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Stop Deadly "Dirty Fishing"
Target: Your Congressional Representative, House of RepresentativesSponsored by: Care 2
"Dirty fishing" kills an estimated 300,000 marine mammals each year, including whales, dolphins and porpoises, in addition to millions of fish, turtles, and sea birds. The annual death toll across species is staggering, too large to count in individual lives. An estimated 16 BILLION pounds sea life is needlessly destroyed each year.
"Dirty fishing" refers to unsustainable commercial fishing practices such as bottom-trawling and indiscriminate netting. These unselective fishing practices bring up untargeted sea life, also know as bycatch, which is thrown back either dead or dying. For instance, shrimp trawling results in up to 10 pounds of bycatch for every pound of shrimp caught.
"Dirty fishing" is devastating the marine environment. Not only are millions of sea animals needlessly dying each year, but a significant amount of sea-floor habitat, such as deep sea corals and sponges, are destroyed, lessening the capacity of our seas to support life. This waste threatens the health of the entire ocean ecosystem and the coastal communities that depend on it.
This needless destruction can be mitigated. The United States Commission on Ocean Policy agreed that expansion of the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) observer programs can greatly reduce bycatch. Fishery observers are scientists who collect critical data about fishing practices and bycatch levels needed to make more informed fishery management decisions. Current funding is far too small to significantly reduce the huge amount of bycatch and adequately protect the marine environment.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Sign this petition to urge Congress to increase funding for NMFS' Observer Programs and Reducing Bycatch Initiative for the 2006 federal budget.
"Dirty fishing" refers to unsustainable commercial fishing practices such as bottom-trawling and indiscriminate netting. These unselective fishing practices bring up untargeted sea life, also know as bycatch, which is thrown back either dead or dying. For instance, shrimp trawling results in up to 10 pounds of bycatch for every pound of shrimp caught.
"Dirty fishing" is devastating the marine environment. Not only are millions of sea animals needlessly dying each year, but a significant amount of sea-floor habitat, such as deep sea corals and sponges, are destroyed, lessening the capacity of our seas to support life. This waste threatens the health of the entire ocean ecosystem and the coastal communities that depend on it.
This needless destruction can be mitigated. The United States Commission on Ocean Policy agreed that expansion of the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) observer programs can greatly reduce bycatch. Fishery observers are scientists who collect critical data about fishing practices and bycatch levels needed to make more informed fishery management decisions. Current funding is far too small to significantly reduce the huge amount of bycatch and adequately protect the marine environment.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Sign this petition to urge Congress to increase funding for NMFS' Observer Programs and Reducing Bycatch Initiative for the 2006 federal budget.
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We signed the “Stop Deadly "Dirty Fishing"” petition!
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Does anyone have a heart out there? How can you let this continue?
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The oceans are under extreme stress. Fishing stocks are almost depleted in some areas. Ocean waters are being poisoned. We must take whatever steps we can to restore the health of the oceans.
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respect life x any god's creature
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This is pure suffering for marine mammals. Not only are these practices destructive and horrid, they are absolutely unnecessary. Please seize the crimes of "dirty fishing" and bycatch. People need to show dignity to all of nature's living creatures, beings, as well as the environment.
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