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California State Senate votes to ban driftnets for swordfishing

June 8, 2018 — California has taken a key step in its effort to ban the use of drift gillnets and transition to a swordfish and thresher shark fishery that conservation groups claim would reduce the amount of bycatch.

Last week, the California State Senate voted 32-0 to prohibit the use of the large nets by 2023. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), also would compensate fishermen for their nets and provide incentives for them to purchase gear that is less likely to ensnare turtles, dolphins, and other marine life.

California is currently the only state in the country that allows driftnets for swordfish and thresher shark fishing off its coast.

“I am pleased the approach taken in SB 1017 to phase out the use of this damaging equipment earned broad bipartisan support in the Senate today,” Allen said. “I look forward to continuing to work with stakeholders on a plan that protects marine life while being fair to everyone involved.”

According to conservation groups, driftnets can kill or injure up to 70 different species. Fishermen deploy the mile-long nets overnight.

“We have been working to reduce the devastating and cruel impact of this driftnet fishery on whales, dolphins, and sea turtles for 20 years, and passage of this legislation will go a long way toward making the Pacific Ocean safer for endangered marine wildlife,” said Todd Steiner, biologist and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Mexico extends gillnet ban to help save endangered porpoise

June 1, 2017 — Mexico’s agriculture and fisheries department says it is extending a ban on gillnets in much of the upper Gulf of California as part of an effort to save the endangered vaquita porpoise.

A Wednesday statement from the department says it will continue to provide monetary and other support for fishermen affected by the measure.

Despite Mexico’s campaign to help the porpoise species, estimates of remaining vaquitas have dropped below 30.

Vaquitas are often caught in nets illegally set to catch totoaba fish, whose swim bladder is prized in China.

The World Wildlife Fund says the measure won’t be enough to save the vaquita. It says a permanent ban and recovery efforts are needed.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Southern Illinoisan

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