Seek Emergency Action to Correct Violation of Endangered Species Act
HOUSTON, TEXAS – Turtle Island Restoration Network and a coalition of conservation organizations are suing the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to force action quickly to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles from death and injury in the Gulf of Mexico bottom longline fishery. New information from NMFS estimates that longline fishing vessels in the Gulf caught nearly 1,000 turtles between July 2006 and December 2008 – more than eight times the number allowed, in viloation of the Endangered Species Act. See the complaint..
Conservation groups (Turtle Island Restoration Network, Earthjustice, the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Gulf Restoration Project, Florida Wildlife Federation and the Caribbean Conservation Corporation) are calling on the Obama administration to halt the Gulf of Mexico bottom longline fishery until it can analyze what measures are necessary to follow the Endangered Species Act.
“We simply cannot risk losing more sea turtles to longline fishing, which has shown no regard for endangered species.” said Carole Allen in Houston, Gulf office director at Turtle Island Restoration Network/HEART (Help Save Endangered Animals – Ridley Turtles. “”In addition to endangered loggerheads, the Kemp’s ridley population in the Gulf of Mexico is struggling to increase from numbers that threatened extinction in the mid-1980s.”
The National Marine Fisheries Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NMFS” or “NOAA Fisheries”) is responsible for ensuring that bottom longline fishing does not pose a threat to sea turtle populations. In 2005, the agency determined that the Gulf of Mexico fishery could capture up to 114 sea turtles, including 85 loggerheads, during a three-year period without violating the Endangered Species Act. But the agency has released new information estimating that vessels in the Gulf caught nearly 1,000 turtles between July 2006 and December 2008 – more than eight times the number allowed. Although the agency was required to issue a report on the number of turtles captured by the bottom longline fishery every year starting in 2006, it failed to do so. As a result, the high numbers of turtles caught in longline equipment was not discovered at that time and hundreds more sea turtles were captured in 2007 and 2008.
“Loggerhead nesting in Florida has declined by nearly 41% in the last decade while green and leatherback turtle nesting on the very same beaches is increasing dramatically,” said Marydele Donnelly of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation. “This fishery is undermining nearly three decades of conservation work to protect loggerheads from a multitude of threats. By failing to act, the National Marine Fisheries Service is not serving as a good steward for the nation’s sea turtles.”
Bottom longline fishing is a fishing process that uses hundreds or even thousands of baited hooks along miles of lines laid behind fishing vessels and stretching down to the reef and Gulf floor. The fishing hooks target species like grouper, tilefish, and sharks, but often catch other fish or wildlife, including endangered and threatened sea turtles. Injuries from these hooks affect a sea turtle’s ability to feed, swim, avoid predators, and reproduce. Many times the turtles drown or, unable to recover from the extreme physiological stress, die soon after being released from the longlines.
Following on the conservation organizations’ notice of its intent to sue the agency for violations of the Endangered Species Act in January, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council also weighed in, recommending the closure of the bottom longline fishery until the National Marine Fisheries Service can ensure the protection of the turtles. But in March, the bottom longline fishery fully re-opened for the season – greatly increasing the immediate threat to sea turtles.
In addition to the high rate of capture from the bottom longline fishery, other troubling news fromFlorida researchers has documented a startling decline in loggerhead sea turtle nesting over the past decade.
