Press Releases

  • December 26, 2022

    CONGRESS FINALIZES THE END OF DRIFT GILLNETS IN U.S. OCEANS

    December 26, 2022 In the final days of 2022, Congress sunsetted the last remaining large mesh drift gillnet fishery in the United States.  At a time when few issues find consensus, the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act found support from a diverse coalition of sport fishermen, recreational fishing businesses, ocean conservationists and wildlife advocates....
  • July 12, 2022

    Press Release: Wild Oceans Welcomes IGFA to Kona Project

    July 12, 2022 Wild Oceans welcomes the International Game Fish Association into collaborative Kona Billfish Nursery Project With a track record of successfully working together on billfish conservation going back decades with efforts such as the Take Marlin Off the Menu campaign and the passage of the Billfish Conservation Act,  Wild Oceans is excited to...
  • March 07, 2022

    PRESS RELEASE: NEW HOPE FOR BILLFISH IN THE PACIFIC

    March 7, 2022 A New Effort to Better Understand and Protect Depleted Billfish Stocks Launches in the Pacific With nearly fifty years experience working to conserve large open-ocean predators, Wild Oceans (formerly the National Coalition for Marine Conservation) has just launched an exciting new effort to protect billfish in the Pacific Ocean.  The Wild Oceans…

  • December 06, 2019

    Press Release: Sportfishing Community Successfully Halts Expanding Longlines On The West Coast

    For Immediate Release: Sportfishing Community Successfully Halts Expanding Longlines On The West Coast November 22, 2019 – This week, in a win for the sportfishing community, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council voted to not proceed with consideration of an amendment that would authorize shallow-set longline gear in West Coast highly migratory species. “As leaders in…

  • August 27, 2019

    A Change In Leadership At Wild Oceans

    Long-time Leader Hinman Retires, Kramer Steps In Waterford, VA – August 27, 2019 – After 41 years at the helm, Wild Oceans President Ken Hinman will be stepping down on September 30, 2019.  Replacing him in the position, Wild Oceans Board of Directors has recruited veteran nonprofit leader Rob Kramer, former President of the International Game Fish…

  • September 28, 2018

    Press Release: California Modernizes Swordfish Fishery

    For Immediate Release: California Modernizes Swordfish Fishery California to move U.S. swordfish fishery towards more sustainable gear, aided by public-private partnerships Waterford, VA – September 27, 2018 – Today, Governor Brown signed a Bill (SB1017) to end commercial drift gillnet fishing and encourage a transition to innovative, more sustainable fishing gear. His action aligns the California…

  • September 17, 2018

    President Signs Billfish Conservation Act II

    August 2, 2018.  President Donald Trump today signed into law HR 4528, bipartisan legislation to amend the Billfish Conservation Act to clarify that Pacific billfish exempted from the 2012 law’s federal no-sale provision must be sold locally in Hawaii and Pacific island territories (Guam, Samoa, etc.).  In effect, it achieves the original BCA’s intent to outlaw…

  • September 04, 2018

    Press Release: Lawmakers Send Governor Brown Bill to End Drift Gillnets

    For Immediate Release: Lawmakers Send Governor Brown Bill to End Drift Gillnets New legislation will improve marine biodiversity and promote innovative new fishing gear Theresa Labriola, Pacific Program Director 541.490.2411 www.wildoceans.org Waterford, VA – August 31, 2018 – The California legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor of a Bill to end commercial drift gillnet fishing and…

  • May 01, 2018

    Press Release: Bill to End Driftnetting

    For Immediate Release: Senators Step-Up To Bring California Swordfish Fishing Into the 21st Century New legislation will improve marine resource conservation and promote innovative new fishing gear Theresa Labriola, Pacific Program Director 541.490.2411 www.wildoceans.org Waterford, VA – May 1, 2018 – Leading recreational fishing organizations applauded Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and…