Good riddance to overfishing: New management can end unsustainable practices

 

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of online exclusives about natural phenomena and human endeavors we'd like to see come to an end. They are connected with the September 2010 special issue of Scientific American called "The End".

The meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES (pronounced "sight-eez") this past March was a decided defeat for the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Delegates voted 72 to 43 not to restrict fishing and international trade of the tuna so prized for its sushi that stocks are estimated to be at 15 percent of their historic levels. Although dismayed, conservationists remain upbeat, because they have at their disposal other management tools that could save the species.

Those strategies belong to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which actually has the job to manage tuna and tunalike species (a point argued by Japan and other opponents of a CITIES trade ban). Conservationists had forged ahead with a CITES effort anyway, because "we felt that a CITES ban would be a useful part of a package of tools to help reduce incentives for going over the quota," says Rebecca Lent, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of International Affairs and U.S. commissioner for ICCAT.

ICCAT, one of many regional fishery management organizations around the world, used a different tool to rebuild Atlantic swordfish populations (pdf) last September—namely, quotas. "The most important thing was setting the quotas at the appropriate level," Lent says, so that both the fish and the fishery economy can be sustained. To help enforce those limits, ICCAT tracked international trade to find countries that were catching (and selling) more fish than they reported. And domestically, the U.S. prohibited fisheries from waters where juvenile swordfish were getting killed as bycatch.
Still, getting countries to adhere to quotas is "the hardest challenge internationally," Lent says. Catch share programs, in which regional fishery councils divvy up quota shares to fishermen, could help ease this burden. Instead of creating a "struggle over a shrinking pie, you make [fishermen into] stakeholders, and that generates an incentive to be better stewards," says Frank Alcock, director of the Marine Policy Institute at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla. In the Pacific Northwest, for example, the program helped cut halibut fishing levels by one quarter. …

Good Riddance to Overfishing: New Management Can End Unsustainable Practices

Technorati Tags: ocean overexploitation,overfishing,tuna,endangered species

Top French chefs take bluefin tuna off the menu

The move comes as some scientists predict that many of the fish we currently eat will be extinct by 2050.

Over the past few months, a cadre of top French chefs have pledged to keep bluefin tuna and other threatened fish species off the menu, whatever the cost.

With half of the fish eaten in Europe dished up in restaurants, it was high time for the food-loving nation's leading chefs to take a stand, said one of the country's greatest chefs, Olivier Roellinger.

Roellinger, celebrated for his fish and seaweed fare in western Brittany, took bluefin tuna -- aka red tuna -- off the menu five years ago.

Said Roellinger: "We have a responsibility towards all those who are in charge of feeding others, cooks but also mothers and even fathers, and must show them the way. They must be made aware that the sea, this natural larder, is in danger." …

"We chefs have played our part in this catastrophe," chef Gael Orieux said. "People tend to buy fish at the market that they've had at a restaurant. So my logic is to propose other fish that are less under threat, in order to influence consumers in their choices." …

Top French chefs take bluefin tuna off the menu

Technorati Tags: fish decline,overfishing,ocean overexploitation,Europe,tuna

Top French chefs take bluefin tuna off the menu

By Gersende Rambourg, November 27, 2009

PARIS (AFP) – Top French chefs this week pledged to keep bluefin tuna and other threatened fish species off the menu, whatever the cost.

With half of the fish eaten in Europe dished up in restaurants, it was high time for the food-loving nation's leading chefs to take a stand, said one of the country's greatest chefs, Olivier Roellinger.

Roellinger, celebrated for his fish and seaweed fare in western Brittany, took bluefin tuna -- aka red tuna -- off the menu five years ago. "We have a responsibility towards all those who are in charge of feeding others, cooks but also mothers and even fathers, and must show them the way," he told AFP.

"They must be made aware that the sea, this natural larder, is in danger," added Roellinger, who a year ago threw in the coveted three-star rating awarded him by the Michelin Guide, the French food bible, on grounds of fatigue.

