Preface 



When the inaugural edition of Our Living 

 Oceans was released in November l'-)91 it was to 

 be the first in a series of national status reviews 

 prepared by the National Marine Fisheries Service. 

 From the beginning its purpose has been to serve 

 as a report card to the Nation on the biological 

 health ot U.S. living marine resources. Subsequent 

 editions have been completed for the 3-year re- 

 porting periods ending in 1992, 1993. and I99S. 

 Over time, this reporting effort has evolved to a 

 multi-vear cycle to better reflect the extended time 

 period that is often required to observe and docu- 

 ment change in the marine environment. 



Building on the reception of the biological re- 

 port card. Our Living Oceans: The Economic Sta- 

 tus of U.S. Fisheries was released to the American 

 public in December 1 996. This companion report 

 defined and characterized economic sustainability 



in the Nation's fisheries, and presented a prelimi- 

 nary assessment of their economic health. Work 

 on a third report that will present the initial as- 

 sessment on the status and health of marine and 

 coastal habitats important to living marine re- 

 siHirces is now underwav. When Our Living 

 Oceans: The Status of Habitat for U.S. Living Ma- 

 rine Resources is released in 200 1 , the envisioned 

 Our Living Oceans series covering stock status, eco- 

 nomics, and habitat will be in place. 



Our Living Oceans 1999 is the fifth edition on 

 the status of U.S. living marine resources. This 

 report presents new data analyses covering the years 

 1995-97. On the eve of the 21st Century, it of- 

 fers a progress report and discusses important is- 

 sues impacting our living ocean heritage and the 

 challenges that remain. 



