Dear Governor,

We, the undersigned, implore you to urge the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy to put forth the strongest conservation recommendations possible in its final report. Only recommendations that call for the fundamental reform of our ocean resource management system and hold the conservation of our marine life as the foremost goal of management will ensure the recovery and long-term health of America’s ocean ecosystems.

Recent reports have identified a serious decline in the abundance of ocean fish and the destruction of valuable marine ecosystems. A Nature study, released in May 2003, revealed that 90 percent of the world’s large predator fish have disappeared. The destructive impact of bottom trawling has led to widespread degradation of important fish habitat. Indiscriminate fishing practices are responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of sea birds, marine mammals and unwanted fish every year.

The current management system has put the short-term economic needs of a few before the long-term needs of this public resource and the fishing communities who depend on healthy sustainable fish populations. Currently, federal managers are allowing one-quarter of our known fish populations to be continually overfished, risking an empty ocean for future generations.

The only way to return to the days of healthy, sustainable fish populations is to reform the management system by establishing a mandate to protect marine ecosystems. This mandate must include, among other things, ending overfishing, minimizing the catching and killing of non-target ocean wildlife, protecting sensitive ocean habitats and considering the ecosystem impacts of management decisions.

When the congressionally mandated U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy releases its report, you will have 30 days to comment. In developing your comments, we urge you to recommend reforming our federal fisheries management system by placing the conservation of marine ecosystems first and establishing a management system to implement these changes. The restoration of our ocean ecosystems and health of America’s fishing communities depend on it.

Sincerely,