 Longline fishing is taking a terrible toll on threatened and endangered sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. Five of the world's seven sea turtle species are found in the Gulf of Mexico: leatherback, hawksbill, green, loggerhead and Kemp's ridley.
Attracted by thousands of baited hooks hanging from miles of fishing line, turtle species that have thrived for millions of years are sustaining life-threatening injuries and dying by the hundreds.
Bottom longline fishing has caught nearly 1,000 sea turtles in a recent two-and-a-half year period-wildly exceeding the original projections by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and in clear violation of the Endangered Species Act.
Loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, green, hawksbill, and leatherback sea turtles are suffering injuries that affect their ability to feed, swim, avoid predators, and reproduce.
Yet the NMFS has done nothing to stop this deadly practice.
A half dozen conservation groups sued the federal government on Wednesday, claiming the agency that oversees the Gulf of Mexico fishery is violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to protect threatened sea turtles.
The groups claim a common type of fishing from vessels in the Gulf of Mexico that use long, baited lines to catch grouper and other fish is killing hundreds of the rare turtles every year.
"We think they're required to stop the fishing," said Steve Roady, an attorney for Earthjustice, which is suing on behalf of the conservation groups.Labels: earth justice, endangered species, sea turtles |
