Total economic valuation is a major objective in the effort by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to link the economy to the environment of the Florida Keys, and elsewhere. A successful valuation has yet to be achieved for any coral reef system, although an attempt was made for the Great Barrier Reef in 2009 to evaluate a totally bleached reef system compared with a healthy one. A significant part of NOAA’s economic research is currently being directed towards improving the valuation criteria.