The Pacific Fishery Management Council decided to cease consideration of a proposal to expand the use of deadly drift gillnets off California and instead requested extension of emergency regulations that went into effect last year to protect endangered sperm whales from entrapment in drift gillnets, until permanent protections are implemented. Oceana provided testimony at the meeting and … Read more
Discarding fish is akin to throwing money into the ocean, yet the U.S. fishing industry wastes millions of pounds of seafood each year. Bycatch is not only wasteful, but kills countless numbers of marine creatures like dolphins, sea turtles, and sharks in the process. A new Oceana report reveals that the economic losses from bycatch … Read more
Late last month, the OSPAR Commission, a group of 15 European governorning bodies and the European Union that works to protect marine life, adopted a landmark Regional Action Plan to combat litter and protect 16 vulnerable species and habitat. This article, which originally appeared on Oceana in Europe’s blog, takes a close look at some of … Read more
Conservation groups called out the National Marine Fisheries Service today for failing to implement the legally-mandated closure of the drift gillnet fishery in Southern California waters to protect endangered loggerhead sea turtles. El Niño conditions — warmer than normal waters — attract endangered loggerhead sea turtles to fishing grounds, where they risk entanglement in nets. … Read more
Today, Oceana released a new report that finds fishermen in the United States could be throwing away approximately $1 billion annually in wasted catch, or bycatch, which is the discarding of non-target fish and marine wildlife at sea, often already dead or dying. These findings, which examine the economic value of discarded fish lost to … Read more
In a historic new direction in the management of California’s swordfish drift gillnet fishery, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted today to clean up the fishery by considering placing the first ever “hard caps” on the numbers of several protected species that can be injured or killed in the fishery before operations are shut down … Read more
WASHINGTON – Today, President Obama announced an initiative to tackle seafood fraud and illegal fishing in the United States. The announcement, which was made at the global “Our Ocean” conference hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry, directs federal agencies to work together to develop a comprehensive program aimed at combatting seafood fraud and keeping … Read more
WASHINGTON – Today, Oceana launched a new interactive map using Google Maps Engine showing the global reach of seafood fraud. The map, which is the most current and comprehensive review of seafood fraud literature to date, compiles more than 100 studies from 29 countries and every continent except Antarctica. While the percentage of seafood fraud … Read more
To celebrate World Oceans Day (June 8th), Oceana, the largest international ocean conservation organization, released a new public service announcement (PSA) starring Brazilian champion big wave surfer and ocean advocate Maya Gabeira. “I started surfing when I was 14,” Maya said when filming the PSA. “I’ve spent a lot of time in the ocean since … Read more
WASHINGTON – Today, actor and ocean activist Reid Scott is in Washington, D.C., to urge Congress and the Obama administration to oppose the proposed use of seismic airguns to look for oil and gas deposits deep below the ocean floor in an area twice the size of California, stretching from Delaware to Florida. Scott, who … Read more
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We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.