BACKGROUND ON THE GULF OF MEXICO ALLIANCE

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest water body in the world, accounting for half the wetlands in the United States and teeming with sea life, ranging from killer whales to unexplored deepwater corals living thousands of feet below the surface. With some 3,400 miles of shoreline from Cape Sable, Florida to the tip of the Yucatan peninsula, the Gulf is bordered by Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas to the north, Mexico to the west and the island of Cuba to the southeast.

CALL TO ACTION

Recognizing the Gulf of Mexico’s significance beyond Florida’s waters, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, in the spring of 2004, extended a call to action to the Gulf Governors to renew their commitment to the nation’s oceans, by creating and leading a regional effort to protect the Gulf of Mexico. Governor Bush’s initiative led to the formation of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance between Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Today, the Alliance is setting an example by sharing science, expertise and financial resources to better protect the health of this complex ecosystem that is the Gulf of Mexico while securing a lasting underwater legacy for future generations.