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Lsdeep |
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Post subject: Divers encouraged to get engaged in important legislation
 Posted: Sep 23, 2006 - 03:22 AM
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Site Admin
Joined: Feb 18, 2007
Posts: 125
Status: Offline
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Divers who join the campaign to Conserve Our Ocean Legacy (COOL, www.oceanlegacy.org) are taking the first step toward becoming active advocates for healthy oceans.
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV (Scuba PRWire) Fri, 15-Sep-2006 - More than 500 dive clubs, dive shops, dive organizations and dive businesses have taken the plunge, er, pledge, and joined COOL. These groups recognize the need for a unified, mobilized coalition of divers who are willing and inspired to stand up for the marine environment. This means speaking up — our leaders need to know that divers are important stake-holders in ocean policies.
Divers have good reason for concern. With nearly one third of U.S. commercial fish stocks deemed "overfished" by NOAA Fisheries, divers can expect fewer sightings of large predator fish including tuna, grouper and sharks. Fragile marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs that depend on overall ecosystem balance, could suffer unpredictable changes. Favorite dive sites in the Florida Keys, for example, may look completely different in 10 years as a result of unsustainable fishing policies being considered right now.
The dive industry will also suffer. Fewer fish and unhealthy dive sites will mean fewer divers buying less equipment and taking fewer dive trips. Not to mention, this would mean fewer new divers getting certified.
This November, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on Congressman Richard Pombo's (R-Calif.) so-called "American Fisheries Management and Marine Life Enhancement Act," H.R. 5018. This legislation currently rolls back key environmental provisions. By changing this flawed bill, members of Congress can put an end to overfishing and help rebuild depleted fish populations. The question is, will they?
Conserve Our Ocean Legacy (COOL) is a non-profit, non-partisan campaign. It is a broad national effort building support for ocean and fish protection. The nation's fisheries have been declining precipitously for decades; America's oceans are in trouble and need our help. Pollution, habitat destruction, mismanagement and overfishing have impoverished our ocean resources, and have caused more than 90 percent of the world's large fish, including tuna, swordfish and marlin to disappear from our oceans. The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, called for by Congress and appointed by President Bush, found '”we are beginning to love our oceans to death,'” and recommended drastic changes in fisheries management.
By joining COOL, divers can make their voices heard and prevent damage to the ecosystems they cherish. Please visit http://www.oceanlegacy.org/petition.html to get involved.
For more information, please visit:
www.oceanlegacy.org |
_________________
Idealism is what precedes experience - cynicism is what follows.
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