US Decides to Protect Arctic Fish Stocks

On Tuesday, President Bush signed a resolution giving US support to international efforts to halt commercial fishing in the Arctic Ocean until more is known about the rapid decline of the world's fish stocks and a management plan is put in place. As global warming causes the polar ice to melt and recede, fisheries experts fear that the commercial fishing industry will begin to exploit new areas unless laws are made to protect the Arctic's fragile environment.

To enact the new policy into law, several conservation groups are working with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to develop a plan that protects the Arctic ecosystem by next year.

GET INFORMED

• Read the Anchorage Daily story
• Read the Oceana press release

GET INVOLVED

• Sign the Sierra Club petition to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• Download the Environmental Defense Fund's "Pocket Eco-Friendly Fish Selector"
  

photo courtesy Terry Halifax, Creative Commons