ALERT: The canary in the mine shaft

From Environment Maryland:

New England's waters once contained a bounty of seafood, whales, dolphins and other wildlife. George's Bank, Stellwagen Bank, Gulf of Maine . . . These places used to host some of the most productive marine ecosystems on our planet. But not anymore.

Many of New England's most important fisheries now hold only 10 to 20 percent of the fish they once held. Like the canary in the mine shaft, New England's fisheries should serve as a warning to our government about the dangers of overfishing.

Don't let the Bush administration ignore this warning. We have until Sept. 18 to make our voice heard. Send your comment today.

We have a chance to avoid the same collapse of our fisheries, and even a chance to bring back a vibrant ocean ecosystem to New England.

We can reverse decades of damage. All it will take is tough rules and tough enforcement to stop overfishing. The Bush administration's National Marine Fisheries Service must have all our comments in by Sept. 18.

Over the next month, the administration will finalize its fishery rules. Not surprisingly, big industrial fishing interests will oppose good rules. We've got to counteract them with thousands of voices.

SPEAK OUT to save our ecosystems!

With your help, we'll begin to restore our oceans' health.