IV 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 68 
Expressing support for the goals and ideals of National Marine Awareness 
Day. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 13, 2013 
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the goals and ideals of National 
Marine Awareness Day. 
Whereas the ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface 
and contains 97 percent of the planet’s water; 
Whereas the marine environment supports the life of nearly 
50 percent of all species on Earth and helps sustain that 
life by providing 20 percent of the animal protein and 
five percent of the total protein in the human diet; 
Whereas coastal habitats account for approximately 1⁄3 of all 
marine biological productivity, estuarine ecosystems are 
among the most productive regions on the planet, and 
coral reefs shelter the highest levels of marine diversity 
in the world; 
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Whereas coral reef ecosystems are a source of food for mil-
lions of people; protect coastlines from storms and ero-
sion; provide habitat and spawning and nursery grounds 
for economically important fish species; provide jobs and 
income to local economies from fishing, recreation, and 
tourism; are a source of new medicines; and are hotspots 
of marine biodiversity; 
Whereas it is difficult to put a dollar value on some of the 
benefits the world’s marine ecosystems provide, but a re-
cent estimate states that the total net benefit of coral 
reef ecosystems alone to be $30,000,000,000 per year; 
Whereas one of every six jobs in the United States is marine- 
related and over one-third of the United States gross na-
tional product originates in coastal areas; 
Whereas 80 percent of the United States Virgin Islands’ 
gross domestic product and employment are based on 
marine-related tourism; 
Whereas the economy and cultural heritage of American 
Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Is-
lands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and coastal states across the 
continental United States are significantly reliant on the 
tremendous ecosystem services that the ocean provides; 
Whereas human-dominated marine ecosystems are experi-
encing accelerating loss of populations and species with 
largely unknown consequences, overall rates of resource 
collapse have increased, and recovery potential, stability, 
and water quality have decreased exponentially with de-
clining diversity; 
Whereas the ocean has absorbed a significant portion of all 
carbon dioxide emissions, causing unprecedented changes 
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to ocean chemistry affecting marine organisms that use 
carbonate to build shells or skeletons; 
Whereas large quantities of human-generated trash enters 
the marine environment as marine debris and causes a 
decrease in water quality, death and morbidity for marine 
mammals, depletion of valuable fisheries, and decreased 
tourism revenue; 
Whereas human-induced pressures such as pollution, deg-
radation of water quality, harmful fishing practices, and 
a changing climate are adversely affecting our precious 
marine resources; 
Whereas coral reefs, seabirds, marine mammals, fisheries, 
and tourism will be severely impacted by the Deepwater 
Horizon oil spill; 
Whereas marine biodiversity loss is increasingly impairing the 
ocean’s capacity to function effectively as a system, or to 
provide food, maintain water quality, and recover from 
perturbations, yet available data suggest that at this 
point these trends are still reversible and the restoration 
of marine ecosystem biodiversity has shown to increase 
system productivity by fourfold; 
Whereas the United States has had a longstanding commit-
ment to the preservation and conservation of the marine 
environment, as demonstrated through the passage and 
implementation of numerous laws including the Marine 
Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et 
seq.), the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 
U.S.C. 1451 et seq.), the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
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1801 et seq.), the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 
(16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.), and other statutes; and 
Whereas the eighth day of June of each year is the appro-
priate day for designation as National Marine Awareness 
Day: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) celebrates the diversity of marine fisheries 
and wildlife and the natural beauty and biological 
richness that marine ecosystems provide; 
(2) supports the goals and ideals of National 
Marine Awareness Day; and 
(3) calls upon the people of the United States 
to observe such a day with appropriate ceremonies, 
programs, and activities. 
Æ 
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