BIOtheNUMBERS

7,600 – Estimated square miles covered by shallow-water coral reefs in the United States

375 billion – Estimated annual amount in goods and services coral reef ecosystems provide worldwide

500 million – Number of people worldwide that depend on coral reefs for food, income, and resources

50% – Amount of federally managed commercial fish species that need coral reefs for at least part of their life cycle

67% – Percent of reef fish species overfished in U.S. waters of the south Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean

90-96% – Percent of nearshore coral species killed by white band disease in the 1990s

>2,000 – Number of coral species listed under CITES

United States – The world’s largest importer of ornamental coral reef resources

$360 million – Estimated amount of money generated by coral reefs for recreation per year in Hawaii

33% – Percent of all marine fish species that call coral reefs home

6 million – The metric tons of seafood harvested annually from coral reef fisheries

0.2% – The amount of ocean area covered by tropical coral reefs

Data: U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century. Final Report. 2004

Estuary Restoration Act of 2000: Restore 1,000,000 acres of estuarine habitat by 2010 (RAE 2007).

It is said that more than 140 million Americans live in coastal areas (EPA 2009) and more than 50% of the U.S. population live within 100 miles estuaries and coastal communities (EPA 2006).

Alaska, Florida, and Louisiana have the most acreage of estuaries in the United States; with Alaska containing the largest amount (Carter  1997)

 The United States has 102 estuaries (ANEP 2007)

75% of commercial fisheries and 80-90% of recreational fisheries utilize estuaries as essential habitat (EPA, 2007).

Fish caught in estuaries add $4.3 billion a year to the U.S. economy (NOAA 2005c)

Recreational activities and tourism along coastal regions create $8-$12 billion per year in the U.S. (NOAA 2005c)

“Twenty-seven estuarine reserve sites make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS). These sites are located in 20 of the 35 U.S coastal states and protect over 1.3 million acres of coastal land and waters from Alaska to Puerto Rico.” (NOAA 2008)

“In one estuarine system in the Northeast that was studied some years ago it was found that commercial and recreational fishing generate about $240 million per year. In that same estuary, tourism and beach-going generate $1.5 billion per year, and shipping and marinas generate $1.86 billion per year. “( EPA 2009)

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More than 33% of federally listed bird species occur on the Hawaiian islands.

71 Hawaiian bird species have become extinct since the arrival of humans.

An additional 10 birds are feared extinct as they have not been observed for over 40 years.

Prior to human inhabitants, Hawaii was home to 113 unique bird species such as flightless geese, ibis, rails, and 59 species of Hawaiian honeycreepers.

43% of 157 sea and land species are not native to the islands, while 69% of the landbirds have been brought over from all parts of the world.

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General stats quoted from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy’s Final Report: An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century:

In 2001, 23 percent of the nation’s estuarine areas were considered impaired for swimming, fishing, or supporting marine species.

In 2003, there were more than 18,000 days of closings and advisories at ocean and Great Lakes beaches, most due to the presence of bacteria associated with fecal contamination.

Across the globe, marine toxins afflict more than 90,000 people annually and are responsible for an  estimated 62 percent of all seafood related illnesses.

Experts estimate that 25 to 30 percent of the world’s major fish stocks are overexploited.

While coastal watershed counties comprise less than 25 percent of the land area in the United States, they are home to more than 52 percent of the total U.S. population.

On average, some 3,600 people a day are moving to coastal counties, suggesting that by 2015 coastal populations will reach a total of 165 million.

Approximately 80 percent of marine debris originates on land, either washed along in runoff, blown by winds, or intentionally dumped from shore, while 20 percent comes from offshore platforms and vessels, including fishing boats.

In 2000, the ocean economy contributed more than $117 billion to American prosperity and supported well over two million jobs.

Currently, about 30 percent of the nation’s oil supplies and 25 percent of its natural gas supplies are produced from offshore areas

The Great plains of United States has witnessed 70% of its area fragmented, by roads and highways, into parts smaller than 385 square miles. Grasslands hold an estimated 33% of the carbon stored in terrestrial ecosystems.

Tallgrass prairie in the USA as of 2000: 19% has been converted to urban area, 71% converted to agriculture, and 10% remains as grassland.

“Tallgrass prairie once covered 140 million acres of North America. Within a generation the vast majority was developed and plowed under. Today less than 10% remains, mostly here in the Kansas Flint Hills.”  National Parks Service

According to the Nature Conservancy, “The Oklahoma Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is the largest protected remnant of tallgrass prairie left on earth.”  Prior to urbanization and agriculture the tallgrass prairie once stretched from Texas to Minnesota and its grasses grew within the borders of 14 states.

The Galapagos giant tortoise species encompasses 14 subspecies of which 10 still remain in the wild.  Growing to a length of up to 4 feet, and reaching ages well over 100 years, the Galapagos tortoise population is considered vulnerable primarily due to predation of offspring by invasive species such as cats and rats, and competition for food by goats.  Populations were at one time under threat from passing sailors, and the threats as a whole have contributed to their decline.

Estimated population in the year 1535 was 250,000 tortoises

Population in the year 2008 was a mere 6% (15,000) of their former numbers.

Number bred in captivity and released into the wild in 2000 was 1,000 tortoises.

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