Lincoln Chafee: “I rise today with Senator Breaux and Senators Lieberman, Faircloth, Robb, Sarbanes, Murray, D'Amato, Murkowski, Warner…”

“I rise today with Senator Breaux and Senators Lieberman, Faircloth, Robb, Sarbanes, Murray, D'Amato, Murkowski, Warner, Reed, Landrieu, Graham, Mikulski, Dodd, Moynihan, and Mack to introduce the Estuary Habitat Restoration Partnership Act of 1997. Estuaries, those bays, gulfs, sounds, and inlets where fresh water meets and mixes with salt water from the ocean, provide some of the most ecologically and economically productive habitat in the world. They benefit our economy, they benefit our health, in short, they are good for the soul. More than 75 percent of the commercial fish and shellfish harvested in the United States depend on estuaries at some stage in their lifecycle. Estuaries are also home to a large percentage of the Nation's endangered and threatened species and half of its neotropical migratory birds. Moreover, the livelihood of 28 million Americans depends on estuaries and coastal regions. Regrettably, estuaries are in danger. Within the last 30 years, coastal regions have become home to more than half of the Nation's population. This population explosion has taken its toll. Fish catches are at their lowest, shellfish beds have been closed, and the economic livelihood and quality of life of our coastal communities is threatened.”