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Article: Memorandum on Protection of U.S. Coral Reefs in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.(Transcript)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
- Article date:
- May 29, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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May 26, 2000
Memorandum for the Secretary of interior, the Secretary of Commerce
Subject: Protection of U.S. Coral Reefs in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands
The world's coral reefs--our tropical rain forests of the water--are in serious decline. These important and sensitive areas of bio-diversity warrant special protection. While the United States has only 3 percent of the world's coral reefs, nearly 70 percent of U.S. coral reefs are in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. Many of the Northwest Hawaiian Island's coral, fish, and invertebrate species are unique, and the area is home to endangered Hawaiian monk seals and threatened turtles. In 1909, ...