[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 8, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  GULF OF THE FARALLONES AND CORDELL BANK NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES 
                BOUNDARY MODIFICATION AND PROTECTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 31, 2008

  Mr. FARR. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1187, the Gulf of 
the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary 
Modification and Protection Act authored by my friend Representative 
Woolsey.
  I am proud to say that I represent the 2nd largest National Marine 
Sanctuary in the system, which also includes the longest stretch of 
coastline. I can attest to their value in preservation of some of the 
most stunning seascapes in the world and in education of the public. 
The Gulf of the Farallones and the Cordell Bank National Marine 
Sanctuaries are adjacent to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 
and they have national and international significance. These 
sanctuaries exceed the biological productivity of tropical rain forests 
and support high levels of biological diversity.
  The sanctuaries were established ``to maintain the natural biological 
communities in the national marine sanctuaries, and to protect, and, 
where appropriate, restore and enhance natural habitats, populations, 
and ecological processes.'' They are the ``National Parks'' of our 
ocean. As such, they were the first application of ecosystem-based 
management to our oceans. This type of management is recommended by the 
U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, which we in Congress created and 
charged with the study of the state of the oceans and the management of 
this shared, valuable resource.
  The expansion of the boundaries of the Gulf of the Farrallones and 
the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries will protect a vital part 
of the California Coast and the upwelling zones, which form the basis 
of the fisheries in the Pacific Ocean. Expanding these boundaries will 
also help to preserve these exceptional underwater environments. We are 
the stewards of our oceans and coasts, and we are failing them. The 
oceans belong to all the people of the United States, and we must 
protect them and manage them for everyone's best interest.
  Madam Speaker, with our oceans in crisis, the Sanctuaries are a 
beacon of hope for future generations. I support H.R. 1187 and urge my 
colleagues to pass this bill.

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