In recognition of the importance of the marine environment, the United Nations has declared 1998 as the International Year of the Ocean. During this year, governments, organizations and individuals have the opportunity to raise public awareness of the role the ocean plays in our lives. This year, each of us can make a commitment to care for the marine environment. In the United States, the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has primary responsibility for the stewardship of marine resources. Its activities include understanding, monitoring and managing the health of the ocean, its shorelines and others who depend on the marine environment to survive.