June 23, 2014 — West Coast fishery managers on Monday adopted stringent regulations against California’s swordfish and thresher shark drift gill net fishery, laying the framework to more aggressively limit its bycatch of endangered ocean species.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted unanimously to establish hard limits on the fishery, which is active off the coast of Southern California, by the summer of 2016. If anyone in the fishery overreaches the new bycatch limits, it would result in a complete shutdown for the rest of the season. Additionally, the council is seeking to have observers on every fishing boat to ensure the new bycatch limits aren’t breached.
The regulations come after increased public concern about the fishery, which according to some estimates kills an average of 100 marine mammals a year.
“People love swordfish, but when they hear it comes at the expense of potentially killing endangered marine mammals and a vast amount of nontargeted fish, we believe their appetite wanes,” said Paul Shively, an oceans manager for The Pew Charitable Trusts, which support additional regulation of the fishery.
While some environmental advocates such as Oceana have pushed to close the fishery entirely, state regulators are seeking a compromise between the two sides.
Melissa Stevens, a project director for The Nature Conservancy, said she believes the council’s decision Monday was fair to both.
Read the full story from the Los Angeles Daily News