III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 353 

Expressing support for the designation of the week of September 16 through 

September 23, 2023, as ‘‘National Estuaries Week’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CARPER, Mr. CASSIDY, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. COONS, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Ms. HASSAN, Ms. HIRONO, Mrs. 

HYDE-SMITH, Mr. KAINE, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. KING, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. 

MERKLEY, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. REED, Mr. RUBIO, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. 

SCHATZ, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WARNER, Ms. WARREN, and Mr. 

WYDEN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 

agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of the week of September 16 through September 23, 2023, as ‘‘National 

Estuaries Week’’. 

Whereas estuary regions cover only 13 percent of the land 

area in the continental United States but contain nearly 

40 percent of the population, 39 percent of the jobs, and 

47 percent of the economic output of the United States; 

Whereas the oceans, estuaries, and Great Lakes of the 

United States continue to fuel economic growth across 

the United States with employment from the estuarine 

and ocean economy growing at 2.6 percent in 2019, comVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:02 Sep 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR353.ATS SR353

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•SRES 353 ATS 

pared to the national average employment growth of 1.4 

percent; 

Whereas estuary, ocean, and Great Lakes economic sectors 

created 88,000 new jobs between 2018 to 2019, employed 

3,500,000 people, and contributed $351,000,000,000 in 

gross domestic product; 

Whereas employment in the ocean economy has increased by 

25 percent from prerecession levels in 2007, 3 times the 

rate of recovery of the United States economy as a whole; 

Whereas the commercial and recreational fishing industries 

support over 1,700,000 jobs in the United States; 

Whereas, in 2020— 

(1) commercial and recreational saltwater fishing in 

the United States generated more than 

$253,000,000,000 in sales and contributed 

$117,000,000,000 to the gross domestic product of the 

United States; 

(2) angler trip expenditures totaled nearly 

$10,200,000,000; and 

(3) saltwater recreational fishing supported over 

594,000 jobs, generated $98,028,000,000 in sales across 

the economy, and contributed $54,962,000,000 to the 

gross domestic product of the United States; 

Whereas estuaries provide vital habitats for— 

(1) countless species of fish and wildlife, including 

more than 68 percent of the commercial fish catch in the 

United States by value and 80 percent of the recreational 

fish catch in the United States by weight; and 

(2) many species that are listed as threatened or endangered species; 


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•SRES 353 ATS 

Whereas estuaries provide critical ecosystem services that 

protect human health and public safety, including water 

filtration, flood control, shoreline stabilization, erosion 

prevention, and the protection of coastal communities 

during hurricanes, storms, and other extreme weather 

events; 

Whereas, by the 1980s, the United States had already lost 

more than 50 percent of the wetlands that existed in the 

original 13 colonies; 

Whereas some bays in the United States that were once filled 

with fish and oysters have become dead zones filled with 

excess nutrients, chemical waste, and marine debris; 

Whereas harmful algal blooms are hurting fish, wildlife, and 

human health and are causing serious ecological and economic harm to some estuaries; 

Whereas changes in sea level can affect estuarine water quality and estuarine habitats; 

Whereas section 320 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 

Act (33 U.S.C. 1330) (commonly known as the ‘‘Clean 

Water Act’’) authorizes the development of comprehensive conservation and management plans to ensure that 

the designated uses of estuaries are protected and to restore and maintain— 

(1) the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of 

estuaries; 

(2) water quality; 

(3) balanced indigenous population of shellfish, fish, 

and wildlife; and 

(4) recreational activities in estuaries; 

Whereas the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 

U.S.C. 1451 et seq.) provides that the policy of the 


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•SRES 353 ATS 

United States is to preserve, protect, develop, and, if possible, restore or enhance the resources of the coastal 

zones of the United States, including estuaries, for current and future generations; 

Whereas 28 coastal and Great Lakes States and territories 

of the United States operate or contain a National Estuary Program or a National Estuarine Research Reserve; 

Whereas scientific study leads to a better understanding of 

the benefits of estuaries to human and ecological communities; 

Whereas the Federal Government, State, local, and Tribal 

governments, national and community organizations, and 

individuals work together to effectively manage the estuaries of the United States; 

Whereas estuary restoration efforts restore natural infrastructure in local communities in a cost-effective manner, 

helping to create jobs and reestablish the natural functions of estuaries that yield countless benefits; and 

Whereas the week of September 16 through September 23, 

2023, is recognized as ‘‘National Estuaries Week’’ to increase awareness among all people of the United States, 

including Federal Government and State, local, and Tribal government officials, about the importance of healthy 

estuaries and the need to protect and restore estuaries: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) expresses support for the designation of 

3 ‘‘National Estuaries Week’’; 

4 (2) supports the goals and ideals of National 

5 Estuaries Week; 


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1 (3) acknowledges the importance of estuaries to 

2 sustaining employment in the United States and the 

3 economic well-being and prosperity of the United 

4 States; 

5 (4) recognizes that persistent threats under6 mine the health of estuaries; 

7 (5) applauds the work of national and commu8 nity organizations and public partners that promote 

9 public awareness, understanding, protection, and 

10 restoration of estuaries; 

11 (6) supports the scientific study, preservation, 

12 protection, and restoration of estuaries; and 

13 (7) expresses the intent of the Senate to con14 tinue working to understand, protect, and restore 

15 the estuaries of the United States. 

Æ 


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