[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 95 (Friday, June 8, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4984-H4985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TODAY IS WORLD OCEANS DAY
(Ms. BONAMICI asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, in the time I make these remarks, 1
minute,
[[Page H4985]]
and every minute after, the equivalent of an entire garbage truck full
of plastic will be dumped into the oceans. That is about 8 million
metric tons a year, endangering marine life.
Today is World Oceans Day, a good time to recommit to protect,
conserve, maintain, and rebuild our oceans and our ocean resources.
The health of our oceans reflects the health of our planet. We have
work to do. Oceans absorb CO2 produced by human activities,
and increasing carbon emissions are stressing the oceans and
threatening the livelihood of coastal communities.
As oceans become more acidic, shellfish struggle to build shells.
Oysters and clams are especially vulnerable. Harmful algal blooms
produce acid that accumulates in shellfish, like Dungeness crab, and
can be poisonous to humans.
We must invest in research to better understand the challenges to
ocean health, like ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, marine
debris, and overfishing.
The ocean is resilient, but we cannot afford to wait. On World Oceans
Day, I invite all of my colleagues to join the bipartisan Oceans
Caucus. The time to take action is now.
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