Environmentalists say bluefin tuna faces the threat of extinction because of overfishing and want its trade banned by CITES, the UN body that rules on wildlife trade. …

Top French chefs take bluefin tuna off the menu

Technorati Tags: tuna,overfishing,ocean overexploitation,fish decline

Trade curbs sought for sharks, corals, bluefin tuna

By Laura MacInnis

GENEVA (Reuters) - Tuna popular in sushi, colorful corals used in jewelry and sharks whose fins make soup have been proposed for international trade restrictions overseen by the United Nations, a spokesman for the treaty said on Thursday.

Juan-Carlos Vasquez of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) said countries had submitted 40 requests for trade curbs and controls that will be reviewed at a conference in Qatar in March.

African elephants, some plants from Madagascar, the skins of certain snakes and crocodiles, and a range of waxes and oils used in cosmetics were also suggested for the regulation which aims to encourage conservation, Vasquez said.

"We check that the trade is sustainable, is legal and is traceable," he explained. CITES registration gives protection to endangered species carrying high economic or commercial value.

Most of the plants and animals proposed for the 2010 Doha conference would, if approved by CITES' 175 member states, be regulated in a government permit system certifying their trade.

But Monaco proposed that Atlantic bluefin tuna be subjected to a full ban, which could cause big losses for Mediterranean countries who have resisted European Union calls to stop fishing the over-exploited population. …

Trade curbs sought for sharks, corals, bluefin tuna

Technorati Tags: ocean overexploitation,overfishing,endangered species

Rally against shark fin trade opens in Singapore

Animal rights activists launched a campaign in Singapore Saturday against the consumption of shark fin, a status symbol when served at Chinese wedding banquets and dinners.
The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) held the rally at Speakers' Corner, Singapore's only venue for outdoor assemblies and demonstrations, subject to strict guidelines.

A large banner bearing the slogan "when sharks die, the oceans die" was displayed at a nearby park close to Singapore's business district.

Louis Ng, ACRES's executive director and founder, told 100 supporters that more than 3,800 sharks were caught every 20 minutes to meet global demand for shark fin, pushing many shark species towards extinction.

"Let us not only say no to shark fins but let us also be advocates for sharks and tell people why we do not, and will not, eat them," Ng said.

One of ACRES's supporters at the rally, physiotherapist Chng Chye Tuan, said he and his wife-to-be had decided against offering shark fin soup to guests at their wedding next month, despite opposition from both sets of parents.

"You can see the impact that humans are having on the ecosystem. The variety of fish is not as much as before," said Chng, referring to observations he had made during diving trips.

Rally against shark fin trade opens in Singapore

Technorati Tags: overfishing,ocean overexploitation,fish decline,extinction

Sushi lovers tense in Tokyo as bluefin tuna nears endangered listing

By Peter J Brown

A few European countries are taking steps to save the world's bluefin tuna population. This month, the European Commission (EC) announced its support for a formal listing of the species as endangered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which would in effect ban any international trade in bluefin tuna.

Japan is the world's biggest importer of bluefin tuna, which can weigh as much as 300 kilograms or more. Considered a highly prized delicacy by the Japanese, the fish are often sold to customers in wafer-thin slices at sushi bars and restaurants. Whereas a fishing boat owner or captain might sell the fish to a buyer at the dock for $30 to $40 per kilo, that price could increase tenfold or more by the time it lands on someone's plate in Japan.

Prices tripled from 2007 to 2008. One bluefin tuna caught in Japanese waters sold at auction in Japan this year for over $100,000, well short of the all-time record which was set in 2001 at over $150,000.

According to the Asahi Shimbun, Japan consumed 43,000 tons of bluefin tuna last year, and "a total ban on trade of Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tunas would translate to a cut of about 20,000 tons". …

Sushi lovers tense in Tokyo

Technorati Tags: overfishing,ocean overexploitation,tuna,endangered species

Europe unites in attempt to protect bluefin tuna

Compromise deal with opponents of fishing ban welcomed 

 

By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

Europe is to throw its weight behind a campaign to save the bluefin tuna from decades of over-fishing after a breakthrough in talks in Brussels.

The European Commission announced a compromise deal backing an attempt to list the Mediterranean fish as an endangered species while waiting for further scientific evidence on the latest population numbers after the EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg backed down.

Europe is now expected to vote as a bloc of 27 nations in favour of a proposal to protect bluefin tuna under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) which – if approved by a majority of 175 nations around the world – would ban all international trade in the fish.

