9 Shocking Fisheries Exposed

This is posted to inform...most have no understanding of the commercial fisheries and bycatch.



Every year that shrimp trawls are dragged through the vibrant and busy habitat of the Gulf of Mexico, more than 50,000 sea turtles may be caught and killed, and for every pound of shrimp caught, another pound or more of fish is killed and thrown overboard.

She shouldn't have to be a victim

Donate $10 by March

Today, Oceana is releasing a shocking report identifying nine of the worst bycatch offenders—badly-managed fisheries that combined throw away almost as many pounds of fish as they keep.

Badly enforced regulations have made it easy for them to get away with it, leading to millions of dead and dying fish, and hundreds of thousands of dolphins, sea turtles, whales and other wildlife dumped overboard every year in the name of profits.

It's time for that to change, but we can't do it without you.

We need 1,000 ocean activists to step up by March 28 and help us protect sea turtles, whales, and other marine life from these brutal, unnecessary deaths. Can we count on you to be one? »

We have a plan to make sure these fisheries are doing the right thing. With your help, we can put it into action. It’s as simple as:

• COUNT everything that is caught—whether it's kept or thrown overboard;
• Establish CAPS on the amount of animals caught as bycatch so that fishermen will change wasteful practices;
• Set up changes, like requiring turtle-safe fishing gear or banning fishing during whale migrations, to CONTROL the amount of animals accidently caught.

The good news? We know this plan can work. Oceana has been successful in reducing bycatch and harmful fishing in the past, including getting more observers to count catch on the U.S. East Coast, capping the number of sperm whales caught in California drift gillnets, and implementing modified fishing gear in dredges and trawls.

But this is our biggest fight yet. We’re taking on nine of the worst fisheries for bycatch, and stopping them won’t be easy. Pitch in $10 by March 28 to help protect turtles, dolphins and the world's oceans. »

With your help, we can make all nine of these terrible fisheries fish smarter and safer. Thanks for watching out for the oceans.

Thank you,
Rachael Prokop
Oceana