Urgent!! California's Ocean Life Needs Your Help!
Dear (insert your name here),
Now is your chance to take action to help protect the coastal marine life of California.
California is famous throughout the world for its 1,100-miles of breathtaking coastline and abundance of fish, whales and other marine life. Unfortunately ocean resources are not limitless. Excessive fishing and destructive fishing practices have depleted California's once abundant fisheries putting the entire ecosystem in jeopardy. Californians know that they must be protectors of these precious coastal and ocean resources, or risk leaving their children a dead ocean. Click here to take action.
A destructive fishing practice called bottom trawling is wreaking havoc on the ocean seafloor. Bottom trawls use nets that scrape along the ocean floor to catch bottom dwelling fish like rockfish, sole, and shrimp the type of seafood available on many restaurant menus. Unfortunately, the nets don’t stop at catching fish. They also scoop up other marine wildlife living in the ocean. This unwanted catch is often dead or dying when brought to the surface. Even if these marine animals are not commercially valuable to fishermen, they are essential to the ocean ecosystem.
In addition to wasting marine life, bottom trawling also harms the seafloor habitat off the Californian coast. Bottom trawling can flatten rock formations, crush coral, and destroy other habitat forming structures. Such destruction eliminates places for fish, particularly juveniles, to feed and hide from predators.
A new bill in the California Senate aims to stop this destructive fishing practice and protect the future of the diversity of California’s ocean ecosystem and its fisheries. Please urge your State Senator to support legislation to protect California’s seafloor and marine life (SB 236, Alpert). This new bill is a practical and effective way to help restore dangerously depleted fish populations and to protect essential marine habitat.
Please write to your State Senator, Debra Bowen, and ask them to support SB 236.
Sincerely,
Dawn Martin
Oceana
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Your State Senator (if you live in CA)
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Protect California's seafloor and marine life
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
As a California resident, I am worried about the health of our ocean ecosystem. In particular I am concerned with the damage to seafloor habitats and marine life caused by bottom trawling. This destructive fishing practice is wreaking havoc on the ocean floor. Bottom trawls scrap up the seafloor crushing marine habitat like corals, and kill a vast array of non-targeted but ecologically important sea life.
I urge you to help stop the destruction of California's coastal waters by supporting legislation to protect California seafloor and marine life (SB 236, Alpert). Ending the destruction caused by bottom trawls will protect the future of California's fisheries and the diversity of the ocean ecosystem. This bill (SB 236) is a practical and effective way to help restore dangerously depleted fish populations and to protect fish habitat.
SB 236 seeks to change the way bottom trawling is conducted. It sets strict standards trawlers must meet in order to continue fishing by requiring that:
- bycatch must not exceed 15% of the catch, verified by a program of independent observers; and
- the trawl net cannot cause significant environmental harm to the ocean floor.
SB 236 also establishes a program to assist commercial fishermen and women who might be affected by these restrictions, and encourages the use of less damaging fishing gear.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Dear (insert your name here),
Now is your chance to take action to help protect the coastal marine life of California.
California is famous throughout the world for its 1,100-miles of breathtaking coastline and abundance of fish, whales and other marine life. Unfortunately ocean resources are not limitless. Excessive fishing and destructive fishing practices have depleted California's once abundant fisheries putting the entire ecosystem in jeopardy. Californians know that they must be protectors of these precious coastal and ocean resources, or risk leaving their children a dead ocean. Click here to take action.
A destructive fishing practice called bottom trawling is wreaking havoc on the ocean seafloor. Bottom trawls use nets that scrape along the ocean floor to catch bottom dwelling fish like rockfish, sole, and shrimp the type of seafood available on many restaurant menus. Unfortunately, the nets don’t stop at catching fish. They also scoop up other marine wildlife living in the ocean. This unwanted catch is often dead or dying when brought to the surface. Even if these marine animals are not commercially valuable to fishermen, they are essential to the ocean ecosystem.
In addition to wasting marine life, bottom trawling also harms the seafloor habitat off the Californian coast. Bottom trawling can flatten rock formations, crush coral, and destroy other habitat forming structures. Such destruction eliminates places for fish, particularly juveniles, to feed and hide from predators.
A new bill in the California Senate aims to stop this destructive fishing practice and protect the future of the diversity of California’s ocean ecosystem and its fisheries. Please urge your State Senator to support legislation to protect California’s seafloor and marine life (SB 236, Alpert). This new bill is a practical and effective way to help restore dangerously depleted fish populations and to protect essential marine habitat.
Please write to your State Senator, Debra Bowen, and ask them to support SB 236.
Sincerely,
Dawn Martin
Oceana
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Your State Senator (if you live in CA)
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Protect California's seafloor and marine life
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
As a California resident, I am worried about the health of our ocean ecosystem. In particular I am concerned with the damage to seafloor habitats and marine life caused by bottom trawling. This destructive fishing practice is wreaking havoc on the ocean floor. Bottom trawls scrap up the seafloor crushing marine habitat like corals, and kill a vast array of non-targeted but ecologically important sea life.
I urge you to help stop the destruction of California's coastal waters by supporting legislation to protect California seafloor and marine life (SB 236, Alpert). Ending the destruction caused by bottom trawls will protect the future of California's fisheries and the diversity of the ocean ecosystem. This bill (SB 236) is a practical and effective way to help restore dangerously depleted fish populations and to protect fish habitat.
SB 236 seeks to change the way bottom trawling is conducted. It sets strict standards trawlers must meet in order to continue fishing by requiring that:
- bycatch must not exceed 15% of the catch, verified by a program of independent observers; and
- the trawl net cannot cause significant environmental harm to the ocean floor.
SB 236 also establishes a program to assist commercial fishermen and women who might be affected by these restrictions, and encourages the use of less damaging fishing gear.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
