http://takeaction.oceana.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25217

 

Help Bring Arctic Protections Across the Finish Line!

Together we achieved a huge victory for the Arctic in February when the North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted unanimously to close the Arctic to any new industrial fishing until it can be shown that such activities would not impact the health of the ecosystem or opportunities for the subsistence way of life practiced by Arctic peoples.

Now it’s time to bring this incredible protection across the finish line. The Secretary of Commerce needs to approve the proposed Arctic Fishery Management Plan, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has concurrently released a “proposed rule” with regulations to implement this Arctic fishing plan. They are asking for public comment on whether or not to approve this measure and implement final, in-the-water regulations early next year.

Please send your message to the National Marine Fisheries Service asking them to protect the Arctic. You are welcome and encouraged to add your own thoughts to the example outlined below.

 

http://takeaction.oceana.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25217

I urge Commerce Secretary Locke to approve the Arctic Fishery Management Plan and to implement regulations that close U.S. Arctic waters to commercial fishing. 

Global climate change is having profound effects on the marine environment of the Arctic and the people who depend on it.  Seasonal sea ice cover is diminishing and ocean temperatures are increasing.  These rapid changes are causing enormous stress to Arctic ecosystems.  Marine mammals such as walruses, ice seals, and polar bears are struggling to adapt.  It is affecting the Arctic Ocean’s role in providing breeding, feeding, migrating, and staging areas for millions of shorebirds, seabirds, and waterfowl.  Arctic peoples, whose subsistence way of life is inextricably linked to healthy and productive marine ecosystems, are also threatened by these rapid changes.  Introduction of commercial fishing into the Arctic environment would place an even greater burden on the fragile Arctic food web and the people and animals that rely on it for their survival.

Given the threats to the Arctic, we need a science-based precautionary approach to the expansion of industrial activities—including commercial fishing—in the Arctic Ocean.  The Arctic Fishery Management Plan takes a responsible course that protects the health of the Arctic and its people and sets an important precedent for other nations and other industries to follow.

Please approve the Arctic Fishery Management Plan and protect the U.S. Arctic. 

Thank you,

http://takeaction.oceana.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25217