Drift Gillnet Poster
1
Stephanie Lingvall, UC Davis, [email protected] NOAA established the National Observer Program (NOP) in 1990. This program was established to “document the incidental take of marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, target and non-target fish species” (bycatch). The research design consists of gathering the reports for the last ten years, beginning with the 2005-2006 fishing season and ending with the 2014-2015 fishing season. These reports will be used to assess the impact the fishery has on marine wildlife. Every year this fishery produced an amount of bycatch that was comparable to the amount of animals that were kept. Although bycatch rates have decreased considerably over the past ten years, they still remain high. Figure 5. Total animals kept and discarded (2005-2015) Despite several attempts at regulating this fishery, it remains unsustainable. Drift gillnets harm marine wildlife and threaten the health of the marine ecosystem. The use of drift gillnets should be phased out immediately and replaced with more selective gear. Furthermore, in order to make this transition more feasible for fishermen, policy should incentivize the use of more sustainable gear. Lastly, Marine Protected Areas (MPA) should be expanded in order to assure the conservation of California’s invaluable marine wildlife and habitats. Karpa, Doug, Todd Steiner, and Peter Fugazzotto. "California Driftnet Fishery: The True Costs of a 20th Century Fishery in the 21st Century.” California: Turtle Island Restoration Network, 2015. Print. NOAA Observer Program. NOAA. 2015. Web. st.nmfs.noaa.gov/observer-home/regions/westcoast/ driftnet. Web WWF and the Zoological Society of London. “Living Blue Planet Report: Species, Habitats and Human Well-Being.” Switzerland: WWF International, 2015. Web. FLOATS NETTING ANIMALS SWIM INTO THE NETS AND BECOME ENTANGLED. Unsustainable commercial fishing is one of the biggest threats to the global marine ecosystem. In addition to producing half of the world’s oxygen and mitigating the effects of climate change, the marine ecosystem, and marine biodiversity are fundamental to life on earth, underpinning economies and businesses, and sustaining the livelihoods and well-being of billions of people worldwide. Between 1970 and 2012, marine populations have declined by a staggering 49% (WWF et al). Currently the California drift gillnet fishery consists of approximately twenty vessels that operate with a limited entry permit between the months of May and January (NOAA 2015). This fishery has prompted criticism due to the high amount of bycatch (unintended catch) it produces. According to a recent report, this fishery has killed more whales and dolphins (some that are listed as endangered) than California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska combined (Karpa et al 2015). To determine the impact of drift gillnet fishing on marine wildlife and use these findings to shape policy options that protect the marine ecosystem, while keeping in mind the fishermen who depend on this fishery for their livelihood. Figure 2. Hammerhead Shark in Drift Gillnet http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/shark Figure 1. Drift Gillnet Vessel In the past ten years the California drift gillnet fishery has discarded more animals than it has kept. Of the discarded animals, several were listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Figure 3. Averages of the total kept and discarded animals (2005-2015) Figure 4. Species listed as endangered under the Federal ESA that were caught and discarded (2005-2015) TOW ROPE
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Transcript of Drift Gillnet Poster
Stephanie Lingvall, UC Davis, [email protected]
NOAA established the National Observer Program (NOP) in 1990. This program was established to
“document the incidental take of marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, target and non-target fish
species” (bycatch). The research design consists of gathering the reports for the last ten years,
beginning with the 2005-2006 fishing season and ending with the 2014-2015 fishing season. These
reports will be used to assess the impact the fishery has on marine wildlife.
Every year this fishery produced an amount of bycatch that was comparable to the amount of
animals that were kept. Although bycatch rates have decreased considerably over the past ten years, they
still remain high.
Figure 5. Total animals kept and discarded (2005-2015)
Despite several attempts at regulating this fishery, it remains unsustainable. Drift gillnets harm marine
wildlife and threaten the health of the marine ecosystem. The use of drift gillnets should be
phased out immediately and replaced with more selective gear. Furthermore, in order to make this
transition more feasible for fishermen, policy should incentivize the use of more sustainable gear. Lastly, Marine Protected Areas (MPA) should be expanded in order to assure the conservation of California’s
invaluable marine wildlife and habitats.
Karpa, Doug, Todd Steiner, and Peter Fugazzotto. "California Driftnet Fishery: The True Costs of a 20th Century Fishery in the 21st Century.”
California: Turtle Island Restoration Network, 2015. Print.
NOAA Observer Program. NOAA. 2015. Web. st.nmfs.noaa.gov/observer-home/regions/westcoast/
driftnet. Web
WWF and the Zoological Society of London. “Living Blue Planet Report: Species, Habitats and Human Well-Being.” Switzerland: WWF
International, 2015. Web.
FLOATS
NETTING
ANIMALS SWIM INTO THE NETS AND BECOME
ENTANGLED.
Unsustainable commercial fishing is one of the biggest threats to the global marine ecosystem. In addition to
producing half of the world’s oxygen and mitigating the effects of climate change, the marine ecosystem, and marine biodiversity are fundamental to life on earth,
underpinning economies and businesses, and sustaining the livelihoods and well-being of billions of people
worldwide. Between 1970 and 2012, marine populations have declined by a staggering 49% (WWF et al).
Currently the California drift gillnet fishery consists of approximately twenty vessels that operate with a limited
entry permit between the months of May and January (NOAA 2015). This fishery has prompted criticism due to the
high amount of bycatch (unintended catch) it produces. According to a recent report, this fishery has killed more
whales and dolphins (some that are listed as endangered) than California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska combined
(Karpa et al 2015).
To determine the impact of drift gillnet fishing on marine wildlife and use these findings to shape
policy options that protect the marine ecosystem, while keeping in mind the fishermen who depend
on this fishery for their livelihood.
Figure 2. Hammerhead Shark in Drift Gillnet http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/shark
Figure 1. Drift Gillnet Vessel In the past ten years the California drift gillnet fishery has discarded more animals than it has
kept. Of the discarded animals, several were listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Figure 3. Averages of the total kept and discarded animals (2005-2015)
Figure 4. Species listed as endangered under the Federal ESA that were caught and discarded (2005-2015)
TOW ROPE
