Courts threaten to sink federal fishery monitoring
May, 2023
Newly Approved Innovative Fishing Gear Will Reduce Bycatch off West Coast
Following campaigning by Oceana and its allies, the National Marine Fisheries Service legally authorized the commercial use of an innovative fishing gear that will protect whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and other ocean animals from fishing entanglements off the U.S. West Coast. Called deep-set buoy gear, this gear is designed to catch swordfish in a clean and profitable way. Legal authorization of this gear type is a critical step in the transition away from mile-long drift gillnets, a highly unselective fishing method that had previously entangled many other ocean animals. This newly approved fishing method consists of a floating buoy supporting a single vertical line with up to three baited hooks that is deployed during the day when swordfish feed at deeper depths than most other species. The buoys indicate when a fish has been caught, so fishers can retrieve their catch within minutes of it being hooked. Swordfish caught with deep-set buoy gear earn a much higher price per pound than those caught in drift gillnets because the fish is fresher and not damaged by a net. Additionally, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program added swordfish caught with deep-set buoy gear and harpoons to its Green List as a “best choice.” The Green List includes seafood recommendations for businesses and consumers based on seafood that is well managed and caught in ways that cause little harm to habitats or other wildlife.
Following campaigning by Oceana and its allies, the National Marine Fisheries Service legally authorized the commercial use of an innovative fishing gear that will protect whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and other ocean animals from fishing entanglements off the U.S. West Coast. Called deep-set buoy gear, this gear is designed to catch swordfish in a clean and profitable way. Legal authorization of this gear type is a critical step in the transition away from mile-long drift gillnets, a highly unselective fishing method that had previously entangled many other ocean animals. This newly approved fishing method consists of a floating buoy supporting a single vertical line with up to three baited hooks that is deployed during the day when swordfish feed at deeper depths than most other species. The buoys indicate when a fish has been caught, so fishers can retrieve their catch within minutes of it being hooked. Swordfish caught with deep-set buoy gear earn a much higher price per pound than those caught in drift gillnets because the fish is fresher and not damaged by a net. Additionally, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program added swordfish caught with deep-set buoy gear and harpoons to its Green List as a “best choice.” The Green List includes seafood recommendations for businesses and consumers based on seafood that is well managed and caught in ways that cause little harm to habitats or other wildlife.
May, 2023
Peru Passes New Law to Protect its Oceans and Artisanal Fishers
Peru’s Congress unanimously passed a new law to strengthen protections for the first five miles off the country’s coast and support Peru’s artisanal fishers. This coastal area is one of the most productive in the world, playing a fundamental role in the life cycle of the area’s marine species. The law will reinforce the ban on large-scale industrial fishing within the first five nautical miles and prohibit any gear that is harmful to the habitat and seafloor. Specifically, boats using mechanized gear like purse seines can no longer be classified as “artisanal” and are prohibited from using this destructive gear within the first three miles off the coast. Additionally, the law requires science-based fishing quotas to be established and orders new measures to recover overfished species. This victory, which was won thanks to steadfast campaigning by artisanal fishers and their allies, including Oceana, will help support ocean abundance, biodiversity, and livelihoods in Peru.
Peru’s Congress unanimously passed a new law to strengthen protections for the first five miles off the country’s coast and support Peru’s artisanal fishers. This coastal area is one of the most productive in the world, playing a fundamental role in the life cycle of the area’s marine species. The law will reinforce the ban on large-scale industrial fishing within the first five nautical miles and prohibit any gear that is harmful to the habitat and seafloor. Specifically, boats using mechanized gear like purse seines can no longer be classified as “artisanal” and are prohibited from using this destructive gear within the first three miles off the coast. Additionally, the law requires science-based fishing quotas to be established and orders new measures to recover overfished species. This victory, which was won thanks to steadfast campaigning by artisanal fishers and their allies, including Oceana, will help support ocean abundance, biodiversity, and livelihoods in Peru.
Pushback on NOAA independence
State House Passes Bill to Protect Endangered Southern Resident Orcas
California’s Salmon Fishers Warn of ‘Hard Times Coming’ as They Face Canceled Season
March, 2023
Deep-Sea Corals and Seafloor Habitats Protected in U.S. Pacific Waters
In the United States, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to reopen more than 4,500 square miles of Southern California ocean waters to recreational and non-trawl commercial gear used to catch groundfish while also permanently protecting more than 600 square miles of habitat including almost half of the area’s known deep-sea corals. These areas include coral and sponge ecosystems discovered by Oceana during a 2016 scientific expedition. The entire area remains closed to bottom trawling. This victory is a win-win for fishing communities and ocean biodiversity and is the result of a unique collaboration between recreational and commercial fishermen, Oceana, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife who worked together to design the new conservation areas. The council also voted to protect five ecologically important areas off the Oregon coast from all forms of fishing gear used to catch groundfish and known to harm seafloor habitats, including bottom longlines and pots. These five areas, which total 182 square miles, are already protected from bottom trawling, and will now receive an additional layer of protection with this action.
In the United States, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to reopen more than 4,500 square miles of Southern California ocean waters to recreational and non-trawl commercial gear used to catch groundfish while also permanently protecting more than 600 square miles of habitat including almost half of the area’s known deep-sea corals. These areas include coral and sponge ecosystems discovered by Oceana during a 2016 scientific expedition. The entire area remains closed to bottom trawling. This victory is a win-win for fishing communities and ocean biodiversity and is the result of a unique collaboration between recreational and commercial fishermen, Oceana, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife who worked together to design the new conservation areas. The council also voted to protect five ecologically important areas off the Oregon coast from all forms of fishing gear used to catch groundfish and known to harm seafloor habitats, including bottom longlines and pots. These five areas, which total 182 square miles, are already protected from bottom trawling, and will now receive an additional layer of protection with this action.
