Praise Jesus! "This month, Defenders of Wildlife and its allies announced a vital litigation victory in the ongoing battle to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from lethal entanglements in commercial lobster fishing gear. The settlement agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) came after Defenders and our co-plaintiffs challenged NMFS on its failure to protect right whales. It’s also an important step forward in protecting humpback, fin, and sei whales, all endangered and all at risk of entanglement. Atlantic right whales face two major threats: collisions with large ships (ship strikes) and entanglements with commercial fishing gear. Every year, whales run a dangerous gauntlet as they follow their age-old migratory paths up and down the East Coast from Florida to Canada. This route takes them through some of the busiest shipping lanes and the most heavily fished areas in the United States. Like all marine mammals, whales need to surface to breathe air. If they become entangled in fishing gear, such as nets and buoy lines, they will drown if they cannot reach the surface. Entangled whales also face slow, lingering deaths from infections or starvation, and become more vulnerable to ship strikes because of their impaired ability to swim while dragging heavy lines and gear. Despite heroic efforts to rescue entangled whales, not all of them can be identified and freed from their lethal burdens in time to save their lives"
Posted on: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 20:19:26 +0000
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