LETTER: It’s not just about the fish

I travelled by train down the west coast of California from Seattle to Los Angeles a few years ago. The last 100km or so of the track hugs the Pacific coastline. What should be an outstanding visual experience is besmirched by the jarring sight of hundreds of oil derricks in the ocean, as far as one can see.

Is something similar in store for us if Shell’s seismic exploration off SA’s coast is "successful"? If so, then never mind the transitory impact on marine life; the very wildness of the Wild Coast will probably be destroyed.

I, for one, would gladly forgo the touted economic benefits from this venture in favour of preserving the unspoiled beauty of the Wild Coast. And, in calculating the promised economic benefits, has anyone factored in the economic cost of their deleterious impact on tourism?

Delano Caras
Saxonwold

The FM welcomes concise letters from readers. They can be sent to fmmail@fm.co.za