Two weeks ago, Mercy For Animals, SeaLegacy, Sharkwater, and Turtle Island Restoration Network released disturbing undercover footage revealing how marine animals—including dolphins, sea lions, and sharks—are routinely trapped and killed in the commercial fishing industry’s driftnets. Now, three members of Congress are trying to phase out driftnets. U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) just introduced legislation to phase out the use of driftnets in the country’s only remaining commercial large-mesh driftnet fishery.
The bill,
S. 2773, prioritizes the phaseout of large-mesh driftnets in all U.S. waters by 2020. If passed, S. 2773 will also authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a program to help fisheries transition to less cruel fishing methods. This bill, along with increasing public outcry and
pending California legislation to phase out the use of driftnets, shows a growing intolerance for fishing methods that needlessly kill marine animals like whales, dolphins, and sea turtles.
Driftnets used in federal waters off the coast of California can be over a mile long and hang 100 feet deep. Because these nets can also span the width of the Golden Gate Bridge, their capacity for trapping and killing marine life is enormous. In the past decade alone, nearly 800 marine mammals have been killed by the few remaining driftnet boats off California’s coast, including endangered animals, such as the sperm whale.
If you live outside California, please
take action now to tell your senators to support S. 2773! If you live in California, your U.S. senators already support the federal bill, but we still need your help to call on the California legislature to pass
SB 1017, a bill to phase out the use of large-scale driftnets off California’s coast. Please help ensure this bill becomes law.
Take action now!And remember, the best way to protect marine life is to leave fish and other marine animals off your plate. Learn more about switching to a compassionate plant-based diet to prevent cruelty to animals used for food. Then check out all the amazing vegan versions of seafood, such as Gardein’s fishless filets and crabless cakes. And click here for compassionate sea-inspired recipes.
