* number of beach closings/advisories: Natural Resources Defense Council, "Testing the Waters," 2002. You can get a copy of the report by going onto NRDC's website: , and clicking onto the oceans/coastal link.

* acres of impaired estuaries, coasts, bays and harbors: NRDC, "Testing the Waters," 2002, see above.

* beach use, coastal bird watching, and visits to coastal habitats by outdoor enthusiasts and photographers: "National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE) 2000 , Preliminary Estimates from Versions 1-6: Coastal Recreation Participation, May 15, 2001, by Dr. Vernon Leeworthy. For National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Special Projects Office. Website

* length of coast and coastal population: "State and Territory Coastal Management Program Summaries," by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

* commercial fish landings: National Marine Fisheries Service, Fisheries Statistics and Economics Division, "NMFS Landings Query Results" for the year of 2001, all species, state-by-state listing. Website

* recreational fishing statistics: National Marine Fisheries Service, Fisheries Statistics and Economics Division, "Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics: Year 2001. Website

* statistics about overfished fish stocks by region: Marine Fish Conservation Network, May 14, 2003 Press Release: "Government Claims Ocean Fish are Recovering but the Science Shows that Many Species have been Devastated" and "Summary: Department of Commerce 2002 Report to Congress On the Status of Fisheries of the United States" and chart entitled "Seven years and no real progress," also released May 14, 2003, by the Marine Fish Conservation Network. Website