[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 107 (Friday, June 3, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 36135-36136]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13364]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 107 / Friday, June 3, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 36135]]


                Proclamation 9459 of May 31, 2016

                
National Oceans Month, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Covering more than 70 percent of the earth's surface, 
                oceans have a profound impact on our way of life. Home 
                to a great diversity of plant and animal species, their 
                precious ecosystems provide food and energy that are 
                integral to our survival. In bringing tourism and 
                recreation to coastal areas, oceans are important to 
                America's economy, and they help facilitate trade and 
                transportation, give mobility to our Armed Forces, and 
                preserve our Nation's maritime heritage. In observation 
                of National Oceans Month, we recommit to good ocean 
                stewardship and redouble our efforts to preserve the 
                health and resilience of our vast oceans, coasts, and 
                Great Lakes.

                Jeopardizing marine populations and degrading oceanic 
                habitats, pollution poses a significant risk to all of 
                our interconnected oceans. Oceans and their nearby 
                regions are also highly vulnerable to the effects of a 
                changing climate--a once-distant threat that is now 
                very present and is affecting ecosystems and shoreline 
                communities on every coast. Rising sea levels, coastal 
                storms, and a growing risk of erosion and flooding are 
                looming realities faced by seaside towns. It is 
                critical that we take measures to safeguard our blue 
                planet and heed the urgency to defend against these 
                mounting threats, particularly in the Arctic where the 
                effects of a changing climate are already swiftly 
                accelerating.

                In collaboration with stakeholders; scientists; 
                businesses; and State, tribal, and local partners, my 
                Administration is continuing to implement the National 
                Ocean Policy, a coordinated effort to support local 
                communities, strengthen our ocean economy, and improve 
                the health of our oceans. We are concentrating on key 
                areas outlined in our 2016 Annual Work Plan, including 
                combatting illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing 
                and monitoring significant changes in the acidity of 
                our oceans. We are also focused on reducing the toxic 
                effects of harmful algal blooms, which occur when algae 
                grow too rapidly and threaten the safety of our food, 
                drinking water, and air quality. Using the science-
                based roadmap laid out in the National Ocean Policy, we 
                are dedicated to enhancing the economic and ecological 
                sustainability of our oceans and advancing our 
                knowledge of how they influence and are influenced by 
                human activity.

                This month, let us continue the work of ensuring the 
                well-being of these grand bodies of water and the 
                communities that depend on them. As we celebrate the 
                immense beauty and power of our oceans, we are reminded 
                of our shared responsibility to protect them--now and 
                for generations to come.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim June 2016 as National 
                Oceans Month. I call upon Americans to take action to 
                protect, conserve, and restore our oceans, coasts, and 
                Great Lakes.

[[Page 36136]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-13364
Filed 6-2-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P