Marine Mammal Center Archives

REPS LIEU AND HUFFMAN ANNOUNCE LAUNCH OF CALIFORNIA COASTAL CAUCUS

August 23, 2021 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA):

Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-02) announced the launch of the Congressional California Coastal Caucus at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. The caucus will bring together members of the California House delegation to share and discuss federal policy to address matters of importance to the 840-mile California coast, including issues relating to the environment and economy. Congressman Lieu and Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) will serve as co-chairs of the caucus. Additional members of the caucus include U.S. Representatives Eric Swalwell, Nanette Barragan, Alan Lowenthal, Jimmy Panetta, Jared Huffman, Mike Levin, Ro Khanna, Jackie Speier, Salud Carbajal, Barbara Lee, and Anna Eshoo.

Congressmembers Lieu and Huffman participated in a tour of The Marine Mammal Center, followed by a roundtable discussion moderated by Carol Costello with Dr. Jeff Boehm, Chief Executive Officer of The Marine Mammal Center, and Dr. Cara Field, Medical Director of The Marine Mammal Center, on the importance of the ocean in the fight against climate change.

“I am thrilled to announce the launch of the California Coastal Caucus, and grateful to The Marine Mammal Center for hosting us today to discuss the importance of our oceans and marine life,” said Co-Chair Rep. Lieu. “California is home to 840 miles of Pacific coastline and has the highest coastal population in the nation with over 26 million people living in coastal counties. The ocean is critically important to the people I represent in CA-33, as it provides work, food, and enjoyment to my constituents. Tragically, our oceans, marine life, beaches, and coastlines are in grave danger due to the existential threat of climate change. Now is the time for bold action. I’m pleased to join my co-chair, Representative Brownley, and Representative Huffman today to announce the formation of the California Coastal Caucus and look forward to working together to develop policies to effectively address a host of coastal issues and support our oceans.”

“As representative of Ventura County with its 42 miles of coastline, I am proud to join the California Coastal Caucus, which will focus legislative efforts on the myriad of challenges and issues facing coastal communities,” said Co-Chair Rep. Brownley. “From rising oceans, which threaten local community infrastructure, to ocean acidification and pollution, which threaten our local fisheries and tourism industries, Congress must tackle coastal policy head-on. The Coastal Caucus will provide us an opportunity to work together – across the various committees that we each sit on – to advance policy that will protect our coastlines for future generations.”

“California’s scenic coastline is admired around the world, and I have the honor of representing – and working to protect – some of the most beautiful parts of it on the North Coast. Our state has long been a national leader in the ocean and environment space, and those lucky enough to represent coastal districts like mine have a responsibility to continue setting an example for the rest of the country,” said Rep. Huffman. “The California Coastal Caucus will be a platform for addressing coastal issues our state will face, many of which are driven by the climate crisis. The Caucus will provide a space where members, stakeholder groups, and constituents can discuss these issues, identify solutions, and determine a swift course of action. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Caucus on these pressing issues.”

“The Marine Mammal Center serves as the primary responder for 600 miles of the 840-mile California coastline, rescuing up to 1,800 marine mammals annually. As the caretakers of over two-thirds of the California coast, we intimately know the important role that our ocean has in the fight against climate change, which makes the California Coastal Caucus incredibly important,” said Dr. Jeff Boehm, CEO of The Marine Mammal Center. “The Center has been a strong advocate for the creation of the caucus. We appreciate Representatives Lieu, Brownley and Huffman as well as our entire Congressional delegation for focusing on such a crucial part of California’s ecology and economy – the California coastline.”

Read the full release here

Large vessels failing to obey speed limits to protect endangered whales, report finds

July 22, 2021 — Nearly 90 percent of large vessels traveling in some conservation areas along the East Coast violated mandatory speed limits established to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales, according to a new report.

The findings raised questions about the need for stricter enforcement of federal rules to protect right whales, whose numbers have fallen by about 25 percent over the past decade to roughly 360. Vessel strikes and entanglements in fishing gear have been the primary cause of death and serious injuries.

“Vessels are speeding, North Atlantic right whales are dying, and there’s not enough accountability,” said Whitney Webber, a campaign director at Oceana, an advocacy group, which released the report on Wednesday. “Oceana’s analysis shows that speeding vessels are rampant throughout North Atlantic right whales’ migration route, all along the East Coast, and in both mandatory and voluntary speed zones.”

Between 2017 and 2020, the report found that nearly 90 percent of vessels 65 feet or larger failed to reduce their speeds to 10 knots or less in the required speed zones along the coast from Wilmington, N.C., to Brunswick, Ga., near the whales’ calving grounds. Nearly 80 percent of the vessels also failed to comply with speed limits along the coasts of New York and New Jersey, while more than half of large vessels failed to comply near the entrance of Delaware Bay.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

To protect right whales, scientists propose major changes for lobstermen

February 20, 2018 — WOODS HOLE, Mass. — Without prompt action to reduce entanglements in fishing lines, North Atlantic right whales could disappear from the planet over the next two decades, scientists say.

In response, scientists here on Cape Cod are proposing a novel way to save the species — one that many New England lobstermen fear could destroy their livelihoods.

At a recent meeting with a host of skeptical lobstermen, scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution presented the concept of ropeless fishing, a nascent technology that eliminates the need for the long, taut ropes that extend from millions of traps at the bottom of the ocean to their buoys at the surface. These ropes have killed many of the docile mammals.

“I want to see a profitable, sustainable lobster industry that’s not abusive to the animals,” said Michael Moore, director of the Marine Mammal Center at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “But what’s happening now isn’t working. We’re painfully and inexorably squeezing the life out of these animals.”

Over the past year, at least 18 right whales have died — a grave blow to a species with only about 450 left in the world and just 100 breeding females. Scientists fear they’re not reproducing fast enough and could face extinction as soon as 2040.

The problem, Moore and his colleagues say, is that most fatalities appear to be the result of right whales becoming entangled in fishing lines. In a federal survey of right whale deaths between 2010 and 2014, scientists found that 82 percent died as a result of entanglements. The rest died from ship strikes.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe