Marine Protected Areas
A letter to the editors of Gulf Islands: Island Tides
June, 2011
by: Andy Lamb

Dear Editor: In your Volume 23, Number 11 issue, I was pleased and encouraged to find a piece about the International Marine Conservation Congress, held recently in Victoria as well as the thoughtful letter from Edina Johnston of Denman Island about protecting beaches. Unfortunately, our governments at all levels seem powerless to implement policies that would make a difference to our threatened living marine resources. Endless public consultation and studies seem to be a substitute for action.

No Take Marine Protected Areas are a proven method of protecting such resources and have been created by many counties, including those in the supposed 3rd World. We in Canada, with the longest coastline in the world, continue to dither. Right here in the Gulf Islands, the much hyped marine conservation area proposed by Parks Canada continues to languish after many years of stalling, under the guise of ‘involving the public and stakeholders’.

I would encourage your readers to learn more and join our organization, Marine Life Sanctuaries Society of British Columbia—the only NGO that specifically promotes the establishment of No Take Marine Protected Areas. For more information, inquire at info@mlssbc.com

Andy Lamb, Thetis Island

You can access the PDF of the newsletter here, Andy’s letter is on Page 5:
http://www.islandtides.com/assets/reprint/IslandTides_June16_11.pdf