Environmentalists are voicing alarm over the deep sea harvesting of exotic fish.

A British professor says deep sea trawlers - with more powerful engines, sturdier winches and stronger cables - may be wiping out exotic marine life faster than it can be discovered.

University of York Professor of Environment, Callum Roberts, Friday addressed the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In his Boston address, Professor Roberts compared today's deep sea trawling, at depths of 900 meters and below, to the clear-cutting of ancient redwood forests in the United States.

Professor Roberts says the pace of life in the deep sea is virtually glacial. He said that what we are fishing now will take centuries to recover. He said that Orange Roughy and Nassau Grouper are in particular danger.

Professor Roberts said only a worldwide network of marine reserves can save the orange roughy, Nassau grouper, and other deep-sea dwellers from extinction.

Some information for this report provided by AP.

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