STEPHEN De-Waine (Letters, April 13), a local fisherman, expressed his concerns about possible marine energy projects being sited off the Pembrokeshire coast.
Friends Of The Earth Pembrokeshire agrees with Mr De-Waine that such projects must be subjected to the appropriate Environmental Impact Assessment procedures; however, we challenge some of his other contentions.
He says: “The sea is the last realm of our world where a true wilderness exists”; unfortunately, not true.
Plastic now pollutes all of the world’s oceans, throughout the water column from the surface to the deepest parts of the seabed.
Consequently alarming concentrations of toxic manmade chemicals are being found in all manner of marine organisms, even those living far from human settlements in the high latitudes.
Furthermore, all of the world’s seawater is now being unnaturally acidified because we humans have forced up the carbon dioxide concentration in our atmosphere, therefore coral reefs everywhere are becoming highly stressed.
As for Mr De Waine’s declaration that he does not “buy into” human-induced climate change – that leaves him completely on his own, as far as this group is concerned.
As a fisherman, he of all people should take on board the warnings about fish spawning being seriously disrupted: many fish species are highly sensitive to seawater temperature variations, and we already have evidence of major behaviour changes of sand eels in the North Sea causing seabird colonies to collapse.
As part of a sound and sustainable energy policy for Britain, we need to conduct marine energy research; surely, Mr De-Waine, properly- designed and optimised wave power devices are preferable to a nuclear power station in Milford Haven, with its potential for both catastrophic failure and unforeseeable long-term genetic damage to all life forms?
ELEANOR CLEGG
Pant y Maen
Llangolman
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