More than an oyster issue
I applaud Gov. Chris Gregoire for charging into uncharted waters last month and leading Washington in the stand against ocean acidification [“Gregoire urges action now to tackle acidity in waters,” NWWednesday, Nov. 28].
This is not merely a local concern but a planetary threat. Shellfish are indicator species and their inability to sustain and reproduce is an incredibly bad sign of things to come.

While ocean acidification has been a topic of conversation for years; it was often discussed as an issue that may or may not affect our children’s children. However, acidification is no longer a potential, looming danger, but a reality today. This issue demands our immediate attention.

I hope that regulation of hazardous runoff comes swiftly and that the public education piece of this $3.3 billion initiative is effective. We don’t stand a chance of protecting this legacy of the Pacific Northwest if we aren’t honest with ourselves about carbon being the root cause of acidification.

We need to act quickly and deliberately, or else be prepared to explain to the next generation why the marine life that once thrived in our region has diminished. This is not just an oyster issue; it’s much, much larger than that.
—Colleen Bowman, Seattle