Vice President Al Gore announced today new actions by the United States to help preserve and protect our nation's oceans and coasts. The announcement was made at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

The Ocean Report, the result of a national dialogue that began last year at the Ocean Conference held at California's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, calls for a $300,000 pilot program to enlist commercial fishermen in research efforts at the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary in California.

The Vice President also urged Congress to approve the Administration's Lands Legacy Initiative introduced at the 1998 Ocean Conference. The Land Legacy Initiative includes $183 million to protect ocean and coastal resources in fiscal year 2000, including $29 million for national marine sanctuaries, $25 million to acquire and protect critical fish habitat, and $10.3 million to protect and restore fragile coral reefs.