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 Na-
tion’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 diver-
sity of life, from the smallest micro-organism to the
mammoth blue whale;
•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 under-
standing of global warming and the effects of the ocean
on climate and weather, which inevitably impacts on safe-
ty 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 pre-
cious 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 oc-
curred in the 1990’s;
Whereas 10 percent of the ocean’s coral reefs, the ‘‘rain for-
ests of the sea’’, have been destroyed and another 30 per-
cent 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 fish-
eries 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 de-
stroys fragile ecosystems;
•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 arti-
facts 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 stew-
ardship 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 Ha-
waii’s people, as well as Hawaii’s culture, history, and
traditions; and
•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
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that a National Ocean Day should be estab-
lished 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.
Æ