Right now, the US government is receiving public comments on whether or not to create the world’s largest network of Marine Protected Areas in the Pacific Ocean.

President Obama is under enormous pressure from an influential fishing lobby to water down the plan and leave most of this area unprotected. We can’t let that happen coral reefs are dying, and fish are disappearing from our seas. Scientists say the best solution is to declare large areas off limits to all exploitation so that marine life, including valuable fish stocks, can recover. Four years ago, we helped persuade the UK government to create a massive marine sanctuary in the Indian Ocean. The UK Foreign Ministry cited our huge global campaign in its announcement. That reserve is bigger than the size of Germany and Italy put together. The one Obama could expand in the Pacific would be about twice as huge!

We can do it again insiders tell us that if we send Obama a tidal wave of global public support now, we will empower him to counter internal opposition and save our oceans for generations to come. Sign the petition below and tell everyone let’s deliver one million voices before the August 15th deadline:

avaaz.org/en/ocean_of_hope_s/?bOTbDeb&v=43566

The reports are dire: in less than 4 decades, our oceans could be completely fished-out, in 100 years, all coral reefs might be dead. This new plan alone won’t be enough to fix the problem, but it could start turning the tide against global ocean destruction it will not only double the worldwide oceanic area that is fully protected, but also encourage other governments to follow suit.

Obama says he is willing to use executive action to implement the plan, but a powerful local fishing lobby group is mounting a desperate effort to sink it with misleading propaganda. They say the sanctuary will hurt their business, but 95% of the fishing they’re talking about happens outside of the protected zone. Other interests want to keep the area open for future drilling, even though nothing has ever been planned.

With the greatest ownership of ocean in the world, the US now has a tremendous opportunity in the Pacific. Let’s drown out the opposition, and lay the foundation for protecting our oceans from exploitation. Sign the petition. Our oceans are being decimated by a myriad of threats. Save our precious marine life.

Want more information:
Pacific fishing interests oppose Obama’s plan to expand marine reserve (Washington Post)
washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/06/30/pac...pand-marine-reserve/

Several Nations Announce Massive Marine Reserves in the Pacific (National Geographic)
news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140617-pacif...s-ocean-environment/

Obama Calls For Major Expansion Of Pacific Ocean Preserve (Law 360.com)
law360.com/articles/548854/obama-calls-for-major-expansi...cific-ocean-preserve

Mr. Obama’s Ocean Monument (NYTimes)
nytimes.com/2014/06/18/opinion/mr-obamas-ocean-monument.html