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West Marine Announces Grand Opening Of Stock Island Store

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (August 26, 2005) - West Marine, Inc., the country's favorite retailer of boating supplies and accessories, today announced the grand opening of a new store in Stock Island, Florida on September 3-5, 2005. In celebration of this grand opening, all West Marine stores in Monroe County will participate in a Labor Day celebration and donate five percent of Saturday's sales to Reef Relief efforts to protect coral reefs.

Boasting nearly 5,000 square feet of retail space, the new store is packed with thousands of product offerings. In addition, West Marine has more than 50,000 products available through its stores, on the Internet at westmarine.com, by catalog and via phone at 1-800-BOATING.

This West Marine store is located at 5790 2nd Avenue, near Oceanside Marina. Store Manager, Christine Stack, has a lifetime of boating and retail experience and is an avid sailor. This marks the company's fourth store in Monroe County, bringing at least half dozen jobs to the area.

"Whether you're a power boater, a sailor, an angler or a water sports enthusiast, West Marine offers a wide variety of products to help making boating more fun. The Associates at this West Marine store on Stock Island are eager to help meet all their customers boating needs," said Peter Harris, chief executive officer, West Marine.

On Saturday, September 3, 2005, five percent of sales from all four West Marine stores in the Florida Keys will benefit Reef Relief's community-based efforts to save the coral reefs of the Florida Keys. To locate participating West Marine locations in Key Largo, Marathon, Key West or Stock Island, visit westmarine.com or reference the list below.

West Marine's mission includes contributing to the social needs of the communities in which it does business - all while enjoying the fun of boating. In the years ahead, West Marine looks forward to partnering with other local boating and fishing groups and becoming a resource for the Florida Key's boating community.

"Reef Relief is thankful for the long term support of West Marine. The funds raised during this event will help increase awareness and support for coral reefs here in the Florida Keys," said DeeVon Quirolo, executive director, Reef Relief. "With West Marine's donation, we can continue to monitor the coral reefs, collaborate with scientists to identify the causes of reef decline, and encourage efforts to improve water quality through improved sewage and stormwater treatment, including nutrient removal, to save our endangered coral reefs."

ABOUT REEF RELIEF
Reef Relief is a Key West, Florida-based nonprofit grassroots membership organization dedicated to "Preserve and Protect Living Coral Reef Ecosystems through local, regional and international efforts." It was founded in 1987 by charterboat captain Craig Quirolo to install reef mooring buoys to prevent anchor damage to corals near Key West. Reef Relief educates others on protecting coral reefs and operates Reef World environmental center in Key West. Its 14-year ongoing Coral Photo Monitoring Survey documents reef health, and led to the discovery of new coral diseases and the creation of coral nurseries in Florida and the Bahamas. Reef Relief created and maintains the Key West Marine Park in cooperation with the City of Key West. It has trained and helped to create coral reef conservation programs throughout the Caribbean and Florida. Its Bahamas Programs include maintenance of 18 reef mooring buoys supported by West Marine Products, a coral survey and operation of the Captain Roberts House Environmental Center in Green Turtle Cay. It is led by an active diverse board of directors, a scientific advisory board, an honorary board and a citizen board. Its small staff is aided in large part by volunteers. Reef Relief has received numerous awards including a Point of Light from President George Bush, Sr. Join Reef Relief's Protect Endangered Coral Reefs Campaign. Call (305) 294-3100, write to P.O. Box 430, Key West, Florida 33041, go online to reefrelief.org or e-mail reef@bellsouth.net .

ABOUT WEST MARINE
West Marine, the country's favorite retailer of boating supplies and accessories, has nearly 400 West Marine stores and BoatU.S. Marine Centers in 38 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. The Company's catalog and Internet channels offer customers approximately 50,000 products - far more than any competitor - and the convenience of exchanging catalog and Internet purchases at its retail stores. The Company's Port Supply division is the country's largest wholesale distributor of marine equipment serving boat manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and government agencies. For more information on West Marine's products and store locations, or to start shopping, visit westmarine.com or call 1-800-BOATING (1-800-262-8464).

FLORIDA KEYS STORE LOCATIONS
Key Largo, FL
103400 Overseas Hwy Ste 124
PH: 305.453.9050

Key West, FL
725 Caroline St.
PH: 305.295.0999

Marathon, FL
2055 Overseas Hwy
PH: 305.289.1009

Stock Island, FL
5790 2nd Avenue
PH: 305.294.2025

ABOUT CORAL REEFS
Coral reefs are alive and need clear, clean, nutrient free waters to thrive. They depend upon the health of the surrounding mangroves and seagrasses which together comprise the coral reef ecosystem, the most biologically diverse ecosystem on earth. Coral reefs have existed over 400 million years and reached their current level of diversity 50 million years ago. Yet in the past 15 years, over 40 percent of the world's coral reefs have disappeared and another 30 percent are at risk within the next 10 years, unless we all get involved. The Florida Keys is home to North America's only living coral barrier reef, the 3rd longest in the world and among the most endangered. It is the most heavily visited reef in the world, with 10 times more divers than Australia's Great Barrier Reef, an area ten times larger. Key West hosts the world's largest charterboat fleet and is the biggest cruise ship destination in the U.S. Florida Keys coral reefs are down to 2 percent coral coverage, compared to 40 percent just 15 years ago. Cumulative impacts include heavy use and storm damage, water quality decline from sewage, stormwater and agricultural runoff, and increased sea temperatures. As a result, the reefs are rampant with coral disease, bleaching, algal blooms and physical destruction.

There are solutions to the impacts affecting coral reefs_ what is needed is broad public understanding of their importance to our quality of life, and a willingness to adopt reef-friendly living. Coral reefs provide many benefits to mankind such as protection from storm surge, food to eat, the quality of life of a wilderness experience, and the recreational benefits of boating, fishing, diving and photography. Coastal tropical communities depend upon commercial fisheries and tourism that coral reefs provide. Although they cover less than 2 percent of the ocean, coral reefs provide 25 percent of the fish we eat. They also provide habitat for many endangered species such as sea turtles and reduce global warming by pulling energy from the sun to build their stony exoskeletons. Planet Earth would burn up without coral reefs.

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