The Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife is responsible for wildlife resources, fisheries, oceanography, and insular areas. Republicans on the Subcommittee are committed to helping Americans enjoy wildlife-dependent recreation on our vast public lands - including 550 national wildlife refuges - and public access to the resources within the 14 national marine sanctuaries and national marine monument. We are also working to ensure the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have sufficient resources to effectively manage their programs and keep our ocean resources thriving and sustainably managed.
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Did You Know?
- The U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extends 200 nautical miles offshore and is the largest in the world, spanning oveThe U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extends 200 nautical miles offshore and is the largest in the world, spanning over 13,000 miles of coastline and containing 3.4 million square nautical miles of ocean—larger than the combined land area of all fifty states.
- U.S. ports handle more than $700 billion in merchandise and the cruise ship industry and its passengers raise another $12 billion in spending, with the maritime industry producing more than 13 million jobs. The U.S. coastline is 12,383 miles and its shoreline is 88,633 miles.
- According to 2000 estimates, ocean-related activities generated more than $117 billion and supported over two million jobs. When including coastal activities, the numbers increase to more than $1 trillion or one tenth of the nation’s annual gross domestic product is generated in the nearshore area adjacent to the coast referred to as the nearshore zone. When the coastal watershed county economies are included, the contribution swells to over $4.5 trillion, half of the nation’s gross domestic product and accounting for some 60 million jobs.
- National Wildlife Refuge System is comprised to 550 units located in all 50 states and U.S. territories that provides hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and other recreational opportunities to the more than 40 million Americans who visit at least one refuge each year.
