Sea Conservation

Except for a cursory mention of the Alaska oil spill, The Times article “Environmental Challenges Gain Worldwide Attention” (Dec. 29), neglected to mention the plight of America’s 2.2 million square miles of ocean.

Approximately 71% of the planet is covered by the seas. In the United States alone, more than 50% of the population live within a day’s drive of our coasts. And Californians are increasingly aware of the many threats facing their coastal waters. Marine conservation deserves greater attention, lest the natural abundance and diversity of marine life become further eroded by our neglect.

One such example of the world’s increasing focus on marine issues is the public outrage over the use of huge drift nets by foreign fishing fleets to capture schools of tuna and other commercial fish. Unfortunately, these nets are not selective, as tens of thousands of sea birds, whales and various species of marine mammals become entangled and are drowned.

ROGER E. McMANUS

President

Center for Marine Conservation

Washington, D.C.