Push for an Ocean Protection Treaty

[Socalgal]

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World Wildlife Fund's Conservation Action Network ACT NOW TO SAVE LIFE ON EARTH
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Calls are needed now from citizens across the United States to urge Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) to hold a hearing on the international Law of the Sea Convention.

It's easy to make a call. See below for the phone number and a few simple points to make. Your call will make a huge difference.

Now may be our best chance in history to convince the U.S. Senate to ratify the Law of the Sea treaty, which fosters sustainable ocean use, protects navigation, and serves as a dynamic, living constitution for the world's oceans. The convention has been ratified by 152 countries and the European Commission. It has the support of President Bush and a wide range of interest groups.

Sen. Biden is chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which must review and vote on the treaty before the full Senate can take it up. Unfortunately, he has yet to schedule a hearing even though he promised months ago to work to move the treaty forward. Tell Sen.
Biden that protecting our imperiled oceans is vital.

Two-thirds of the world's surface is covered by oceans. This huge resource is under stress from overfishing, pollution and global warming and needs to be protected by all of the world's nations working together.

ACT NOW

* Call Sen. Biden's office at 202-224-5042.

* Make these points

- Hello, I'm calling because I want Sen. Biden to know that I'm a strong supporter of the Law of the Sea treaty.

- The United States needs to ratify the Law of the Sea treaty immediately.

- I urge Sen. Biden to schedule a hearing immediately on the Law of the Sea treaty.

- Does Sen. Biden plan to hold a hearing soon?

- Please tell him how important this is to me and thank you for your time.

* Tell us how it went

Want to learn more about the Law of the Sea treaty before you call?

Thank you for speaking out for the future of our oceans and the web of life they sustain.

Sincerely,

William M. Eichbaum
Managing Director and Vice President
Marine Portfolio
World Wildlife Fund

P.S. Please forward this alert to others who might want to help save our seas.

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Conservation Action Network Home

World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th Street, NW, Washington DC 20037

©2007 World Wildlife Fund

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Take other actions:

http://worldwildlife.org/oceans/

What You Can Do
Here are four steps you can take to reduce the impact on marine ecosystems and species:

* Environmentalists everywhere can submit creative solutions to reduce bycatch. The winning Smart Gear designer receives a $30,000 grand prize
Protect marine wildlife, join our Smart Gear competition.

* Be an informed consumer of fish and other seafood. Ask where the fish comes from and the status of the fishery.
Learn about WWF and the Marine Stewardship Council.

* Avoid purchasing over-exploited stocks such as Atlantic swordfish, wild-caught Atlantic salmon, and sharks.
[goto popup] Check out WWF's "Fish Yes List."[/popup]

* Avoid products from fisheries with excessive levels of bycatch.
Visit Cetacean Bycatch Resource Center to learn more.

* Choose to buy marine ornamentals from responsible aquarium industry operators who provide healthy, high quality animals from well-managed coral reefs. Learn more about the Marine Aquarium Council and its certification process.

[Angela]

Thank you Socal--excellent post!

I would like to add Seafood Watch to your list:
http://www.seafoodwatch.org

They have neat little pocket guides for different areas with current information on the best seafood choices to make. The Monterey Bay Aquarium website is really informative in general.

[Tramp429]

Why is this sticked in the WRONG FORUM? It is a political issue!

[Socalgal]

Thanks for the added link, Angela. Of the many critical Earth issues these days, our ocean's health and attention to its fish and marine stocks are urgently so.

[SiliconJon]

While I think the "dungeon" should be abolished to begin with, I definitely see a double standard with posting this outside of the debate forum. Heck, I was shot down with a request to post a thread on getting out to vote outside of the dungeon.

But those who make the rules need not abide by them.

Where's the beef? Here's the beef.

[RobRich]

SJ, threads can be moved easily enough. In fact, we do it all the time. It is not a big deal, so why try to make it one? Is it because the thread poster has the power to sticky a thread?

Socalgal has volunteered many years to this community in both official and unofficial roles. If you want to complain about administrative policies, chose your target more wisely, as in drop me a line or even file a moderation staff report.

[RobRich]

Back on topic, thanks for the info Socal.

In addition to the provided links, Wikipedia surpisingly offers a decent breakdown of US positions regarding UNCLOS/LOST.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_...n-ratification

Of particular interest, President Bush suggests the Senate should approve UNCLOS/LOST, even if certain reasons (maritime military, mining) perhaps might not be entirely aligned with the agendas of those predominately seeking the environmental aspects of the convention.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...0070515-2.html

[Theophylact]

As you can see from the Wikipedia link, the US (starting with Reagan) refused to sign UNCLOS because it felt that its economic interests in seabed mining were insufficiently protected. Now that Russia is planting titanium flags on the seabed at 90° N, the Bush Administration is suddenly interested. That doesn't make signing a bad thing to do, but it does suggest that things are never simple.

[Socalgal]

IMO, this is an environmental issue and it was posted as such. The sole purpose was not to spark debate on politics, which is inevitable, apparently, but to bring attention to the dire plight of our oceans and marine life in the hopes of getting people - even one person - to pick up the phone, donate, forward an email, become more aware and informed, become more interested and concerned, and/or otherwise help.

Thanks for the added info/links, Robert.

Interesting post, Theo. Indeed, things are never simple, unfortunately - especially on matters that should be.

[A-L-E-X]

The only people (and politicians) who chose to make it a political issue are the ones who want to muddy the waters (so to speak) so that controversy usurps conscientious action. I have no sympathy for these people; only pity.

IMO, this is an environmental issue and it was posted as such. The sole purpose was not to spark debate on politics, which is inevitable, apparently, but to bring attention to the dire plight of our oceans and marine life in the hopes of getting people - even one person - to pick up the phone, donate, forward an email, become more aware and informed, become more interested and concerned, and/or otherwise help.

Thanks for the added info/links, Robert.

Interesting post, Theo. Indeed, things are never simple, unfortunately - especially on matters that should be.

[Disley]

Illegal fishing for high priced delicacies is decimating the shark population.
http://www.cdu.edu.au/ser/FishBanditsHeraldSun.htm
Greed is fueling this evil trade. The poachers will travel thousands of miles to find an easy catch.
Be aware of what you eat.

[Socalgal]

An update:

United States Moves Closer to Joining Ocean Protection Treaty

Included are transcripts of the hearings held in September and October, by notables in the Defense Department, Navy, and others.

In part:

Thank you! More than 200 WWF supporters took the time to call Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urging him to hold a hearing on the international Law of the Sea Convention. They succeeded -- Sen. Biden held a hearing in September 2007, at which the Bush administration strongly supported ratification of the treaty. Private sector and nongovernmental organization representatives testified at a second hearing in October.

The Foreign Relations Committee must approve the treaty before it can be ratified by the Senate. The Law of the Sea Convention is an international treaty that fosters sustainable ocean use, protects navigation, and serves as a dynamic, living constitution for the world's oceans.

All Campaign results.

[Angela]

Thanks for the update!