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What’s New
Rep. Richard Pombo’s (CA) bill to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the primary law that regulates overfishing in our oceans, passed the Resources Committee Wednesday, May 17 on a vote of 26-15. The bill would leave our oceans unprotected from destructive overfishing. Reps. Jim Saxton (NJ), Nick Rahall (WV) and Raul Grijalva (AZ) offered amendments to strengthen the bill that were defeated. The bill now heads to the floor of the House of Representatives, were U.S. PIRG will aim to strengthen the bill to protect our oceans for the future.
How You Can Help
Call your representative and ask him or her to cosponsor H.R. 1431, introduced by Rep. Nick Rahall. The bill includes many of the key reforms that must be enacted to protect our oceans for the future.
Background
Our oceans are critical to the survival of life on our planet. Home to more than 97% of all life on Earth, our oceans help control our climate, provide more oxygen than rain forests, shelter countless animal species, and provide medicine and food for all of us. They provide endless recreational opportunities as well as a source of spiritual renewal.
Unfortunately our oceans are at risk. Equipped with miles-long fishing nets and bottom-trawlers that scrape the ocean floor clean of virtually all life, the government-subsidized, high-tech worldwide fishing industry has become so voracious that some fish populations have disappeared within just a few years. For instance, a May, 2003 study published in Nature magazine found that populations of large predatory ocean fish like tuna, swordfish, marlin and sharks have declined by 90% since the introduction of commercial fishing just over 50 years ago.
In 1976, Congress passed the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act, creating a series of government bodies, eight regional fishery management councils and the National Marine Fisheries Service, to serve as stewards of our living marine resources. Later reauthorized by Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and now known as the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the law has fallen short of its goal of ending destructive overfishing.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act is up for reauthorization this year, providing us an opportunity to ensure that our oceans remain healthy and protected for future generations. More.
Portraits of Species at Risk
Overfishing: Orange Roughy
Destroyed Habitat: Coral In The Gulf Of Alaska
Bycatch: Red Snapper
News Releases
White House Responds to Oceans Commission - Ocean Conservationists Cautiously Optimistic 12/17/04
Bush Receives Final Report from U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy 9/20/04
Administration Must Act Now to Save Our Oceans 9/20/04
Federal Commission Finalizes Ocean Policy Report - Our Blue Planet Needs Immediate Action 7/22/04
Links
Marine Fish Conservation Network
Conserve Our Ocean Legacy
U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy
Pew Oceans Commission
