Urge The Government to Protect Sea Turtles

Urge the government to protect sea turtles!

Sea turtles have been swimming in the world’s oceans for more than 100 million years. While they have been able to survive many challenges over the years, sea turtles are not equipped to withstand the threat humans pose.

Untargeted or discarded catch, also known as bycatch, is an enormous problem throughout the world. Trawl fisheries indiscriminatingly catch everything in their path, including sea turtles.

The National Marine Fisheries Service recognized this problem and issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on February 15, 2007. The proposed rule would be the first step to get in the water requirements to protect turtles from trawl nets. But more than two years later the rule has yet to be released. In the meantime trawls continue to catch sea turtles.

Please ask Dr. Lubchenco - head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NOAA) - to rapidly complete a rule to reduce sea turtle takes in trawl fisheries.

www./community.oceana.org/act