Spread The Word On Sustainable Fisheries

With the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Act passed, now is our chance to make sure the rules of the law encourage sustainable fishing to preserve our ocean wildlife. Please write a letter-to-the-editor of your paper in support of strong protections. A sample is below to help get you started.

Let us know where you've sent it, using the form below, so we can follow how the news is traveling around the state. Thank you.

Sample letter: 

President Bush and the previous Congress were better known for environmental destruction than for environmental stewardship. But, late in the session, in large part thanks to Senator Maria Cantwell and Congressman Jay Inslee, the last Congress did pass one good environmental law. This was the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act. The bill mandates an end to overfishing, a first important step toward rebuilding our own depleted fisheries. The bill also mandates that decisions by regional fishery management councils, like our own Pacific Fishery Management Council, be based on the findings of their science advisors, rather than on the interest of the fishing industry. The National Marine Fisheries Service is writing the rules to implement the new law. We urge NMFS to restrict overfishing and base future fisheries regulations on science rather than past industry practices.