National Oceans Month, 2011

Proclamation 8688 of June 2, 2011

National Oceans Month, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

During National Oceans Month, we celebrate the value of
our oceans to American life and recognize the critical
role they continue to play in our economic progress,
national security, and natural heritage. Waterborne
commerce, sustainable commercial fisheries,
recreational fishing, boating, tourism, and energy
production are all able to contribute to job growth and
strengthen our economy because of the bounty of our
oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes.

Last year, I signed an Executive Order directing my
Administration to implement our Nation's first
comprehensive National Policy for the Stewardship of
the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes. This policy
makes more effective use of Federal resources by
addressing the most critical issues facing our oceans.
It establishes a new approach to bringing together
Federal, State, local, and tribal governments and all
of the ocean's users--from recreational and commercial
fishermen, boaters, and industry, to environmental
groups, scientists, and the public--to better plan for,
manage, and sustain the myriad human uses that healthy
oceans, coasts, and the Great Lakes support.

One year after the devastating BP Deepwater Horizon oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we remain committed to the
full environmental and economic recovery of the region.
My Administration is assessing and mitigating the
damage that was caused by this tragedy, and restoring
and strengthening the Gulf Coast and its communities.
These efforts remind us of the responsibility we all
share for our oceans and coasts, and the strong
connection between the health of our natural resources
and that of our communities and economy. While we
embrace our oceans as crucial catalysts for trade,
bountiful sources of food, and frontiers for renewable
energy, we must also recommit to ensuring their safety
and sustainability, and to being vigilant guardians of
our coastal communities.

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 2011 as National
Oceans Month. I call upon Americans to take action to
protect, conserve, and restore our oceans, coasts, and
Great Lakes.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
second day of June, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.