[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 93 (Monday, June 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            WORLD OCEANS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2007

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, Friday is World Oceans Day--a day we 
celebrate the vast waters that cover two-thirds of the surface of our 
planet.
  A small, but biologically important part of the Blue Planet is 
offshore of my 6th Congressional District, a stretch that encompasses 
the entire coastline of Marin and Sonoma Counties.
  If you've driven the Marin-Sonoma coast you know how beautiful it is. 
Most of it is undeveloped or sparsely populated. Its sparkling waters, 
curling waves, pristine beaches, moon rocked cliffs, surging tide 
pools, and its soaring seabirds and breeching whales inspire and 
delight. Thanks to nutrient rich upwelling which provides a bounty of 
phytoplankton at the bottom of the food chain, our waters support 33 
species of marine mammals, including blue and humpbacked whales and 
elephant seals, at the top of the food chain.
  That's not to say that even here there are not problems. Today the 
commercial fishing fleet of Bodega Bay is just a remnant of past days. 
Last year, because of a water allotment that devasted the Klamath River 
fishery, our commercial salmon fishing season was slashed. Meanwhile, 
native coho and chinook salmon and steelhead trout are on the 
endangered species list.
  These tragic depletions of our fisheries are symptomatic of many 
things: global overfishing; inland habitat destruction; and water 
diversions; climate change; pollution, coastal development--all of 
which were addressed by reports from the U.S. Commission on Ocean 
Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission, and all of which need to be 
seriously dealt with.
  But the ocean is amazingly resilient. Aquatic populations can come 
back, if we take positive actions.
  All of our oceans need enlightened governance and protection, but 
there are places that are so rich, so vitally important to sustaining 
marine life that we need to immediately take special measures.
  The northern California coast is one of those places, and that's why 
I have introduced legislation, H.R. 1187, to expand the boundaries of 
the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries 
to include the entire Sonoma and with the support of Representative 
Mike Thompson and the Mendocino County board of supervisors, the 
southern Mendocino coast.
  The current northern boundary of the Gulf of the Farallones and 
Cordell Banks National Marine Sanctuaries is Bodega Head. Yet research 
shows that the rich marine geological area of the Gulf of the 
Farallones actually extends to Point Arena, about 100 miles north of 
Bodega Head.
  The Sonoma and southern Mendocino coast has two great estuaries, the 
Russian and Gualala Rivers. The Russian River watershed is especially 
burdened by multiple threats caused by human development. My bill 
protects these estuaries by banning increased polluting discharges into 
their waters. And, it will ensure that changes in flow or salinity do 
not harm marine life.
  Marine sanctuary protection will also ensure that the Bodega Marine 
Laboratory will be able to continue 50-years of studies in these 
pristine waters--research that will help us learn how to live with an 
ocean that is not so endless that it cannot be despoiled.
  The people of Sonoma and Mendocino love their coast, and because we 
will bring to it permanent protection, ecosystem management and the 
vital research that the marine sanctuary program provides, we will pass 
it on to our children, unspoiled and thriving with life.
  That's my commitment as we celebrate World Oceans Day.

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