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November 18, 2005
Sea Turtles Killed by HI Tuna Fleet Triples in 1 Year
Forest Knolls, California – Despite a tripling in the number of critically endangered leatherback sea turtles killed by the Hawai'ian tuna longline industry in just one year, the US government continues to exempt the industry from using controversial new circle hooks and time and area closures in the Pacific. Environmentalists are calling for expanding the ban on longlines along the west coast of the US to the rest of the US Pacific as well as the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
According to a recent NOAA Fisheries report "NMFS [National Marine Fisheries Service] should continue to develop and test circle hooks suitable for use in deep-set longline gear." (1)
However, NOAA has already studied circle hooks in longline fishing for both swordfish and tuna for more than 3 years. As a result of these studies, the swordfish fishery was reopened around Hawaii and in the Northwest Atlantic. The swordfish fishery was required to use the controversial new circle hook but the tuna fishery was not required to use any.
This exemption has been deadly for sea turtles. The tuna fishery exceeded the limit on the number of turtles it could catch and NOAA Fisheries was required to re-evaluate the fishery and issue a new report. However, the new report, which appeared in October, does not require any conservation measures be applied to tuna longlining.
"NOAA refused to require circle hooks for the tuna fishery and the turtles have suffered. If these hooks work so well that NOAA could re-open the fishery, and that’s a BIG if, why aren't they being required for tuna longlining?," asked Robert Ovetz, PhD, Save the Leatherback Campaign Coordinator with the US based Sea Turtle Restoration Project.
In just one year, from 2003 to 2004, the most recent years for which complete observer data is available, the number of leatherback sea turtles, which scientists warn could go extinct in the next 5-30 years, caught by tuna longlines tripled from about 4 to 12. At the same time, the number of olive ridleys quadrupled from about 12 to 52. During these two years nearly all of the sea turtles caught were killed. As a result of this increase, NOAA was required by the Endangered Species Act to reinitiate consultation and to issue the report.
Ovetz added that "According to NOAA, the circle hooks work equally as well for both swordfish and tuna longlining, yet they are not be required on tuna vessels.. This points to the tuna longliners using their political connections to get the Bush administration to once again ignore the scientific evidence and let the tuna fishers off the hook."
Although the report recommends that the US encourage other longline fishing nations to implement conservation measures to prevent the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle from going extinct the US refuses to require closures and the controversial circle hook for its tuna fleet.
"How is the rest of the world going to take the US seriously when it completely exempts tuna longliners?" concluded Ovetz.
The United Nations is currently considering a resolution that supports time and area closures to protect sea turtles. Currently, 1,007 international scientists from 97 countries are urging the UN to implement a moratorium on longline fishing in the Pacific Ocean to prevent the extinction of the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle. The scientists are joined by 281 non-governmental organizations from 62 countries. The list of signers includes famed primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson, oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, and former U.S. astronaut Bernard Harris, Jr. M.D.
(1) "Endangered Species Act, Section 7 Consultation, Biological Opinion and Incidental Take Statement" (October 4, 2005, p. 166).
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Resources:
• For a copy of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project's new book Striplining the Pacific on the impact of longline fishing on the Pacific leatherback go to: http://www.seaturtles.org/press_release2.cfm?pressID=259
• For a copy of the scientist and NGO letters to the UN calling for a moratorium on longline fishing in the Pacific go to: http://www.seaturtles.org/press_release2.cfm?pressID=261
• For a review copy of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project's new documentary film Last Journey for the Leatherback? contact Robert Ovetz, PhD at 415 488 0370 x 106.
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The Sea Turtle Restoration Project is a California-based international marine conservation organization that works to protect sea turtles and other marine species in the United States and in countries around the world. For more information about sea turtles and the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, please visit: www.seaturtles.org
Posted by Surfbirds at November 18, 2005 06:57 AM
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