Make U.S Fishing Turtle Friendly
- by: charlotte manning
- recipient: Head of the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service
Each year, more than 250,000 sea turtles are accidentally captured, injured or killed by U.S. fishermen. Many of these injuries and deaths take place while turtles are migrating through fishing areas.
As it stands, the global fishing fleet is currently 2.5 times larger than what oceans can sustainably support.
In 2004, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) identified more than 70 fisheries, operating in state and federal waters, as potentially harmful to sea turtles.
Turtles are air-breathing reptiles. When they are caught underwater in nets or on lines, they drown.
They can also sustain internal injuries from hooks or external injuries from entanglement, including strangulation or amputation. The ropes used by fisheries can also entangle and drown them.
In the United States, sea turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Beyond U.S. waters, there is no force of law to initiate and support bycatch reduction programs.
The economic interest in preventing future environmentally-based fishing embargoes such as the U.S. tuna embargo (a ban on foreign-caught tuna caught by setting on and killing dolphins) also encourages governments and fishermen to reduce sea turtle capture in fisheries.
Bycatch is a serious threat to sea turtles because it can occur anywhere in the ocean, making it hard to implement multi-national agreement that improve equipment requirements.
Please stopplacing nets in turtle migration areas and change bycatch laws, please save our turtles.
Each year, more than 250,000 sea turtles are accidentally captured, injured or killed by U.S. fishermen. Many of these injuries and deaths take place while turtles are migrating through fishing areas.
As it stands, the global fishing fleet is currently 2.5 times larger than what oceans can sustainably support.
In 2004, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) identified more than 70 fisheries, operating in state and federal waters, as potentially harmful to sea turtles.
Turtles are air-breathing reptiles. When they are caught underwater in nets or on lines, they drown.
They can also sustain internal injuries from hooks or external injuries from entanglement, including strangulation or amputation. The ropes used by fisheries can also entangle and drown them.
In the United States, sea turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Beyond U.S. waters, there is no force of law to initiate and support bycatch reduction programs.
The economic interest in preventing future environmentally-based fishing embargoes such as the U.S. tuna embargo (a ban on foreign-caught tuna caught by setting on and killing dolphins) also encourages governments and fishermen to reduce sea turtle capture in fisheries.
Bycatch is a serious threat to sea turtles because it can occur anywhere in the ocean, making it hard to implement multi-national agreement that improve equipment requirements.
You can be the leader in savinf our oceans,
Yours faithfully,
Care 2 petitioners
By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.
Having problems signing this? Let us know.