What crimes are being committed against the public seas?
Chris Evans:There are two kinds of crimes being committed against the public seas. There are for sure specific lawless acts that are important individually, big ones and small ones. But the trickier and more interesting aspect to me are the subtle, long-term, not so easily seen ways in which we treat the ocean. This involves what we call our ocean ethos. It’s really less akin to a violation of criminal law and more akin to a sickness that we have. MM: What are the major issues Surfrider deals with? Evans: Our mission statement explains that we are working for the protection of oceans, waves and beaches for all people through conservation, activism, research and education. The big issues we deal with have changed a little over the years, but there’s been less change than you might imagine. It’s dirty ocean water, dirty receiving water; improper coastal development; and coastal erosion issues, the issues of how people respond to natural coastal erosion and coastal access. Our right to ge
