Press Releases
October 19, 2020
Federal Court Rules NOAA Must Improve Oversight of Sea Turtle Interactions in U.S. Shrimp Fisheries
A federal court has ruled in favor of Oceana that NOAA Fisheries has failed to meet the requirements of the... Read More
October 15, 2020
Gulf of Mexico Deep-Sea Corals Now Protected from Destructive Fishing
NOAA Fisheries issued a final rule today to protect 13 coral areas from the U.S.-Mexico border to the Florida Keys,... Read More
October 5, 2020
Federal Court Says NOAA Must Improve Sea Turtle Monitoring in Sea Scallop Fishery
A federal court ruled in favor of Oceana on Thursday that NOAA Fisheries has failed to develop a viable method... Read More
September 30, 2020
Fisheries Managers Vote to Help End Overfishing in New England
The New England Fishery Management Council voted today to improve how it manages the groundfish fishery, which includes a range... Read More
September 16, 2020
Fishery Managers Fail to Act to Rebuild Overfished Sardine Fishery
Today, the Pacific Fishery Management Council failed to take action to rebuild the overfished Pacific sardine fishery off the U.S. West Coast,... Read More
September 14, 2020
Oceana Delivers $1 Million to End California’s Deadly Drift Gillnet Fishery
Today, Oceana delivered $1 million to California to help end the state’s deadly drift gillnet fishery. The funds, which were made possible... Read More
September 3, 2020
Oceana and Earthjustice Prevail in Lawsuit to Protect Ocean’s Small Fish
. . . set the [catch] limit for an indefinite period of time without a mechanism to respond to significant changes in anchovy abundance, even though the best scientific information available established that anchovy population fluctuations are common and extreme. Given this backdrop, it was at minimum arbitrary and capricious for the NMFS to fail to consider whether the [catch limits] would still prevent overfishing, especially given that the anchovy population will fluctuate again in the future.”
Anchovy are a critical forage fish, small schooling fish that are fundamental to a healthy ocean food web because they provide an essential food source for larger fish like salmon, as well as whales, dolphins, sea lions, brown pelicans, endangered seabirds and other ocean animals. While anchovy experience natural population “boom and bust” cycles, the Fisheries Service established a multi-year, unchanging catch limit of 23,573 metric tons that would not change even if the population collapses. From 2009-2015, scientists documented an anchovy population collapse as thousands of sea lions starved to death on U.S. West Coast beaches and brown pelicans abandoned their chicks due to an inability to feed them.
“The science is clear — managing a boom and bust fish population with an unchanging catch limit will worsen natural collapses and harm wildlife that depends on anchovy as a food source ,” said Dr. Geoff Shester, California Campaign Director and Senior Scientist, with Oceana. “Ocean wildlife, fishing communities and local economies that include sportfishing and whale watching businesses are reliant on abundant populations of anchovy and other forage fish. Without responsive fishery management, whales, sea lions, pelicans and other animals risk malnourishment which in turn inhibits their ability to successfully reproduce and raise their babies. With state-of-the-art acoustic surveys — conducted by the Fisheries Service’s own scientists — we can manage this critical forage fish more responsibly. Today’s ruling is hopefully the next step in better management.”
“Everybody who loves and benefits from the ocean depends on anchovies. Anchovies are ecologically essential little fish. Some call them the ‘energy bars of the sea,’ because they are such a critical food source for hundreds of marine creatures,” said Earthjustice attorney Andrea Treece. “We know anchovy populations boom and bust, especially as the planet gets hotter. Making sure anchovies aren’t overfished when the population drops is key to protecting salmon, pelicans, humpback whales, sea lions, and other species. We went to court to fight for federal fishing rules that rely on science to protect anchovies because it’s critical we act now to keep anchovy populations strong and keep our oceans healthy. We’re pleased that the court has — once again — told the Fisheries Service it can’t sweep the relevant science under the rug. We’ll be watching as the Fisheries Service does what the judge ordered — re-do federal regulations to prevent people from overfishing anchovies.”
For more information about Oceana’s campaign to secure responsible management for anchovy and the history of Oceana’s litigation, click here.
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one third of the world’s wild fish catch. With over 200 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution and killing of threatened species like turtles and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that one billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal, every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit usa.oceana.org to learn more
Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer. www.earthjustice.org
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