Commercial fisherman call for strong climate legislation to limit ocean acidification

I know the holidays are about coming together, but the spirits of the season must have been in overdrive on Tuesday.

It started in Copenhagen.  Conservationists and commercial fisherman gave one another high-fives when they heard the Chairman of the IPCC tell the world that ocean acidification – the "other carbon problem" – will be a major priority of scientific advice for the next round of global negotiations.  This unlikely duo came together to Copenhagen to let world leaders know that ocean acidification poses such a threat to ocean health and marine life, that they are willing to set aside differences to work together to limit carbon emissions in the atmosphere (read their press release here).

Hours later, in the Capitol Skyline Hotel, NRDC invited commercial fisherman and shellfish growers to an evening reception to start a dialogue around our joint concern of ocean acidification.

The fishermen we met with came from as far away as Alaska, and as close as Maryland.  They were in town to tell lawmakers how ocean acidification would impact their livelihood.  As I talked to the dozen or so folks in the room about NRDC’s concerns about the impacts of acidifying oceans on marine life, it became clear we shared a common perspective:  the only way to limit ocean acidification is to curb carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

But, here, let them tell you:

It’s true that we still have our differences, but as you heard in the video, the science on ocean acidification is so clear, and the threat to marine life, and the communities whose livelihood depends on healthy oceans, so concerning, that its a no-brainer to work together on this issue.