The Beacon
Bering Sea Gets a Break
I'm a little late on this one, but last Friday the National Marine Fisheries Service announced that as of August 25, 2008, 180,000 square miles of the Bering Sea (that's five times the area of California) will be off-limits to bottom trawling.
In case you're unfamiliar, bottom trawling involves dragging massive nets across the sea floor, destroying almost anything in their path, including corals, sponges and other animals while catching fish to sell.
The Bering Sea is home to 26 species of marine mammals, including the critically endangered northern right whale; millions of seabirds hailing from all seven continents; more than 450 species of fish; and some of the world's largest submarine canyons.
[Image: www.alaska-in-pictures.com]
