FOREWORD 



The United Nations has declared 1998 as the International Year of the Ocean. This 

 declaration represents an opportunity to raise public awareness about the value of the ocean to all 

 Americans, to celebrate our considerable accomplishments in understanding the ocean, and to 

 learn from our experiences in managing ocean resources to assure that our children have a 

 healthy and productive ocean to enjoy. 



The Value of the Ocean to All Americans 



All Americans are affected by the ocean (including coastal waters, estuaries, and the 

 Great Lakes). And we all affect it. The United States has more than 95,000 miles of coastline 

 and more than 3.4 million square miles of ocean within its territorial sea. The ocean's living 

 resources provide food on our plates, raw materials for industry, new medicines to improve 

 health, and unparalleled recreational experiences. Historically, the ocean has buffered the U.S. 

 from conflicts overseas and foreign invasion. Our national security and our interests in 

 enhancing global peace and stability are absolutely dependent on preserving high seas freedoms 

 of navigation for military and commercial vessels. In 1996 approximately $590 billion of goods 

 (41 percent of the total value of United States foreign trade, and a much larger share by weight) 

 were carried on the ocean and passed through American ports. By comparison, air and overland 

 transportation accounted for 27 and 31 percent respectively, by value. U.S. residents ate an 

 average of 1 5 pounds of fish and shellfish last year. The ocean is also an important source of 

 energy - about 18% of our oil and 27% of our natural gas are produced from the Outer 

 Continental Shelf. Leading-edge anti-inflammatory drugs and potentially life-saving cancer 

 treatments contain ingredients from fish and marine organisms. Finally, about 180 million 

 people visit our coastlines each year, and most Americans spend at least 10 days a year near a 

 coast. Travel and tourism is the largest and the fastest growing segment of the U.S. service 

 industry. 



The ocean regulates the world's climate. The effects of the ocean on the atmosphere 

 control our daily weather. This year's El Nino event has changed dramatically weather patterns 

 in the US and around the world. The ocean provides natural services such as carbon storage, 

 atmospheric gas regulation, nutrient cycling, and waste treatment. Coral reefs, mangroves, and 

 kelp forests protect coastal areas from storms. Marine algae contribute nearly 40 percent of 

 global photosynthesis. 



The ocean provides many Americans with their livelihood. One out of six jobs in the 

 U.S. is marine-related and one-third of our GNP is produced in coastal areas. Today, over half of 

 our population lives and works in coastal areas adjacent to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the 

 Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes. Over the past three decades, coastal population has grown 

 faster than the population of the country as a whole. The U.S. coasts are among the most densely 

 populated areas in the world. By the year 2025, close to 75 percent of our people will live in 

 coastal areas, the majority in sprawling, interconnected metropolitan centers. One concern about 

 our burgeoning coastal population is the increased risk of coastal hazards and hurricanes, which 

 have accounted for almost $50 billion in coastal damages over the past decade. 



The oceans play an important role in enabling the United States to project military power, 

 when necessary, to troubled regions of the world. Freedom of the seas provides U.S. policy- 

 makers with flexible options in dealing with challenges to international peace and security. 



Ill 



