As you’re reading this, it’s likely that a sea turtle caught on a tuna industry long line is slowly drowning somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
It happens thousands of times every year and is a major reason why ALL five Pacific sea turtle populations are listed as either critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable.
Some species, like the leatherback turtle, have seen their populations decline as much as 95% over the last 30 years.
The truth is that we can’t save these turtles if we don’t get the canned tuna industry to clean up its act and change its fishing methods now -- including ending the use of conventional long lines.
That’s why Greenpeace is mounting a public campaign against the industry and why we’ve sent our ship
Esperanza to the Pacific to directly engage with the tuna fishing vessels responsible for the destruction.
Of all the fishing methods the industry uses to cut corners out on the water, long lines could be the most gruesome and deadly. They are primarily used by the tuna industry to catch yellowfin and albacore tuna-- the same tuna that you find at your local supermarket.
Long lines are just that -- ropes set by fishing vessels that stretch from buoy to buoy across the open ocean, with thousands of hooks stretching for miles. Every few yards, a long lead ending in a baited hook dangles from the main line.
Unsuspecting sea turtles go down to nibble on the bait and get hooked. When they can’t return to the surface for air
they drown and die a completely needless death. When the ship returns the dead turtles are unhooked and discarded over the side of the ship.
Together we can make this stop. We’ve already changed the supermarket seafood industry in this country and Greenpeace has successfully reformed the canned tuna industry in other parts of the world. We know we can do it here...but not without your support.
Greenpeace doesn’t take money from corporations or governments. Our campaigns are solely supported by people like you who care about the future of our planet. We literally can’t do this without you.
Please visit
www.greenpeace.org to make a donation to help end these deplorable practices and save our precious sea turtles!!!
