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This section contains information of environmental interest. Please submit environmental information to: The Webmaster

The United Nations is at this moment considering urgent measures to
protect ocean wildlife from being injured and killed by industrial
longline fishing in the Pacific. During June 6-10, the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea will consider a proposal by
Costa Rica, supported by 3 other countries, to implement a
moratorium on industrial high seas longline fishing. If you have not
done so yet please sign the simple on-line petition to UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan urging him to support the call for a moratorium
and ask 3 friends and colleagues to do the same at
http://www.seaturtles.org/actionalertdetails.cfm?actionAlertID=43

The Pacific is being pillaged by longline fishing, a method of
fishing with monofilament lines stretching as long as 60 miles with
thousands of baited hooks. The leatherback and loggerhead sea
turtles and black-footed albatross seabird have been driven to the
edge of extinction and shark and billfish populations have crashed
by nearly 90%. Longlining is also estimated to catch or kill about
4.4 million sea turtles, marine mammals (including dolphins, seals
and false killer whales), sharks, billfish and seabirds each year.

At this time, thousands of other people like you concerned about
protecting our ocean and the wildlife that calls it home have also
signed the petition along with about 850 scientists from 83
countries and 300 non-governmental organizations from 54 countries.

We are writing you for your help to realize the moratorium. Signing
the petition to Secretary General Kofi Annan takes only a minute of
your time and can be done online. If you live outside the US and
would like to write the Minister of the Environment of your country
please contact us at tom@seaturtles.org to receive the necessary
contact information.

All of the petitions will be delivered by a group of school children
on June 8th, World Ocean Day, at the meeting at the UN considering
the moratorium so there is little time to lose.

To keep up to date with other ways you can help protect sea turtles
and the ocean please sign up for our infrequent action alerts at
http://www.seaturtles.org/joinlistserv.cfm

For the turtles,
Robert Ovetz, PhD
Save the Leatherback Campaign Coordinator

Sea Turtle Restoration Project
PO Box 400
Forest Knolls, CA 94933
USA

+1 415 488 0370 ext. 106
+1 415 488 0372 (fax)
www.seaturtles.org