IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 688 
Expressing support for the designation of the week of September 16 through 
September 23, 2023, as ‘‘National Estuaries Week’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 
Mr. POSEY (for himself, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. MAST, Mr. LARSEN of Wash-
ington, Mrs. CHAVEZ-DEREMER, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. KILMER, Ms. 
BROWNLEY, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. CARSON, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. 
PAPPAS, Mr. NADLER, Mr. BEYER, and Mr. CARTER of Georgia) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the designation of the week of Sep-
tember 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 Nation’s oceans, estuaries, and Great Lakes 
continue to fuel economic growth across the Nation with 
employment from the estuarine and ocean economy grow-
ing at 2.6 percent in 2019, compared to the national av-
erage employment growth of 1.4 percent; 
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•HRES 688 IH 
Whereas estuary, ocean, and Great Lakes economy 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 increased by 25 
percent from prerecession levels (2007), three 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 594,000 
jobs, generated $98,028,000,000 in sales impacts 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 en-
dangered species; 
Whereas estuaries provide critical ecosystem services that 
protect human health and public safety, including water 
filtration, flood control, shoreline stabilization, erosion 
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•HRES 688 IH 
prevention, carbon sequestration, 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 
13 Original 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 eco-
nomic harm to some estuaries; 
Whereas changes in sea level can affect estuarine water qual-
ity 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 the— 
(1) chemical, physical, and biological integrity of es-
tuaries; 
(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 
United States is to preserve, protect, develop, and, if pos-
sible, restore or enhance the resources of the coastal zone 
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•HRES 688 IH 
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 Estu-
ary Program or a National Estuarine Research Reserve; 
Whereas scientific study leads to a better understanding of 
the benefits of estuaries to human and ecological commu-
nities; 
Whereas the Federal Government, State, local, and Tribal 
Governments, national and community organizations, and 
individuals work together to effectively manage the estu-
aries of the United States; 
Whereas estuary restoration efforts restore natural infra-
structure in local communities in a cost-effective manner, 
helping to create jobs and reestablish the natural func-
tions of estuaries that yield countless benefits; and 
Whereas the week of September 16 through September 23, 
2023, is recognized as ‘‘National Estuaries Week’’ to in-
crease awareness among all people of the United States, 
including Federal Government and State, local, and Trib-
al Government officials, about the importance of healthy 
estuaries and the need to protect and restore estuaries: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses support for the designation of 
‘‘National Estuaries Week’’; 
(2) supports the goals and ideals of National 
Estuaries Week; 
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•HRES 688 IH 
(3) acknowledges the importance of estuaries to 
sustaining employment in the United States and the 
economic well-being and prosperity of the United 
States; 
(4) recognizes that persistent threats under-
mine the health of estuaries; 
(5) applauds the work of national and commu-
nity organizations and public partners that promote 
public awareness, understanding, protection, and 
restoration of estuaries; 
(6) supports the scientific study, preservation, 
protection, and restoration of estuaries; and 
(7) expresses the intent of the House of Rep-
resentatives to continue working to understand, pro-
tect, and restore the estuaries of the United States. 
Æ 
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