We, the Governors of the five U.S. Gulf States, recognize that the quality of life for citizens and visitors is culturally bound to the benefits provided by our natural resources. As the most productive body of water in the United States, the Gulf of Mexico has natural resources like no other, including rich and bountiful estuaries that provide 78% of our nation’s shrimp landings; white sandy beaches that provide nearly $10 trillion in annual wages; working waterfronts encompassing 13 of the nation’s 20 leading ports by tonnage; and a rich outer continental shelf and deep canyon area that provide 50% of the Nation’s oil reserves.