The continued operation of the bottom longline fishery in the Gulf is likely to result in the continued death and injury of sea turtles. The loggerhead turtle faces an especially serious threat from Gulf longline fishing due to the severe nesting decline over recent years, according to research by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN) na muungano wa mashirika ya uhifadhi wa mazingira wanamshtaki Huduma ya Kitaifa ya Uvuvi wa Bahari (NMSF) kulazimisha hatua haraka kulinda kasa wa baharini walio hatarini na kuathiriwa na kifo na majeraha katika Uvuvi wa Uvuvi wa Uvuvi wa Uvuvi wa Uvuvi wa Uvuvi wa Uvuvi wa Uvuvi wa Uvuvi wa Uvuvi wa Uvuvi. Kwa mujibu wa taarifa mpya kutoka kwa shirika la NMFS, meli za uvuvi za nyuzi za mstari wa juu katika Ghuba ya Persian zimechukua karibu kasa 1,000 kati ya Julai 2006 na Desemba 2008, mara nane zaidi ya idadi iliyoruhusiwa, kwa kukiuka sheria ya spishi zilizo hatarini. Mashirika ya uhifadhi (Turtle Island Restoration Network, Earthjustice, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Gulf Restoration Project, Florida Wildlife Federation, na Caribbean Conservation Corporation) yanamwomba utawala wa Obama kuacha uvuvi wa pua za chini za Ghuba ya Mexico hadi iweze kuchambua hatua zinazohitajika kufuata Sheria ya Spishi zilizo hatarini. "Hatuwezi kuhatarisha kupoteza kasa zaidi wa baharini kwa uvuvi wa longline, ambao haujionyesha kujali spishi zilizo hatarini mwa kutoweka, ""alisema Carole Allen, mkurugenzi wa ofisi ya Ghuba ya Houston katika Mtandao wa Kurudisha Kisiwa cha Turtle (Help Save Endangered Animals, RIDLEY TURTLEES)." "Kama ilivyo kwa ""Kampus"" na ""Kempus"" katika Bahari ya Mexico, idadi ya samaki hao inaongezeka kwa kasi na kwa kiasi kikubwa, na kwa sababu ya idadi ya samaki wanaokabili hatari ya kutoweka, huduma ya Uvuvi wa Bahari ya Kitaifa (NMSA) inahakikisha kwamba uvuvi wa pwani hauhatarishi samaki wa baharini." Katika mwaka wa 2005, shirika hilo liligundua kwamba uvuvi katika Ghuba ya Mexico unaweza kukamata kasa wa bahari hadi 114 - ikiwa ni pamoja na 85 - kwa kipindi cha miaka mitatu bila kuvunja Sheria ya Spishi Zilizokabili Hatari ya Kutoweka. Shirika hilo la Ulinzi la Dunia limetoa taarifa mpya, ikionyesha kuwa meli za baharini za Ghuba ya Persian zimechukua karibu kasa 1,000 kati ya Julai 2006 na Desemba 2008, idadi ambayo ni mara nane zaidi ya ile iliyoruhusiwa. Ingawa shirika hilo lilihitaji kutoa ripoti juu ya idadi ya kasa waliokamatwa na uvuvi wa pwani kila mwaka kuanzia mwaka 2006, lilishindwa kufanya hivyo. Kwa sababu hiyo, idadi kubwa ya kasa waliokamatwa na vifaa vya nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi za nyuzi. "Uchoraji wa kiota cha Loggerhead huko Florida umepungua kwa karibu 41% katika muongo uliopita wakati kiota cha kiota cha Green na Leatherback kwenye fukwe zile zile zinaongezeka sana, "alisema Marydell Donnelly wa Caribbean Conservation Corporation." <unk>Uvuvi huu unadhoofisha karibu miongo mitatu ya kazi ya uhifadhi ili kulinda loggerheads kutoka kwa vitisho vingi. Kwa kushindwa kutenda, Huduma ya Kitaifa ya Uvuvi wa Bahari haitumiki kama msimamizi mzuri wa kasa wa bahari wa taifa. <unk> Uvuvi wa chini wa longline ni mchakato wa uvuvi ambao hutumia mamia au hata maelfu ya hooks ya bait kwenye maili ya mistari iliyowekwa nyuma ya meli za uvuvi na kupanuka hadi chini ya reef na Ghuba. Vifaa hivyo vinatumia samaki aina ya grouper, tilefish, na shark, lakini mara nyingi vinakamata samaki wengine au wanyama wa porini, kutia ndani kasa wa baharini walio hatarini. Majeraha yanayosababishwa na ndoano hizo huathiri uwezo wa kasa wa baharini wa kula, kuogelea, kuepuka wanyama wawindaji, na kuzaliana. Mara nyingi kasa hao hufa maji au, kwa sababu hawawezi kupona kutokana na mkazo mkubwa wa kisaikolojia, hufa muda mfupi baada ya kuachiliwa kutoka kwenye kamba za kunyongwa. Baada ya shirika la uhifadhi la IUCN kutangaza nia yake ya kumshtaki shirika hilo kwa ukiukaji wa Sheria ya Spishi Zilizohatarishwa mnamo Januari, Baraza la Usimamizi wa Uvuvi la Ghuba ya Mexico pia lilijaribu, likipendekeza kufungwa kwa uvuvi wa longline ya chini hadi Huduma ya Kitaifa ya Uvuvi wa Bahari iweze kuhakikisha ulinzi wa kasa. Lakini mwezi Machi, uvuvi wa mstari wa chini ulifunguliwa kabisa kwa msimu - ikiongeza sana tishio la haraka kwa kasa wa bahari. Kwa kuongezea kiwango cha juu cha uvuvi wa mstari wa chini, watafiti wa Florida wamethibitisha kupungua kwa kushangaza kwa kiota cha kamba wa baharini katika muongo uliopita. Uendeshaji wa kuendelea wa uvuvi wa mstari wa chini katika Ghuba ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari ya Bahari. Kamba ya loggerhead inakabiliwa na tishio kubwa sana kutokana na uvuvi wa mstari wa mstari wa Ghuba ya Amerika kwa sababu ya kupungua kwa idadi ya viota katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, kulingana na utafiti uliofanywa na Tume ya Uhifadhi wa Samaki na Wanyamapori ya Florida.