Environmentalists expressed their delight at the issue, saying it represented the best chance of allowing the tuna to recover from intense demand in Japan, which imports 90 per cent of Europe's bluefin for sushi. …

Europe unites in attempt to protect bluefin tuna

Technorati Tags: overfishing,tuna,ocean overexploitation,endangered

Political infighting threatens survival of the bluefin tuna

I saw an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s show, in which he was at a high-end sushi bar, and the chef was naming each fish on the tray. I said out loud, “Please no bluefin tuna,   please no bluefin tuna…” Then he said, “This is the bluefin tuna,” and I shouted at the teevee, “NO! Goddamn you, Anthony Bourdain!”

By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

The last chance to save one of the most majestic fish in the sea is on the verge of collapse because of political jockeying in Europe.

A proposal to ban the sale of bluefin tuna is being fiercely opposed by Malta, the capital of the lucrative global business, and by its representative in Brussels, the fisheries commissioner, Joe Borg.

Spain and Italy are also believed to be resisting an application to bar trade in bluefin under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which would cut off exports to the main market, Japan.

The European Commission will decide next week whether the EU will submit the application to a Cites committee meeting in March.

Conservationists fear that support from Britain, France and other northerly European nations for decisive action is wavering amid the objections.

The Commission is divided, with Brussels sources saying Mr Borg is fighting his environment counterpart, Stavros Dimas, who supports a ban.

Japan has also been lobbying all EU states, telling them that the management of the stock is improving.

Britain describes Japan's approach as "not unexpected", though conservationists accuse Japan of interfering in the EU's internal decision-making. Such has been the controversy that the European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, is set to take charge of the issue at his cabinet meeting on Thursday. …

Political infighting threatens survival of the bluefin tuna

Technorati Tags: overfishing,ocean overexploitation,tuna,fish decline,extinction

Helicopters patrol fishing waters off southern Scotland

Helicopter patrols have started over the waters off southern Scotland in a bid to tackle illegal fishing.

Fisheries groups are concerned at the use of gill nets on the northern Solway to capture bass which have a high value in the hotel and restaurant industry.

The nets are illegal and are often set close to river mouths, and catch other fish like salmon and sea trout.

Jamie Ribbens of the Galloway Fisheries Trust (GFT) said threatened species were being killed by the practice.

It is legal to catch and sell bass, but the problem is the use of gill nets, which are prohibited by law.

Mr Ribbens said: "We've been concerned about this issue for some time.

"These illegal nets are killing many threatened fish species which is such a waste."

The GFT is working with Marine Scotland Compliance and salmon fishery boards across Dumfries and Galloway to tackle the issue.

Mr Ribbens added: "Populations of salmon and sea trout are a concern and we need to do everything we can to protect existing stocks." …

Helicopters patrol fishing waters

Technorati Tags: overfishing,ocean overexploitation,poaching,fish decline

First global illegal fishing treaty agreed: UN

ROME (AFP) – A group of 91 countries have agreed on a treaty that will block ships involved in illegal fishing from entering signatory ports and thus help prevent the fish going to market, the UN said on Tuesday.

The UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) hailed the agreement to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as "the first ever global treaty focused specifically on the problem."

New measures include requiring foreign fishing vessels to request permission to enter port ahead of time, informing the authorities of their fish cargo, as well as committing signatories to regular inspections of foreign ships.

Illegal fishing accounts for 14 percent of all fish caught in the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. …

First global illegal fishing treaty agreed: UN

Technorati Tags: overfishing,fish decline,ocean overexploitation,poaching

URGENT- Your Comments Needed to Help Marlin & Bluefin Tuna by Aug. 31st

Bluefins and blue marlin need your help. Public comment period ends Monday.

The highest level of marlin bycatch in the U.S. is taken by U.S. pelagic longline vessels in the Gulf of Mexico targeting yellowfin tuna. According to NOAA observer data, the bycatch of documented discarded billfish in the Gulf in 2007 and 2008 included 1031 billfish caught, with 400 dead discards, 589 live releases, 36 lost, and 7 unknown condition.

And the only offshore Atlantic species in worse shape than marlin is the North Atlantic bluefin tuna. Yet this summer, the National Marine Fisheries Management Service (NMFS) issued a notice that they may allow longliners in the Gulf of Mexico to take even more bluefin where they are spawning, catch even more swordfish and encourage more longline effort into the marlin spawning season.

