August 19, 2009
Victory for Sea Turtles in the Gulf
BY: Emily Fisher
As I mentioned Monday, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council took a final step last week towards protecting loggerhead sea turtles from bottom longlines. The council’s ruling will save hundreds of sea turtles each year. And yesterday the New York Times described how the decision was the result of a compromise on all sides — the fishing industry, conservationists and regulators. The Times spoke to Oceana’s Dave Allison:”Dave Allison, who manages turtle conservation efforts for Oceana, an environmental group that also participated in the rule making, called the new ruling ‘probably the best that the sea turtles could have hoped for from an organization called the fishery management council.’ But ‘it’s a good start,’ Mr. Allison said.”Congratulations to all who helped achieve this victory for the sea turtles.