Please sign on

[Jennifer Lash]

> 
> PLEASE SIGN ON...PLEASE SIGN ON...PLEASE SIGN ON
> 
>  (apologies for duplication)
> 
> I am writing to you on behalf of BC Wild and the Living Oceans Society.
Both of these organizations work on a wide range of marine conservation issues
> including sustainable fisheries and marine protected areas in British
> Columbia. 
> 
> As you are probably aware, the provincial government of BC and the
federal government of Canada recently released  The MPA Strategy For The
Pacific
> Coast. This document is now out for public review and can be found on the
> internet at: www.luco.gov.bc.ca
> 
> It is our view that this document fails in two ways:
> 
> 1. It does not recommend a core of no-take marine protected areas.
> 2. The minimum standards of no dumping, no dredging, no extraction of
> non-renewable resources are indaquate.
> 
> In response BC Wild and Living Oceans has written Seas the Day: A Call
for
> Action (included in this email). We believe that regional, national and
> international endorsements of Seas the Day will encourage our governments
to
> strengthen this document. Please email me at jenlash at bcwild.org and let
me
> know if you endorse Seas the Day: A Call for Action. I look forward to
> hearing from you.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Jennifer Lash
> Marine Campaign Cordinator              Executive Director
> BC Wild                                 Living Oceans Society
> 
> ph) 250-973-6580,  fax) 250-973-6581,  email) jenlash at bcwild.org
> 
> 
> SEAS THE DAY:
> A CALL FOR ACTION
> 
> We the undersigned marine scientists, conservation biologists, and
> conservation organizations call upon the provincial government of British
> Columbia and the federal government of Canada to establish a system of
> marine protected areas built around a core network of no-take areas by
the
> year 2010.
> 
> The biodiversity in these waters is spectacular. The Pacific Ocean that
> falls within the 200 mile limit of British Columbia and Canada is rich in
> marine life with several hundred species of fish, thousands of species of
> invertebrates, 26 species of marine mammals, and a myriad of seabirds. In
> fact these waters are home to the largest species of octopus, fastest
> growing plant, and greatest number of sea stars in the world. These
waters
> have provided sustenance for the First Nations for centuries as well as
> playing and integral part of the native culture. Presently the ocean is
of
> great economic and
> cultural importance for all coastal communities.
> 
> These special waters are currently threatened. Decreased catches in all
> commercial and recreational fisheries, complete closure of the abalone
> fishery, closure of the commercial lingcod fishery in the Strait of
Georgia,
> drastic decline in rockfish populations, and the threat of losing genetic
> variability in all salmon stocks indicates that current fisheries
management
> policies are inadequate. In addition, the finfish aquaculture industry
has
> introduced Atlantic salmon to these waters and which are suspected of
> spreading disease to wild salmon. Tourism is a rapidly growing industry
in
> BC and the subsequent increase in kayaking, cruise ships, whale watching
> vessels, and
> recreational boating is impacting the environment. We must take action
> immediately if we are to conserve marine biodiversity and ensure a
healthy
> ocean for the future.
> 
> One underutilized tool in the conservation of marine biodiversity and the
> management of fisheries are marine protected areas (MPAs). The
governments
> of BC and Canada have recognized this and recently produced a joint
> discussion paper titled Marine Protected Areas: A Strategy for Canada's
> Pacific Coast. Although it is admirable for these governments to embark
on
> this initiative, in its current form this MPA Strategy is too weak to
> effectively preserve marine biodiversity and develop
> sustainable fisheries.
> 
> Therefore the undersigned urge the provincial government of British
Columbia
> and the federal government of Canada to commit, in their joint MAP
Strategy,
> to establish a network of marine protected areas within the 200 mile
limit
> of Canada's pacific coast by the year 2010 that:
> 
> 1. Has as its core a  network of no-take marine protected areas covering
all
> habitat types.
> 2. All MPAs  have  minimum standards that prohibit:
> 	finfish aquaculture
> 	bottom trawling
> 	ocean dumping
> 	dredging
> 	exploration for, or development of, non renewable resources
> 	ballast water dumping
> 	intentional introduction of alien species
> 	discharge of waste from outfalls
> 	recreational artificial reefs
> 	log booming or log dumping
> 
> We have mismanaged our ocean in the past and now we have the opportunity
to
> start correcting our past actions. Let's act now to develop a network of
> marine protected areas that will truly protect marine biodiversity and
> ensure a healthy ocean for the future
> 
> 
> 
> SOME PROMINENET ENDORSERS OF
> SEAS THE DAY
> 
> Dr. Jon Lien
> Dr. Bill Ballantine
> Dr. Don McAllister
> Dr. Richard Haedrich
Dr. Michael Soule
Dr. Jim Estes
Dr. Daniel Pauly
> Georgia Strait Alliance
> Sierra Club of BC
> Canadain Marine Environmental Protection Society
> Living Oceans Society
> BC Wild
> The Wildlands Project
> The David Suzuki Foundation
> 
> 
>
____________________________________________________________________________

> 
> 
> Marine Campaign Coordinator        Executive Director
> BC Wild                            Living Oceans Society
> 
> ph) 250-973-6580  fax) 250-973-6581  email) jenlash at bcwild.org

I think we already are signed on? International Year of the Tiger
Foundation.


Cecilie Davidson, President, IYTF




> 



Jennifer Lash
Marine Campaign Coordinator
BC Wild
ph) 250-973-6580
fax) 250-973-6581