Ocean Sentry
Deadly Hooks Also Snag Whales, Seabirds, and Sharks
Today conservation groups Turtle Island Restoration Network, the Center for Biological Diversity, and KAHEA, all represented by Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Honolulu challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service’s issuance last week of a rule that removes all limits on effort in the Hawaii-based longline swordfish fishery and allows the fleet to catch nearly three times as many loggerhead sea turtles as was previously permitted.The new rule conflicts with the Fisheries Service’s own assessment that the North Pacific loggerhead sea turtle is in danger of extinction. That report, released only four months ago, noted that incidental capture in longline fisheries is a primary threat to the species’ continued existence.
The new regulations increase allowable capture of threatened North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles from 17 per year to 46 per year. The rule continues to allow the capture of 16 endangered Pacific leatherbacks each year. The Hawaii longline swordfish fishery also catches, injures, and kills false killer whales, albatross, and blue sharks….
“Allowing longline fishing for swordfish in the rich waters off Hawaii is like allowing landmines to be used for deer hunting in national parks,” said Marti Townsend, program director of KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance. “You may catch what you are after, but the collateral damage to other wildlife is simply unacceptable.”
Source: Center for Biological Diversity
