Research shows international watchdogs “failing the high seas”: Sarika Cullis-Suzuki

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NEWS RELEASE
August 1, 2013

Research shows international watchdogs "failing the high seas": Sarika
Cullis-Suzuki


Two-thirds of the world's high-seas fish stocks are depleted or over-fished
because of ineffective monitoring and lack of legislation, says marine
biologist and high-seas expert Sarika Cullis-Suzuki.

The international organizations responsible for 60 per cent of the global
ocean "are absolutely not maintaining their mandates," Cullis-Suzuki
says."In fact, they're failing the high seas." The "high seas" are the ocean
waters located outside any nation's 200 nautical-mile limit. 

Cullis-Suzuki, a PhD candidate and the youngest daughter of scientist David
Suzuki, explained her research into the state of the oceans in a new
<http://www.thegreeninterview.com/> Green Interview conversation. Her
analysis includes a description of problems that can be fixed on the high
seas, but also a sobering critique of the health of Canada's coastal areas
and the chilling political climate that is stifling scientists and
information in Canada. 

"I hate to be so negative, but we're not doing well," says Cullis-Suzuki,
noting Canada protects just one per cent of oceans and sets up
well-publicized marine-protected areas that are "paper parks"-protected on
paper, but not monitored or regulated. 

Furthermore, she says that at the same time that the health of our global
oceans is declining, Canada's Conservative government is trying to silence
scientists at home.

"It's really scary, because, if we can't reach out to people and say, 'This
is what our work is, these are what our results show,' then how is anybody
going to learn anything?" she says. "If we're talking about truth, then the
truth is being stifled right now."

"Young scientists and activists like Sarika are our hope for the future,"
says Green Interview host Silver Donald Cameron. "She's barely 30, and she's
full of hope, passion and knowledge. The present government of Canada would
like to silence and marginalize people like her, but she's not going to stop
speaking out-and she has the facts on her side."

The Green Interview is a subscription website of extended interviews
produced and directed by Chris Beckett in association with Silver Donald
Cameron. The programs feature some of the world's greatest thinkers, writers
and observers-people whose ideas and perceptions are leading the way to a
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of charge. In addition, the interviews are available in thousands of
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the environmental database service of Gale Cengage Learning.

For further information about this interview or others at
www.thegreeninterview.com, please contact: Silver Donald Cameron, host and
executive producer, at sdc@silverdonaldcameron.ca or 902-446-5577.