,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #fh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of 
,,representatives  ,february #ac1 #bjac 
,mrs4 ,christensen submitted the        
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,natural          
,resources  ,,resolution  ,expressing   
support for the goals and ideals of     
,national ,marine ,awareness ,day4      
,whereas the ocean covers #ga percent of
 the ,earth's surface and contains #ig  
percent of the planet's water2 ,whereas 
the marine environment supports the life
 of nearly #ej percent of all species on
 ,earth and helps sustain that life by  
providing #bj percent of the animal     
protein and five percent of the total   
protein in the human diet2 ,whereas     
coastal habitats account for            
approximately #a_/c of all marine       
biological productivity1 estuarine      
ecosystems are among the most productive
 regions on the planet1 and coral reefs 
shelter the highest levels of marine    
diversity in the world2 ,whereas coral  

reef ecosystems are a source of food for
 millions of people2 protect coastlines 
from storms and erosion2 provide habitat
 and spawning and nursery grounds for   
economically important fish species2    
provide jobs and income to local        
economies from fishing1 recreation1 and 
tourism2 are a source of new medicines2 
and are hotspots of marine biodiversity2
 ,whereas it is difficult to put a      
dollar value on some of the benefits the
 world's marine ecosystems provide1 but 
a recent estimate states that the total 
net benefit of coral reef ecosystems    
alone to be #cj1jjj1jjj1jjj per year2   
,whereas one of every six jobs in the   
,united ,states is marine-related and   
over one-third of the ,united ,states   
gross national product originates in    
coastal areas2 ,whereas #hj percent of  
the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands'   
gross domestic product and employment   
are based on marine-related tourism2    
,whereas the economy and cultural       
heritage of ,american ,samoa1 the       

,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands1 ,guam1 ,puerto ,rico1 and     
coastal states across the continental   
,united ,states are significantly       
reliant on the tremendous ecosystem     
services that the ocean provides2       
,whereas human-dominated marine         
ecosystems are experiencing accelerating
 loss of populations and species with   
largely unknown consequences1 overall   
rates of resource collapse have         
increased1 and recovery potential1      
stability1 and water quality have       
decreased exponentially with declining  
diversity2 ,whereas the ocean has       
absorbed a significant portion of all   
carbon dioxide emissions1 causing       
unprecedented changes to ocean chemistry
 affecting marine organisms that use    
carbonate to build shells or skeletons2 
,whereas large quantities of            
human-generated trash enters the marine 
environment as marine debris and causes 
a decrease in water quality1 death and  
morbidity for marine mammals1 depletion 

of valuable fisheries1 and decreased    
tourism revenue2 ,whereas human-induced 
pressures such as pollution1 degradation
 of water quality1 harmful fishing      
practices1 and a changing climate are   
adversely affecting our precious marine 
resources2 ,whereas coral reefs1        
seabirds1 marine mammals1 fisheries1 and
 tourism will be severely impacted by   
the ,deepwater ,horizon oil spill2      
,whereas marine biodiversity loss is    
increasingly impairing the ocean's      
capacity to function effectively as a   
system1 or to provide food1 maintain    
water quality1 and recover from         
perturbations1 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
 fourfold2 ,whereas the ,united ,states 
has had a longstanding commitment to the
 preservation and conservation of the   
marine environment1 as demonstrated     
through the passage and implementation  

of numerous laws including the ,marine  
,mammal ,protection ,act of #aigb 7#af  
,u4,s4,c4 #acfa et seq471 the ,coastal  
,zone ,management ,act of #aigb 7#af    
,u4,s4,c4 #adea et seq471 the           
,endangered ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af 
,u4,s4,c4 #aeca et seq471 the           
,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery             
,conservation and ,management ,act 7#af 
,u4,s4,c4 #ahja et seq471 the ,coral    
,reef ,conservation ,act of #bjjj 7#af  
,u4,s4,c4 #fdja et seq471 and other     
statutes2 and ,whereas the eighth day of
 ,june of each year is the appropriate  
day for designation as ,national ,marine
 ,awareness ,day3 ,now1 therefore1 be it
  ,that the ,house of ,representatives--
  7#a7 celebrates the diversity of      
marine fisheries and wildlife and the   
natural beauty and biological richness  
that marine ecosystems provide2  7#b7   
supports the goals and ideals of        
,national ,marine ,awareness ,day2 and  
7#c7 calls upon the people of the       
,united ,states to observe such a day   

with appropriate ceremonies1 programs1  
and activities4