“Directed” fishing for bluefins or marlin while targeting swordfish and yellowfin tuna is illegal. But longliners are allowed to keep up to three bluefins as “bycatch,” and the fish are worth so much on the market they are incentivized to set out miles and miles of baited hooks in the bluefin’s only known spawning aggregation in the Western Atlantic, the gyres off the loop current in the Gulf of Mexico. ...

A broad coalition of fishing and conservation groups see this threat as an opportunity to judo-flip longline industry pressure on NMFS into a ban of pelagic longlining in the Gulf of Mexico, at least during bluefin spawning season (February through May), and marlin spawning season, which occurs in the late spring and summer months. ...

Public comment on the proposed bluefin and swordfish rule changes ends Monday, August 31. Bluefin, marlin and the many types of bycatch including sea turtles need your support. Please send NMFS a strong, two-fold message: 1, You demand an extension of the public comment period so that you have adequate time to make detailed comments; 2, You oppose increases in allowable bluefin bycatch; and 3, You want to see the spawning areas of bluefin tuna and marlin closed to longlining. ...

You can copy the attached letter (scroll down) and modify it as you see fit and email it to the NMFS, USFWS and also to your Congressmen and Senators. It is time they realize that the recreational billfishing community, which also fishes for tunas in the Gulf, is one that needs to be counted and its economic impact and voluntary conservation ethic appreciated. ...

EMAIL NMFS: Margo.Schulze-Haugen@noaa.gov
& Randy.Blankinship@noaa.gov
Margo Schulze-Haugen, Chief
NMFS Office of Highly Migratory Species

EMAIL USFWS: Scientificauthority@fws.gov
Rosemarie GnamChief, Division of Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service

Last Chance for the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna?

Technorati Tags: overfishing,tuna,fish decline,ocean overexploitation

Regulators curb longline fishing in Gulf of Mexico to protect sea turtles

By ALLISON WINTER of Greenwire

Federal regulators voted last night to impose tough new restrictions on the commercial longline fishing fleet in the Gulf of Mexico in an attempt to protect marine turtles.

The new fishery-management plan would close certain areas, restrict fishing to boats that have brought in large catches in the past and reduce the number of hooks that can be used during fishing trips.

Commercial fishing representatives said the changes would cut the longline fleet in half.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's approval of the closure last night in Alabama sends the plan to the National Marine Fisheries Service for a final OK.

Longliner fleets string miles of line with thousands of hooks. They catch about two-thirds of the commercial grouper served in restaurants and sold at seafood counters. The practice has come under fire in the past year since a federal report found it kills more protected loggerhead turtles than previously thought. The report estimated that longliners snared nearly 1,000 turtles between July 2006 and December 2008 -- well above the permitted rate of 114 per three years.

The council temporarily shut down the longline fishery earlier this summer, and environmental groups sued the federal government in an effort to force more stringent protections for turtles. A new federal report this week found that U.S. loggerhead populations are at risk of extinction.

Environmentalists called the new fishing restrictions a "victory" for the loggerhead.

"[The] vote is a signal from the council that it's possible to craft fisheries management plans to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles while maintaining viable commercial fisheries," Dave Allison, senior campaign director at Oceana, said in a statement. "While Oceana will continue to support additional protections for loggerheads, today's action constitutes a truly significant effort by the council." …

Regulators Curb Longline Fishing in Gulf of Mexico to Protect Sea Turtles

Technorati Tags: overfishing,ocean overexploitation

Greenpeace drops boulders in Swedish waters to protect marine life from bottom trawling

 

Activists with Greenpeace have begun placing massive granite rocks in Swedish waters to prevent fishing boats from bottom trawling in sensitive areas.

The organization accuses the Swedish government of failing to protecting the areas of Fladen, Lilla Middlegrund, and Kattegat from bottom trawling, an invasive technique that drags nets along the sea bottom disrupting seabed communities. Sweden has said in the past that the areas in question require protection and they have been listed under Natura 2000, a network of protected areas in the EU.

"The Swedish government needs to fulfil its commitment to protect the area and put a permanent ban on fishing in Fladen and Lilla Middelgrund," said Isadora Wronski, Greenpeace ocean campaigner.

