WWF launches marine protection campaign in the Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean, Antarctica – With the official launch of the International Polar Year today, WWF is looking to stop unsustainable fishing, marine pollution and climate change in the Southern Ocean.In particular, the global conservation organization wants to create a network of marine protected areas in the southern waters by 2012, including the Ross Sea near Antarctica.The Ross Sea is a physically and ecologically unique part of the Southern Ocean and home to many species including the colossal squid, the world’s largest invertebrate. “An ecologically coherent network of protected areas in the Southern Ocean will protect habitats and wildlife,” said Constance Johnson, Director of WWF’s Antarctic and Southern Oceans Programme. “It will increase the ocean’s resilience to climate change by lowering stress on the system, and enhance fisheries management by protecting spawning and nursery areas and providing refuges for exploited species.” Full story at