7,600 – Estimated square miles covered by shallow-water coral reefs in the United States
375 billion – Estimated annual amount in goods and services coral reef ecosystems provide worldwide
500 million – Number of people worldwide that depend on coral reefs for food, income, and resources
50% – Amount of federally managed commercial fish species that need coral reefs for at least part of their life cycle
67% – Percent of reef fish species overfished in U.S. waters of the south Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean
90-96% – Percent of nearshore coral species killed by white band disease in the 1990s
>2,000 – Number of coral species listed under CITES
United States – The world’s largest importer of ornamental coral reef resources
$360 million – Estimated amount of money generated by coral reefs for recreation per year in Hawaii
33% – Percent of all marine fish species that call coral reefs home
6 million – The metric tons of seafood harvested annually from coral reef fisheries
0.2% – The amount of ocean area covered by tropical coral reefs
Data: U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century. Final Report. 2004