"Throughout Europe, marine protection only exists on paper. Our seas cannot wait any longer, their survival is at stake and politicians need to take action and implement laws that will protect the life of the seas today and for the future," Wronski added, defending Greenpeace’s controversial strategy. …

Greenpeace drops boulders in Swedish waters to protect marine life from bottom trawling

Technorati Tags: activism,overfishing,ocean overexploitation

Fresh hope for world's fisheries

By Mark Kinver , Science and environment reporter, BBC News

There is fresh hope that the world's depleted fisheries can be saved from collapse, say a team of researchers.

They said that efforts introduced to halt overfishing in five of the 10 large marine ecosystems they examined were showing signs of success.

A combination of measures - such as catch quotas, no-take zones, and selective fishing gear - had helped fish stocks recover, they added.

Details of the two-year study by 19 marine scientists appear in Science.

However, the team warned, a large percentage of the world's fisheries remained unmanaged, so much work still had to be done to halt the damage caused by overfishing. …

Fresh hope for world's fisheries

Technorati Tags: overfishing,ocean overexploitation

World's largest caterer bans 69 endangered fish From its menus

 

Good news for more sustainable fisheries! The world's largest contract caterer, Compass Group, has just announced that it will remove some 69 endangered and threatened fish from its menus in the UK and Ireland. The fish to be banned are those recommended by Marine Conservation Society for consumers to avoid because of overfishing and other environmental concerns. …

World's Largest Caterer Bans 69 Endangered Fish From Its Menus

Technorati Tags: overfishing,endangered species,fish decline,ocean overexploitation

Raymond Blanc takes endangered fish species off the menu

Growing demand from customers prompts Michelin-starred chef to challenge competitors to follow his lead on sustainable fishing

By Susie Mesure

Both are Michelin-starred restaurants with world-famous chefs. But there the similarity ends. Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, which is owned by Raymond Blanc, has thrown the spotlight back on the sushi chain Nobu's refusal to stop serving endangered species of fish by becoming the first high-end restaurant to offer diners sustainable seafood approved by the environmental charity Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Growing consumer demand for guilt-free fish dishes is putting pressure on restaurants to overhaul their sourcing policies – and to tell their customers about it. In a first for a Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Manoir's menus feature the MSC logo, which means diners can opt for dishes made with Dover sole or mackerel without having to worry about where it has come from.

Blanc called for other restaurateurs to follow his lead, adding: "By supporting MSC, I am ensuring that, as a chef, I am helping to ensure that fish stocks will be replenished for generations to come." His decision to serve certifiably sustainable seafood is in stark contrast to Nobu Matsuhisa, who has snubbed calls to take bluefin tuna off the menus at his world-renowned chain, despite evidence that it is being fished to extinction. A host of celebrities including Stephen Fry, Jemima Khan, Elle Macpherson and Sienna Miller are boycotting the sushi chain, previously a favoured A-list haunt, in protest.

Yesterday Nobu London's head chef, Hari Shetty, defended the restaurant's choice to keep serving bluefin tuna. "It's legally available and it's in demand, so there's no reason not to sell it." He said he was not aware of the MSC certification scheme, but added that the restaurant did sell sustainable fish. …

Raymond Blanc takes endangered fish species off the menu

Technorati Tags: overfishing,ocean overexploitation,endangered species,fish decline

Project will nearly eliminate deadly ghost nets in Puget Sound

by Lisa Stiffler

Lost fishing nets strewn along the bottom of Puget Sound have been drowning thousands of fish, birds, seals, crabs and other marine life each year. And some of these ghost nets have been silently killing creatures for a decade or more.

But now a local conservation group will have the support it needs to clean up most of the mess, thanks to a $4.6 million federal grant. 

The money, which comes from the federal stimulus package, will fund the Northwest Straits Commission’s effort to remove 3,000 lost fishing nets littering Puget Sound.

“Derelict fishing gear is a worldwide issue,” said Ginny Broadhurst, director of the commission. “We seem to have a particularly bad problem here.”

Over the past seven years, the group has removed 1,200 nets from the Sound and around the San Juan Islands by piecing together funding from smaller grants. With the large infusion that’s coming through NOAA Fisheries Service, Broadhurst estimates that 90 percent of the nets in local marine waters will be removed.

