Author: Theresa Labriola
Removing National Monuments Removes Ecosystem Protections for Billfish
By Jehan Segal and Theresa Labriola On June 11th, President Trump signed Presidential Proclamation 11035 "Restoring American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific," and revoked protections for three Marine National Monuments in the Pacific Ocean under the guise of supporting commercial fisheries. The Papahānaumokuākea, Mariana Trench, and Rose Atoll Marine National ...
Five Recreational Fishing Organizations Unite to Fund Stanford Pacific Bluefin Tuna Migration Research
Five leading recreational fishing organizations are funding Stanford University research to improve understanding of Pacific bluefin tuna migration and support long-term conservation efforts.
U.S. Takes A Business As Usual Approach to Managing Struggling Billfish Stocks
Critics urge NMFS to reform Pacific striped marlin management. Read our 6-step proposal to count total fishing mortality, regulate hook depth, and end bycatch.
Look and See – Charismatic Creatures of the Sea
A fellow fisherman recently told me a tale about his recent sightings of pods of dolphins or porpoises riding alongside the sportfishing boats of Southern California. However, he wasn’t sure how to identify these ocean companions or what distinguishes a porpoise from a dolphin. We’re all good at fish identification ...
Wild Oceans Builds Striped Marlin Coalition
Wild Oceans has been building a collation of local, national, and international recreational fishing, small boat and ocean conservation organizations asking the United States to prioritize development and adoption of a conservation and management measure for Western and Central North Pacific Ocean (WCNPO) striped marlin this year. The Pacific’s largest ...
A RESPITE FOR MAKO
In November, after more than a decade of warning about the vulnerability and decline of North Atlantic shortfin mako shark, international managers banned the retention of all shortfin mako sharks for two years. International scientists have advised that a moratorium is the most immediate step we can take to reverse the decline and rebuild the population, but it will still take more than five decades to fully recover this deeply depleted population.
EXECUTIVE ORDER TACKLES RESILIENCY
Preserving Fishing Opportunities While Protecting the Ocean Ecosystem Earlier this year, President Biden issued Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Importantly, the Order includes provisions to help protect our ocean ecosystems and future fishing opportunities. By proposing new or strengthening existing management and conservation measures, ...
BIPARTISAN BILL PHASES OUT DRIFT GILLNETS
Update: You might have heard that the federal legislation to end the use of drift gillnets in US waters received a Presidential Veto on New Year’s Day. But, Senator Feinstein, the lead sponsor of the legislation, has promised to have the final word and reintroduce this legislation on the first day of the new Congress! Thanks Senator Feinstein for fighting to protect the future of fishing!
PROTECT OUR OCEANS FROM DESTRUCTIVE FISHING GEAR
This November, we have a chance to end the use of destructive drift gillnets in our oceans. California commercial fishermen use large-mesh gillnets to catch swordfish, but the gear also entangles, injures and kills over 60 other species, including sharks, billfish, endangered marine turtles, marine mammals and scores of ocean fish. Because drift gillnets are indiscriminate, ensnaring all marine life in their path, they are prohibited off the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Washington state, Alaska, Oregon and Hawaii.
KICK ‘EM WHILE THEY’RE DOWN
Continued Fishing During Decline Results in Deeper Sardine Collapse Pacific sardine has undergone large population fluctuations for centuries and there is consensus that environmental conditions are the main factor driving the changes. However, maintaining continuous high volume fishing on the northern subpopulation of Pacific sardine when stock productivity is in rapid decline, ...
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