Email from the U.S. PIRG

[Jerry Blake]

Received this email today from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and thought some of you may be interested:

"Hi Jerry,

One of the great achievements of the modern environmental movement was when the nations of the world came together to ban commercial whaling and protect some of the Earth's most majestic creatures.

Just as whale populations are beginning to recover, however, the Bush administration is making a proposal that could threaten them and the overall health of the oceans by gutting protections against overfishing.

Please take a moment to let the Bush administration know what you think of their proposal to allow more overfishing. Then, ask your friends and family to get involved by forwarding this email to them.

To take action, click here or paste this link into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=1146&id4=ES


Background

The overfishing standard, known as National Standard 1, is designed to prevent fish populations from collapsing. But the Bush proposal throws this standard overboard. The Bush proposal would allow factory fishing corporations license to exploit - almost without limits - America's fish stocks, fish that many whales and other marine mammals need to survive.

The Bush administration proposal comes at a very difficult time for the oceans.

Overfishing has allowed tuna, swordfish and cod, just to name a few species, to decline to ten percent of their historical levels. In many parts of the country, fish catches keep declining and the remaining fish are small and immature. As a result, small fishermen are struggling, while the big factory trawlers responsible for the problems move from one area of the ocean to another, depleting populations in one region after another.

The Bush Administration overfishing proposal would worsen these problems by changing the definition of overfishing, allowing trawlers and dangerous longline fisheries to target already depleted fish populations that need protection.

There is a better way. In California, our state affiliate Environment California won a campaign to pass seven ocean conservation laws through the legislature and win Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature. Instead of allowing factory fishing fleets to further imperil America's oceans, the new California laws keep trawlers out of much of California's waters and ensure that the environmental movement, not just the fishing industry, is represented in the bodies that decide the fate of the state's oceans.

That's the kind of action we need on the federal level too.

Please help us get there. Write the Bush administration now and let them know what you think of their proposal to allow more overfishing. Then, ask your friends and family to get involved by forwarding this email to them.

To take action, click here or paste this link into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=1146&id4=ES

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski
U.S. PIRG Executive Director
[email protected]
http://www.USPIRG.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends."

[Clay95]

Jerry- Great website. Thanks. If a person takes time to check it out,anyone can find great info Clay

[Jerry Blake]

I think they are good people with good intentions. I like the idea that someone is watching Big Brother at least a little bit. They make it real easy to send your opinion to whoever needs to hear it.

[Bruce Carp]

Jerry, never heard of the group. What is PIRG? Acroneums are a pain. But they present a view of the situation. thanks, bruce

[Gar-Getter]

seems to me the Bush Administration should lay off messing up the fish populations, and think harder on the petroleum industry problems!!

[CrappieHead]

seems to me the Bush Administration should lay off messing up the fish populations, and think harder on the petroleum industry problems!!

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