Letter from the President
On December 1, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing regarding several bills aimed at amending the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery ...
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One Percent is Not Enough
Only 1% of the ocean is protected compared to over 12% of land areas. We are working to change that.
Marine Conservation Institute urges end to commercial fishing in America's Pacific Island monuments.
Marine Conservation filed a formal petition to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, urging them to jointly issue an interim final rule that prohibits commercial fishing in America's Pacific Island national monuments.
In 2009, President Bush established three monuments (Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, Marianas Trench Marine National Monument) in the Pacific Ocean. As part of the Proclamations, the Department of Interior and the Department of Commerce, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were tasked with developing a management plan including comprehensive fisheries regulations.
The Proclamations explicitly and unambiguously require the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior to prohibit commercial fishing within the Pacific Monuments. Unfortunately, FWS and NOAA have failed to meet this obligation, and are now more than three years behind schedule. Without regulation, the marine ecosystem with its populations of corals, rare reef fish, whales, and seabirds are threatened.
Press Release - Announcement of Petition; Petition - To Prohibit Commercial Fishing in the Pacific Marine Monuments; Appendices - Resources Associated with Petition
Permanently Protect Bristol Bay from Offshore Oil and Gas Development
Bristol Bay in southwestern Alaska is one of America's truly pristine, remaining wild places. Its waters provide critical habitat for some of the world's highest concentrations of whales, seals, walrus, seabirds, salmon, crab, and halibut. After the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill, the federal government bought back oil and gas leases in Bristol Bay, but did not rule out future exploitation. Please urge Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to permanently protect Bristol Bay from offshore oil and gas development by signing our petition today! (photo: Todd Raden, Creative Commons)