WE the undersigned know that our destiny as a species is dependent on the existence in our oceans of a vast diversity of plant and animal marine life. The biodiversity of Texas coastal waters is continually under threat from pollution, natural & man-made disasters, overfishing, and acidification. If we challenge the threats to our US coastal waters first here in Texas, we believe we can set an example for the protection of marine habitats and marine wildlife worldwide -- BLUE TEXAS: BLUE WORLD.

Don't allow another oil spill disaster to happen on our watch. We urge Senator Hutchison to say NO to reckless legislation that allows more offshore drilling.

We must work NOW to effect the following:

• -- To maintain a healthy and productive marine environment and marine ecosystems.
• -- To reduce the size and impact of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
• -- To adopt and implement effective and enforceable conservation and management measures based on reliable and objective science.
• -- To control and reduce bycatch and discards of juvenile fish, non-target fish species, associated and dependent species and species belonging to the same ecosystem (including sea turtles, seabirds, and sharks, among others).
• -- To control and prevent illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing.
• -- To adopt and implement safe, effective monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) measures.
• -- To control fishing capacity and fishing effort at levels commensurate with the sustainability of fish stocks.
• -- To protect the marine environment from destructive fishing practices as well as marine debris and marine pollution associated with fishing activities.

We must work NOW to reduce ocean acidification:

In the effort to rescue our oceans from chemical and biological disaster, the date is already late. Elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide resulting from human activities have already increased the acidity of the oceans to such an extent that animals like shellfish and corals are already unable to grow viable shells and skeletons. Other ocean animals are experiencing disruptions in their reproductive behavior and general physiological functions as a result of the increased acidity.

We strongly urge Senator Hutchison to co-sponsor legislation to monitor and reduce ocean acidification, such as the recent S173.

BLUE TEXAS: BLUE WORLD