The latest ocean news is grim, and it’s not just the high profile BP disaster that is impacting sensitive sea life. All over the world, overfishing and habitat destruction are pushing species to the brink of extinction. If that news wasn’t bad enough in itself, climate change and acidification are also threatening ocean plants and animals.

That’s why we have to act to restore our oceans’ health, starting right here in California!

Thanks to a landmark law called the Marine Life Protection Act, we have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to create a network of “underwater parks” along our coast. These marine protected areas will be safe havens where fish and other wildlife can thrive.

Marine protected areas preserve the kelp forests, reefs, and canyons where sea life feeds and breeds.  Animals living inside these sanctuaries help to “re-seed” the surrounding waters, resulting in more and larger fish and a healthier ocean up and down the coast.

By creating a string of marine protected areas along the California coast, we can buffer sea life against human-caused and environmental changes.  At the same time, we will be safeguarding the jobs and businesses that depend on California’s precious marine resources.

Using proven scientific data, locals from a variety of backgrounds and industries are mapping out a plan that will preserve key coastal spots while leaving the vast majority of the ocean open to fishing. Tens of thousands of Californians have weighed in on the process, working together to safeguard our ocean resources.

But their work is under attack from special interests being financed by foreign fishing equipment manufacturers. That’s why we need you to sign the attached petition. It is critical we tell the Fish and Game Commission that Californians support marine protected areas that will provide future generations with economic, recreational, and environmental benefits.  Sign today!