[Coral-List] No oil rigs in Belize World Heritage sites

[Eugene Shinn]

There are around 4,000 oil rigs in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Ask 
anyone who fishes out there and they will tell you that is where the 
fish are (to quote a famous marine biologists, "its a symphony of 
life down there"). In addition, because of inter connecting pipe 
lines shrimpers do not drag their nets over most of this area so it 
also serves as a shrimp sanctuary. Do some checking and you will find 
that the by-catch for commercial shrimping is approximately 10 pounds 
for every one pound of Shrimp.  We are talking literally many many 
tons of shrimp and even more by-catch (including juvenile Red 
Snapper). Maybe the northern Gulf of Mexico should be proposed as a 
World Heritage Site! It could be the most effective MPA in the world. 
Gene
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No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
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E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
University of South Florida
Marine Science Center (room 204)
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
<eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
Tel 727 553-1158---------------------------------- 
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