During the heyday of gillnetting, about 3,500 fishing permits were issued; that number is down to about 350 today, Broadhurst said. Her group estimates that with the reduction in fishing and improvements in technology, about 10 to 12 nets are lost each year.

“If we can just get this legacy stuff out of here we will have solved the problem,” she said. …

Project will nearly eliminate deadly ghost nets in Puget Sound

Technorati Tags: overfishing,ocean overexploitation

Recirculating marine aquaculture: farmed fish minus the pollution

Image credit: UMBI Center of Marine Biotechnology

Fully Contained, Indoor Fish Farming

The dire state of global fish stocks is pretty well known by now - with costs of poor management of fish stocks running to $50 billion a year. Yet what's the alternative? Sea-based fish farming carries dire environmental risks, and while a few brave souls are experimenting with urban aquaculture, a solution to feeding the world's appetite for seafood without depleting the world's seas still seems a long way off. The Baltimore Sun brings us news from the UMBI Center of Marine Biotechnology in Maryland, who have developed a system for supplying sustainable seafood from on-land farms.

The system, dubbed Recirculating Marine Aquaculture, creates artificial seawater that is recycled using a select group of microorganisms, and solid waste is collected and used to produce methane that helps power the operations. The center is also trying to develop a new fish food based on algae and plants - rather than ground up fish. …

Recirculating Marine Aquaculture: Farmed Fish Minus the Pollution

Technorati Tags: ocean overexploitation,overfishing

The End of the Line is getting good reviews

People are calling it the Inconvenient Truth of ocean overfishing. Rotten Tomatoes currently has it at 88%.

Synopsis: The End of the Line is the first feature length doc to explore the dire state of overfishing which, if not severely curtailed, will mean the end of most seafood as an eating consideration within forty years. Director Rupert Murray combines mesmerizing photography above and below water with the story of the indefatigable investigative reporter Charles Clover as he confronts politicians and celebrity restaurateurs. The near extinction of cod is examined and the now imminent extinction of bluefin tuna – brought on by the increasing western demand for sushi, governments unwilling to follow the scientists suggestions of catch limits and a flourishing illegal trade. The impact on marine life from the overfishing of large fish species results in a huge overpopulation of algae and jellyfish as well as mass poverty in rural areas where fish is running out yet large commercial boats equipped with radar still impinge on local fishermen’s livelihoods. The myth of farmed fishing as a solution is also exploded.

Filmed across the world – from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market – featuring top scientists, indigenous fishermen and fisheries enforcement officials, The End of the Line is a wake-up call to the world offering real solutions that all consumers can take part in. --© Official Site

“After watching this you may think twice before consuming another mouthful of tuna.” -- Allan Hunter, Daily Express

The End of the Line (2009)

Technorati Tags: ocean overexploitation,overfishing,extinction

Obama calls for ocean protection

Environmentalists were delighted today by President Obama’s designation of this month as National Oceans Month and his pledge to set a comprehensive ocean-protection policy.

The oceans are getting crowded and polluted, Obama said. Sea levels are rising. Fish are depleted. Some species are endangered.

And there’s no clear national policy to sort out the best ways to make good use of ocean resources.

So he called for a task force of senior officials to recommend within 90 days a national oceans policy.

``This policy will incorporate ecosystem-based science and management and emphasize our public-stewardship responsibilities,’’ Obama said.

A White House memo spelled out creation of the task force, and a presidential proclamation designated June as National Oceans Month.

The action coincided with Capitol Hill Ocean Week, a conference of scientists, environmentalists and government leaders from around the country. This year the conference focused on how the oceans affect the economy.

``For Florida, it’s especially important because so many people live in coastal areas and oceans are important to things like tourism and fisheries,’’ said Amy Wright, director of biomedical research at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort Pierce.

The Florida Keys alone attract about 4 million tourists a year who spend $1.2 billion, said Billy Causey of Key West, regional director of the U.S. Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

``It’s critical to keep the Keys healthy to preserve these precious resources for the future,’’ Causey said. ``More and more people are paying attention to the economic significance of these areas.’’

Here’s Obama’s proclamation: …

Obama calls for ocean protection

Technorati Tags: ocean overexploitation,overfishing,endangered