IV
House Calendar No. 19
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 8
[Report No. 105–69]
Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the significance of
maintaining the health and stability of coral reef ecosystems.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 9, 1997
Mr. SAXTON (for himself and Mr. ABERCROMBIE) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Resources
APRIL 23, 1997
Additional sponsors: Mr. MILLER of California, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr.
FRELINGHUYSEN, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. HORN, Mr. EVANS, Mr. CANADY of
Florida, Mr. BILBRAY, Mr. MICA, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. KLUG, Mr. ROGAN,
Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. PORTMAN, Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN, Mr. ROMERO-
BARCELO´, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. DEUTSCH,
Mr. HINCHEY, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. BACHUS, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr.
KINGSTON, Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey, Mr. FARR of California, Ms.
DEGETTE, Mr. DICKS, Mr. DELLUMS, Mr. MANTON, Mr. BOEHLERT,
Mr. SHAYS, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. GOSS, Mr. ORTIZ,
Mr. UNDERWOOD, Mr. CAPPS, and Mr. SHAW
APRIL 23, 1997
Reported with amendments, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered to
be printed
[Strike out the preamble and insert the part printed in italic]
[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic]
•HCON 8 RH
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the signifi-
cance of maintaining the health and stability of coral
reef ecosystems.
Whereas coral reefs are among the world’s most biologically
diverse and productive marine habitats, often described
as the tropical rain forests of the oceans;
Whereas healthy coral reefs provide the basis for subsistence,
commercial fisheries, and coastal and marine tourism and
are of vital economic importance to coastal States and
territories of the United States including Florida, Ha-
waii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and
American Samoa;
Whereas healthy coral reefs function as natural, regenerating
coastal barriers, protecting shorelines and coastal areas
from high waves and storm surges;
Whereas the scientific community has long established that
coral reefs are subject to a wide range of natural and an-
thropogenic threats;
Whereas the United States has taken measures to protect na-
tional coral reef resources through the designation and
management
of
several
underwater
national
parks
(known as National Marine Sanctuaries), containing reefs
of the Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico, the
Florida Keys in south Florida, and offshore Hawaii and
American Samoa;
Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion has established itself as a global leader in coral reef
stewardship by maintaining professional networks for the
purposes of sharing knowledge and information on coral
•HCON 8 RH
reefs, furnishing near real-time data collected at coral
reef sites, providing a repository for historical data relat-
ing to coral reefs, and making substantial contributions
to the general fund of coral reef knowledge; and
Whereas 1997 has been declared the ‘‘International Year of
the Reef’’ by the coral reef research community and over
40 national and international scientific, conservation, and
academic organizations: Now, therefore, be it
Whereas coral reefs are among the world’s most bio-
logically diverse and productive marine habitats, and
are often described as the tropical rain forests of the
oceans;
Whereas healthy coral reefs provide the basis for subsist-
ence, commercial fisheries, and coastal and marine
tourism and are of vital economic importance to coast-
al States and territories of the United States including
Florida, Hawaii, Georgia, Texas, Puerto Rico, the
Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;
Whereas healthy coral reefs function as natural, regenerat-
ing coastal barriers, protecting shorelines and coastal
areas from high waves, storm surges, and accompany-
ing losses of human life and property;
Whereas the scientific community has long established that
coral reefs are subject to a wide range of natural and
anthropogenic threats;
Whereas the United States has taken measures to protect
national coral reef resources through the designation
and management of several marine protected areas,
containing reefs of the Flower Garden Banks in the
Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Keys in south Florida, and
•HCON 8 RH
offshore Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and
American Samoa;
Whereas the United States, acting through its agencies, has
established itself as a global leader in coral reef stew-
ardship by launching the International Coral Reef
Initiative and by maintaining professional networks
for the purposes of sharing knowledge and information
on coral reefs, furnishing near real-time data collected
at coral reef sites, providing a repository for historical
data relating to coral reefs, and making substantial
contributions to the general fund of coral reef knowl-
edge; and
Whereas 1997 has been declared the ‘‘International Year of
the Reef’’ by the coral reef research community and
over 40 national and international scientific, con-
servation, and academic organizations: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress to recognize
the significance of maintaining the health and stability of
coral reef ecosystems, by—
(1) promoting comprehensive stewardship for
coral reef ecosystems;
(2) encouraging research and education on
coral reef ecosystems; and
(3) improving the coordination of coral reef ef-
forts and activities which take place within Federal
agencies, academic institutions, nongovernmental or-
ganizations and industry.
•HCON 8 RH
That the Congress recognizes the significance of maintain-
ing the health and stability of coral reef ecosystems, by—
(1) promoting comprehensive stewardship for
coral reef ecosystems;
(2) encouraging research, monitoring, and as-
sessment of and education on coral reef ecosystems;
and
(3) improving the coordination of coral reef ef-
forts and activities of Federal agencies, academic in-
stitutions, 
nongovernmental 
organizations, 
and
industry.
Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘Concurrent resolu-
tion recognizing the significance of maintaining the
health and stability of coral reef ecosystems.’’.