Last week we told you about the students in Guam who have
taken a stand to protect sharks on their island…again. Guam passed their shark protection law in
2011 and it has been working well since then.
But now a federal U.S. agency—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)—claims that Guam’s law conflicts with federal fishing
rules and is therefore preempted by federal law. In other words, if the federal government
gets its way, the protections that we enacted for sharks on Guam could be
completely nullified.
With half of all shark species threatened or
near-threatened with extinction, no one wants to see that happen, especially
the students who fought so hard to get these protections three years ago.
Fortunately, this generation understands that the future
of our oceans depends on healthy populations of sharks, and apathy is not an
option. Guam students quickly jumped
into action and started an
online petition to show NOAA officials in Washington, DC and President
Barack Obama that Guam wants to keep its shark protections and the federal
government should stop meddling in local conservation efforts.
Our petition has already generated thousands of
signatures and attracted the attention of international NGOs and media. But the effort to save local shark protection
laws isn’t over yet. For those in Guam
and elsewhere who want to do more to keep their local shark protection laws,
there’s much more you can do to help.
Here are some suggestions for additional steps that you can take after signing
the petition:
Use social media
to get the attention of elected officials: Tweet at Guam Governor, Eddie
Calvo (@governorcalvo), and post on U.S. Representative Madeline Bordallo’s Facebook page and ask
them to stand up for Guam and our sharks by making sure that NOAA doesn’t wipe
out our local shark protections.
Let NOAA know you
want to preserve shark protections: Write to decision makers at NOAA and politely
ask them to preserve our local conservation laws. You can email
Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Under Secretary
of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator.
Write an email to
local and national elected officials: Contact Guam Governor, Eddie Calvo,
CNMI Governor Eloy Inos, and U.S. Congresswoman Madeleine
Bordallo and ask them to fight to preserve our local shark protections.
Write a letter to
the editor. Write a short (250 words
or fewer) letter to your local newspaper to help spread the word about the
threat to shark protection laws. If you
need help with talking points, check out this
blog.
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