Environmental group says world's oceans are sick

Mark Powell, fish conservation director at The Ocean Conservancy, agreed. "In my assessment, the United States has done a poor job implementing and enforcing measures of the Magnuson-Stevens Act passed in 1996, and as a result has done little to stop overfishing, minimize by-catch, and protect...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inKnight Ridder Tribune News Service p. 1
Main Author Harper, Shannon B
Format Newsletter
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Tribune Content Agency LLC 09.07.2002
Subjects
Rufe, Roger
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Summary:Mark Powell, fish conservation director at The Ocean Conservancy, agreed. "In my assessment, the United States has done a poor job implementing and enforcing measures of the Magnuson-Stevens Act passed in 1996, and as a result has done little to stop overfishing, minimize by-catch, and protect essential fish habitat. Congress should be engaged in strengthening the act." Forty-four percent of U.S. estuaries are unfit for activities such as swimming and fishing, the report claimed. Coral reefs are being lost at an alarming rate and numerous species of marine mammals, sea turtles and sea birds are in danger of extinction, it said. Only 300 North Atlantic right whales are known to exist, and all six species of sea turtles found in U.S. waters are threatened or endangered, according to the report.