine mammals, predict deadly storms such as

those associated with El Nin ̃o, detect illegal fishing, and

gain new insights into the complexities of climate change;

Whereas in the 21st century, people will look increasingly to

the oceans to meet their everyday needs;

Whereas the oceans are the core of our own humanity, a

treasure shared by all nations of the world, and our stewardship of this resource is our obligation to our children,

grandchildren, and all of Earth’s inhabitants;

Whereas the State of Hawaii has designated the first

Wednesday of June as Ocean Day, in recognition of the

very significant role the ocean plays in the lives of Hawaii’s people, as well as Hawaii’s culture, history, and

traditions; and
4

•HRES 440 IH

Whereas the establishment of a National Ocean Day will

raise awareness of the vital role oceans play in human life

and that human beings must play in the life of the ocean:

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that a National Ocean Day should be estab3 lished to recognize the significant role the ocean plays in

4 the lives of the Nation’s people, and the important role

5 the Nation’s people must play in the continued life of the

6 ocean.

Æ