Call on policy makers to support fishery friendly climate solutions!
Fishery Friendly Climate Action Agenda
READ THE AGENDA TEXT:
Commercial fishermen are dependent on and devoted to ocean ecosystems. As we witness the impacts of climate change, we are compelled to advocate for strong and comprehensive strategies to reduce and sequester atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing this known contributor to climate change is vital to safeguarding the wild places, ways of life, essential food sources, and thriving ocean economies that Americans hold dear. Sustainable fisheries are at the core of this, and must be preserved as we move toward climate solutions.
Thanks to innovation and geographic diversity, the U.S. has a litany of climate solutions to choose from, most of which will not threaten our fisheries, marine ecosystems, or the people who depend on them. These are the solutions that policy makers must lead with.
There are other options that, though they may be effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, present significant risks to fishery ecosystems and economies through direct implementation and/or lifecycle impacts. These solutions should only be considered as a last resort.
We call on elected officials to preferentially support fishery-friendly climate solutions that:
● Reduce, sequester, or avoid greenhouse gas emissions;
● Avoid collateral impacts on the physical, chemical, and ecological properties and processes of ocean, coastal, estuarine, and watershed environments;
● Avoid interference with the harvest and provision of wild seafood;
● Wherever possible, contribute conservation co-benefits that enhance the resilience of ocean, coastal, estuarine, and watershed ecosystems;
● Help the fishing industry address its own carbon footprint by supporting transition to low-carbon fishing vessels; and
● Contribute to putting the U.S. on track to reduce its share of greenhouse gas emissions to a level that will hold warming well below 2°C while pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.
Seafood has among the lowest carbon footprints of any protein source. It is also a vital part of our nation’s economy, coastal identity, and food system. Like many aspects of the U.S. economy, fisheries are already experiencing the effects of climate change.
Although commercial fishermen across the U.S. experience climate impacts differently, there is one thing we can agree on: America must address climate change in the most fishery-friendly way possible, by uplifting technologies and policies that work for fisheries and not at their expense.
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Add your name to the growing list of U.S. fishermen, fishing businesses, and fishery associations who are raising their voices for fishery-friendly climate action! A list of signers can be found on the campaign page and is presented to policy makers as advocacy opportunities arise.