U.S. Policy to Protect the Arctic

President Bush today established a U.S. policy halting the expansion of industrial fishing into the Arctic until we have more information.

The policy in part states that “the decline of several commercially valuable fish stocks throughout the world’s oceans highlights the need for fishing nations to conserve fish stocks and develop management systems that promote fisheries sustainability,” and also states that until international agreement for managing Arctic fishing are in place, “…the United States should support international efforts to halt the expansion of commercial fishing activities in the high seas of the Arctic Ocean.”

“This is the first significant step the U.S. government has taken to protect the Arctic Ocean,” said Jim Ayers, Vice President of Oceana. “With the polar ice cap disappearing before our eyes, we must fend off the