Sir

I was disappointed in your News Feature “Sink or swim” (Nature 432, 12-14; 2004), which mixes awe for the biological wonders of the sea and the excitement of new discoveries with concerns over the impact of human activities on the marine environment, in particular fishing.

Any link between the advancement of knowledge of ocean biodiversity and the impact of fisheries is at best tenuous. The News Feature does not present any quantitative evidence that fisheries are a threat to these newly discovered habitats. It largely seems to reflect a campaign run by a small group of scientists and some major non-governmental organizations.

The organization I work for, the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (http://www.neafc.org), provides a forum for representatives of the major fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic to meet several times a year. They cooperate in fisheries management, control and enforcement by setting quotas and by closing vulnerable areas to fishing. As stipulated by the NEAFC Convention, this cooperation is based on the best available scientific evidence.

The Northeast Atlantic is probably one of the best-researched ocean areas in the world. A scientific organization, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, has coordinated research in the area for more than 100 years. It publishes on all aspects of the oceans, including the state of commercial fish species.

Your News Feature does not make use of the rich scientific literature on the Northeast Atlantic. Nor does it use information in the public domain about the major efforts made by fisheries and ocean managers to shape a framework for responsible human activities. I can assure you that managers want very much to be in the vanguard, both in rational utilization and ecological concerns.

As a biologist, I am thrilled by recent advances in scientific knowledge of the biodiversity of the oceans and habitats such as carbonate mounds, oceanic ridges with hydrothermal effects, seamounts and so on.

However, this feeling of elation should not be misused to campaign against the legitimate right to plan, develop and manage fisheries in a way that addresses the multiple needs and desires of society.