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Help Protect Alaska's Marine Ecosystem!
Ocean activists in Alaska need your help to protect the North Pacific seas! Right now, the government is developing a long-range plan for the management of groundfish fisheries off Alaska's coast that will determine the fate of the northern oceans for the next twenty years. Act now! Send this message to the National Marine Fisheries Service in support of sustainable fisheries management before the public comment period ends on November 6th.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: North Pacific DPSEIS
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I am writing to ask you to select the management plan for North Pacific fisheries laid out in the Oceans Alternative. The approaches outlined in this alternative incorporate ecological principles into fisheries management in a way that will ensure that all elements of the marine ecosystem are given due consideration.
The time has passed when fishery decisions can be made without diligent regard to impacts from those fisheries on all inhabitants of the marine environment. Key components of the Oceans Alternative, including increased protection for marine habitat and adoption of additional protections for marine mammals, constitute a forward-looking management approach that will help guarantee the overall health of this precious marine ecosystem for generations to come.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
October 29, 2003
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Persuasive scientific evidence tells us that industrial fishing is taking a serious toll on the Alaskan marine environment and on its many inhabitants, including fur seals, crabs, sea lions, and seabirds. Nonetheless, federal policymakers, under pressure from industrial fishing interests and their political allies, are considering long-term plans to continue an ill‑fated management approach that has already done too much damage to the northern marine ecosystem.
The best hope for restoring the ecological harmony of this once‑rich marine region, and for ensuring a balanced approach to resource management into the future, lies in the adoption of a management regime called the "Oceans Alternative." This progressive management approach takes the most recent scientific information and combines it with visionary principles designed to put in place broad protections for all North Pacific resources and not just industrial-scale commercial fishing.
The best way to make decision-makers in Alaska and Washington, D.C. give serious consideration to an ecosystem management approach like that offered in the Oceans Alternative is to offset industry pressure with public outcry over the mismanagement of the North Pacific. That's where you come in.
Act before the November 6th deadline to send this message to the National Marine Fisheries Service in support the Oceans Alternative. Or, write your own message in the box and send it to the agency. Your comments will support the efforts of organizations like Earthjustice, Oceana, The Ocean Conservancy, and other conservation groups in and outside of Alaska who are working to change the management direction of the North Pacific. It can sometimes make a greater impact if you mail your own letter. Should you choose to do this, please send it to:
James W. Balsiger, Alaska Regional Administrator
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
P.O. Box 21668
Juneau, AK 99802
If you'd like, you can access the full planning document.
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