World: TAKE ACTION: One simple way to protect ancient coral reefs

From: "Earthjustice Alerts" <action@earthjustice.org>
Date: Jan 14, 2015 6:40 AM
Subject: TAKE ACTION: One simple way to protect ancient coral reefs

TAKE ACTION! One simple way to protect ancient coral reefs Protect ancient coral reefs from destructive fishing trawls! Take action today. Dear Liz, Coral reefs across the world are at risk of ecological collapse—faced with serious threats from climate change, ocean acidification, and pollution. But there is one simple, common-sense solution to protect our ancient corals: Prevent destructive bottom-trawl fishing gear from destroying reef ecosystems! In the Atlantic Ocean, just off the U.S. East Coast, deep-sea corals provide essential habitat for countless invertebrate species and for commercially and recreationally important fisheries in the mid-Atlantic region. Cold-water corals are stationary, which makes them particularly vulnerable to pollution and changes in the ocean's temperature—but their greatest global threat is from trawl fishing. Earthjustice has been fighting in court for years to protect our ocean ecosystems from destructive fishing practices, including bottom-trawl fishing. Trawls use large, heavy nets kept open by doors, weighing as much as several tons each, many of which drag across large areas of seafloor to catch fish that live on or near the ocean floor. To protect life-giving coral ecosystems, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has proposed a bold plan to use its authority under federal law to proactively "minimize the impacts of fishing gear on deep-sea corals," but it has not yet determined the extent of that protection. The council's plan, called Amendment 16, could establish the largest habitat protection area in the history of Atlantic fishery management. We need you to add your voice in support of this landmark plan today! To fully protect deep- sea corals, this plan must prevent bottom-trawl fishing gear from being used in all of the canyons and deep-sea regions that harbor these ecological treasures. Please send a public comment to the MAFMC encouraging full protection for this vital foundation of the Atlantic Ocean ecosystem. Sincerely, Brian Smith Oceans Campaign Manager ©2015 Earthjustice | 50 California Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94111 | 415-217-2000 | action@earthjustice.org           Alert Tools   Photo Credits:   Top: A bythitid snakes its way through a cluster of brightly colored corals and brittle stars. (Image courtesy of Deepwater Canyons 2013 - Pathways to the Abyss, NOAA-OER/BOEM/USGS)   Links:   If you cannot click on the links in this email, copy this link to your browser: https://secure.earthjustice.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1663 This email was delivered to you by Earthjustice.