Ban Longlines to Save Bluefin Tuna and Sea Turtles (E-action)

[Omaha Steve]

Surface longlines set in the Gulf of Mexico to catch swordfish stretch up to 40 miles and contain hundreds of baited hooks that accidentally catch and kill sea turtles, marine mammals, and imperiled bluefin tuna.

In response to calls to protect the dwindling population of Atlantic bluefin tuna from thousands of supporters like you, the National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed changes to this longline fishery, but they do not go far enough. Click here to take action to ban longlines from bluefin tuna spawning areas.

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Driven Towards Extinction

Bluefin tuna are one of the ocean’s most impressive fish. Growing up to 1,500 pounds and accelerating as fast as a sports car, these fish still can’t evade the thousands of hooks set by longlines in their critical spawning habitat.

End Indiscriminate Longline Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico

We’re calling on the National Marine Fisheries Service to end longline fishing in critical bluefin tuna spawning areas. Because of the uncontrolled bycatch of surface longlines, fishermen exceeding their bluefin quota were required to throw back, dead, almost 25 percent of the entire U.S. bluefin allotment last year. Leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles also get caught and drown on these longline hooks. The needless waste of precious marine life caused by longlines must end.

Take Action to Ban Longlines from Bluefin Spawning Areas in the Gulf of Mexico

Please support our campaign to end indiscriminate fishing by taking these three actions below:

1) Click here to send a letter to NMFS to keep longlines out of bluefin tuna spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico: http://action.seaturtles.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14508

2) Click here to visit Regulations.gov and add your own personalized letter. Use our action alert to get started: http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0101-0009

3) Make a tax-deductible contribution to support our campaign to end indiscriminate longline fishing: https://org.salsalabs.com/o/1723/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=7589

Working together, we can make a difference for endangered sea turtles and imperiled marine life in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sincerely,

Todd Steiner

Executive Director

Turtle Island Restoration Network

Sea Turtle Restoration Project Email News and Updates
PO Box 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933 USA

[Marrah_G]

1. Long lines are horrible

[BlueToTheBone]

2. I 'm glad people are fighting against

those horrible lines of death.