Attempted to withdraw protections for several species of whale, dolphin, and turtles by eliminating limits on accidental deaths (or ‘bycatch’) by fishing.
Global estimates of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) and sea turtles kill by bycatch range in the 100,000’s annually. Despite the hunting of whales or dolphins (or any marine mammal for that matter) has been illegal for over 50 years in the United States, it’s estimated that U.S. fisheries still inadvertently kill 1000’s, most frequently through the use of so called ‘gillnets’ – large, sometimes mile-long nylon nets suspended in open ocean.
Status
June 12th, 2017 RULE WITHDRAWN
Pacific Bycatch Limits for Whales, Dolphins, and Sea Turtles | Harvard Regulatory Rollback Tracker
Oct. 28th, 2018 RULE RE-ISSUED
U.S. District Court in California ruled in favor of reinstating the proposed, requiring it be reissued or revised.
Court rules against Trump administration on gillnet ban rollback | The Hill (10.29.18)
Notables
- NOAA explains that so-called gillnets can (and do) entangle several endangered species of large whale, dolphins, porpoise, and marine mammals such as sea lions; gillnets have also been found to be “a major source of mortality for all sea turtle species”.
Fishing Gear: Gillnets | NOAA (2.12.19)
