Year of the Ocean, 1998

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7065 of January 28, 1998

Year of the Ocean, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

More than 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered
by water, and more than half the world's population
lives within 50 miles of a coastline. We rely on the
ocean as both a source and sustenance of life on our
planet. It contains a wondrous abundance and diversity
of life, from the smallest microorganism to the mammoth
blue whale. It is a key source of food, medicine,
energy, commerce, and recreation for the peoples of the
world, and the more we learn about its influence on
climate and weather, the more we realize its impact on
our safety and quality of life.

We are only beginning to understand the depths of the
ocean's mysteries, but we are quickly learning one
crucial lesson: the ocean's resources are limited, and
we must work together to preserve them. Many areas are
already overfished; decades of pollution, including
industrial waste, sewage, and toxic runoff, has taken
its toll on the health of the ocean and its living
creatures. Many species of fish are threatened with
extinction, and even our precious coral reefs, once a
safe haven for an amazing variety of animal and plant
life, have suffered greatly.

Because the ocean is a treasure that all nations of the
world share in common, we must work in partnership to
become wise stewards of its many riches. We must strive
together--at local, national, and international
levels--to preserve the ocean's health, to protect the
marine environment, and to ensure the sustainable
management of the myriad resources the ocean contains.

Dedicating 1998 as the Year of the Ocean is an
important first step in this worldwide endeavor.
Throughout the year, individuals, organizations, and
governments will participate in activities designed to
raise public awareness of the vital role the ocean
plays in human life and of the equally vital role that
human beings must play in the life of the ocean. The
Year of the Ocean provides us with an extraordinary
opportunity to learn more about the ocean's unique
environment and to collaborate on protecting and
preserving its invaluable resources.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim 1998 as
the Year of the Ocean. I encourage the Governors of the
States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and
officials of other areas subject to the jurisdiction of
the United States to participate in the observance of
this year. I invite all Americans to take this
opportunity to learn more about the ocean and its vast
biodiversity and to become involved in keeping our
coastal waters safe and clean.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-second.