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December 3, 2001 — Corals are tiny plant-like animals that depend on clean, clear waters and sunlight to survive. Under these conditions, corals gradually build the coral skeleton that shapes the reef and transforms it into an elaborate structure that can live for thousands of years. The reef structure is home to thousands of fish, lobsters, sea turtles and other species found no where else. U.S. coral reefs cover about 6,500 square miles, over 90 percent of them associated with U.S. islands in the Western Pacific; the remainder located off Florida, Texas and U.S. islands in the Caribbean.

As "rain forests of the sea," coral reefs provide humans with living resources and services worth many billions each year, a staggering amount for an ecosystem covering less than one percent of the Earth's surface. In the Florida Keys, for example, coral reefs attract more than $1.2 billion annually from tourism. Diving tours, fishing trips, hotels, restaurants and other businesses close to the reefs provide millions of jobs and support many regional economies in the U.S. and developing countries. Yet the world's coral reefs are in crisis. Nearly 27 percent are already gone and, if current trends persist, another two-thirds will be lost within the next 30 years—this is more than double the 1998 estimate. This rapid decline of the world's productive and economically vital coral reefs represents a serious threat to consumers, businesses, communities and the environment.