Marine Mammal Take Permits Denied for California Swordfish Drift Gillnet Fishery - Oceana

Victory | September 19, 2013

Marine Mammal Take Permits Denied for California Swordfish Drift Gillnet Fishery

The National Marine Fisheries Service took a major step toward protecting sperm whales by declining to issue a required marine mammal take permit for California’s swordfish drift gillnet fishery. Last month the government issued a draft permit for the fishery to kill and seriously injure endangered sperm, fin, and humpback whales. More than 13,000 comments were submitted in opposition to the permit, prompting the NMFS to reverse course. This fishery catches and discards more than 100 protected whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions on average each year, as well as thousands of sharks and other non-target fish.