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 Crossing borders |
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"Fish respect no borders. Our oceans refuse to be bound by the jurisdictional lines we draw on them." "Fish are not checking their passports at the border."
- Congressman Jay Stiles at the 2005 Puget Sound Georgia Basin Research Conference.
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-President George Bush, President Vincente Fox and Prime Minister Paul Martin, 2005. |
The crisis in the world's oceans is of increasing concern to scientists, governments and the public. Sector-by-sector makeshift management measures do not address the interconnectedness of ocean ecosystems and uses. This has led to overexploitation and environmental degradation. Managers are beginning to realize this. To halt this trend, resource managers must progress to a more systematic, holistic and integrated approach. In the case of ecosystems that cross political borders international cooperation in management, education and research is needed to safeguard ecological linkages across the border. This was acknowledged at a meeting in Waco, Texas in March 2005, where the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States released a statement announcing the establishment of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. Within the joint stewardship of the environment component of this statement, there is a commitment to: |
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