[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 130 (Thursday, September 25, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1866-E1867]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE OCEANS ACT OF 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 1997

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
Oceans Act of 1997. I am pleased to be able to offer this bill with the 
support of the chairman of Resources' Subcommittee on Fisheries 
Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans, Representative Jim Saxton; the 
ranking Democrat of that subcommittee, Representative Neil Abercrombie; 
and the ranking Democrat on the Resources Committee, Representative 
George Miller, as well as Representatives Gilchrest, Pallone, George 
Brown, Porter Goss, Patrick Kennedy, and Solomon Ortiz.
  This is an exciting time in the history of man's relationship with 
the oceans. With this year as the International Year of the Reef, and 
next year as the International Year of the Ocean, more focus is being 
directed on the state of the world's coasts and oceans than ever 
before. And rightly so.
  We are critically dependent on the oceans, and the resources we 
derive from them. Commercial and recreational fishing provides 1.5 
million jobs and an estimated $111 billion annually to the Nation's 
economy, and more than 30 percent of the United States GNP is produced 
in coastal counties. Americans love the ocean and beaches: they are our 
leading tourist destination, with 85 percent of tourist revenues being 
spent in coastal States. In 1993 more than 180 million Americans 
visited coastal waters nationwide, and in California alone the revenue 
generated by tourism is approximately $38 billion annually. The 
beautiful coasts and ocean in my district are key to the areas's $1.5 
billion travel and tourism industry.

[[Page E1867]]

  Yet we cannot ignore the evidence that our oceans and coasts are 
imperiled. Since 1950 production from world fisheries and aquaculture 
has increased by a factor of five. Food and Agriculture Organization 
[FAO] analysis of hte world's fishing resources in 1995 concluded that 
most of the major fish stocks in the world can be classified as fully 
fished, overfished, depleted, or recovering. Approximately 45 percent 
of the Nation's threatened and endangered species inhibit coastal 
areas, and almost 75 percent of the endangered and threatened mammals 
and birds rely on these coastal habitats.
  We are inundated every day with stories of marine, estuarine and 
reverine pollution, wetlands loss, algal blooms, coastal and marine 
habitat degradation, fishery over-harvesting, and the looming threat of 
sea-level rise. With all of the legislation, regulations, and Federal, 
State and local programs and policies, we somehow still seem to be 
failing in our mission to have healthy, sustainable oceans and coasts.
  The situation will only get worse as coastal populations increase: 
Two-thirds of the world's cities with populations over 1.6 million are 
located in the coastal zone. By the year 2010 it is estimated that at 
least 75 percent of the United States population will live within 50 
miles of the coast, with all of the attendant potential environmental 
consequences of having so many people concentrated in areas of diverse 
and fragile ecosystems.
  Part of the problem is that we are not investing enough in learning 
about our oceans; for all of the money we have spent in space 
exploration, we know woefully little about the amazing characteristics 
of the 71 percent of our planet's surface that is the world's oceans. 
The fact is, we know less about the surface of our own planet than we 
do about that of Mars, Venus, or the Moon. I believe that we need to 
put our national ocean exploration programs on par with the space 
program, and our efforts to conserve the marine environment at least 
equal to that provided to the land portion of our country. Our efforts 
to protect our marine environment through our national marine sanctuary 
system provide only 0.7 percent of the funding we give just to our 
national parks.
  The legislation I am introducing is patterned after the law which was 
enacted in 1966 to establish the Commission on Marine Science, 
Engineering and Resources, known as the Stratton Commission, after its 
chairman, Julius Stratton of the Ford Foundation. The Commission was 
given the task of examining the Nation's stake in the development, 
utilization, and preservation of the marine environment, to assess the 
Nation's current and anticipated marine activities; and, on the basis 
of this information, to formulate a comprehensive, long-term, national 
program for marine affairs with the goal of meeting current and future 
needs in the most efficient manner possible. In January of 1969, the 
Stratton Commission released its report ``Our Nation and the Sea: A 
Plan for National Action.''
  The report and recommendations of the Commission led to the creation 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, supported the 
impetus for the enactment of the Coastal Zone Management Act in 1972, 
and provided the vision and structure for ocean and coastal policy for 
the past thirty years. Today, however, U.S. population has grown from 
196.5 million in 1966 to 265.6 million in 1996, over half of whom lives 
within 50 miles of our shores; ocean and coastal resources once thought 
inexhaustible are now seriously depleted; and wetlands and other marine 
habitats are threatened by pollution and human activities.
  As the 30-year anniversary of the Stratton Commission's report 
approaches, it is of great importance that we again do a thorough 
assessment of the current state of our Nation's coastal and marine 
resources, programs, and policies, and that we create a new national 
ocean plan to lead us into the 21st century. The Oceans Act of 1997 
contains similar provisions to the 1966 act. It calls for the creation 
of a Stratton-type commission, called the Commission on Ocean Policy, 
to examine ocean and coastal activities and to report within 18 months 
its recommendations for a national policy. In developing the report, 
the Commission would assess Federal programs and funding priorities, 
infrastructure requirements, conflicts among marine users, and 
technological opportunities. The Commission would then meet at a 
minimum of once every 5 years to assess the Nation's progress in 
meeting the purposes and objectives of the act. An appropriation of $6 
million over the course of fiscal years 1998 and 1999 would be 
authorized for the Commission to complete its work. In addition, such 
sums as necessary would be authorized for the Commission to meet in the 
10 years following the submission of the report.
  It would also call for the President, with the assistance of the 
heads of relevant agencies and departments, and on the advice of the 
Commission, to develop and implement a coherent national ocean and 
coastal policy that provides for protection against natural hazards; 
responsible stewardship of fisheries and other ocean and coastal 
resources; protection of the marine environment; resolution of 
conflicts among users of the marine environment; advancement of 
research, education and training in fields related to marine 
activities; continued investment in marine technologies; coordination 
and cooperation within and among governments; and preservation of U.S. 
leadership on ocean and coastal issues.
  I believe that a comprehensive ocean and coastal conservation and 
management plan for our country is absolutely necessary. Our efforts 
have got to be coordinated, and we've got to act now to increase our 
knowledge of this critical area of our planet, and to ensure proper 
management of marine resources, and healthy, vibrant coastal and ocean 
ecosystems we all can enjoy.

                          ____________________