Thursday, February 20, 2003

Destructive Fishing Causing Ocean Crisis
"In recent decades the impact of commercial fishing on ocean ecosystems has dramatically increased, and we are confronted with the unprecedented reality that we are rapidly depleting the oceans' resources," states the letter printed in the "New York Times." "The oceans, once mistakenly thought to be inexhaustible, clearly are not."

"The letter points out that more than 70 percent of global fish populations are now considered overfished or on the brink of being overfished, according to United Nations figures. Not just fish are at risk: "indiscriminate commercial fishing practices wastefully harm and kill millions of non-targeted animals per year, causing unsustainable mortality to sea turtles, sea birds, bluefin tuna, swordfish and sharks," the letter states."

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