Protect Sea Turtles and Other Wildlife by Signing Petition

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 1,000 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 [at] 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. If you live in the New York City area please
consider joining us.

Thank you for your help to protect sea turtles and the ocean.

For the turtles,


Robert Ovetz, PhD
Save the Leatherback Campaign Coordinator