Number: 1998-13
WHEREAS, the United Nations declared 1998 as the Year of the Oceans, in recognition of the many challenges and opportunities facing the world’s oceans; and
WHEREAS, oceans cover about 70 percent of the earth’s surface and are important and relevant to all Americans because watersheds in which we live eventually drain into oceans and because oceans affect our climate, provide habitat to fish and other sea life, are a major food source for us and the rest of the world, with an annual fish catch of over 80 million tons, and represent an unexplored frontier; and
WHEREAS, more than half of the United States’ population lives within 50 miles of the coast, and 40 percent of new development over the last few years has occurred near the coast; and
WHEREAS, sea life in our oceans is threatened by many human activities, including polluted runoff, oil spills, dumping of solid wastes and dredge spoils, sewage and overfishing; and
WHEREAS, one example of the effects of polluted runoff is the 7,000 square mile “dead zone” of oxygen-depleted waters in the Gulf of Mexico, caused by algae blooms linked to excessive polluted runoff from farms and urban areas upstream along the Mississippi River; and
WHEREAS, thousands of marine mammals and sea birds die each year after ingesting or being entangled in plastic debris, and additional marine life is killed by routine release of oil from ships; and
WHEREAS, native stocks are being threatened by exotic imports such as the lethal virus strains associated with the Asian shrimp; and
WHEREAS, levels of heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other toxic compounds detected in marine life tissues are increasing worldwide; and
WHEREAS, the abundance of fish off the United States coast, including cod, haddock, pollock, white hake, redfish, Atlantic salmon, red snapper, flounder and billfish species such as blue, black and striped marlin, have declined considerably, principally due to over-fishing; and
WHEREAS, nearly two thirds of the fish stocks in the northeast region are over exploited and in low abundance, with groundfish and anadromous stocks each currently at 80 percent of their historic levels; haddock and yellowtail flounder stocks considered “collapsed”; and cod stock is in imminent danger of collapse; and
WHEREAS, for the past three years, the Canadian Wildlife Federation has developed educational and celebration-oriented material that describes the ocean ecosystem, threats, protection measures, and activities for students and communities; and
WHEREAS, the Year of the Oceans designation represents an opportunity to emphasize the Aldo Leopold land ethic to coastal areas and marine waters;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in its Annual Meeting assembled March 19-22, 1998, in Alexandria, Virginia, hereby endorses the United Nations declaration of 1998 as the Year of the Oceans and June 8, 1998 as Oceans Day; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation recognizes the Year of the Oceans as an important opportunity to work with fellow organizations like the Canadian Wildlife Federation, affiliates, and like-minded organizations to educate the public about the importance of oceans, the urgency to conserve sea life and marine habitat, and the need to prevent pollution from land based and open ocean activities.