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Entanglement: A Grisly Death for Marine Life

From albatrosses and dolphins to sea turtles and sea lions, countless animals die each year when they become entangled in fishing gear or trash in the ocean. Fishing hooks, lines, and nets ensnare animals as they swim or dive, resulting in increased levels of bycatch as fishing vessels and gear capture marine wildlife along with fish. Abandoned nets and lines "ghost fish," continuing to entangle and kill fish and other wildlife long after they are lost or out of use. Trash such as rope, balloons, string, packaging materials, and many plastic items can wrap around fins, flippers, and limbs, causing infection, amputation, or drowning.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires state and federal fisheries to ensure that their operations will not adversely affect endangered or threatened species such as whales and sea turtles. The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) provides defense for marine mammal species against commercial fishing gear, requiring teams of specialists to develop ways to reduce entanglements and to ensure the continued health of marine mammal populations through “take reduction plans” that will lower the number of marine mammals inadvertently "taken" by the fishing industry. And the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act of 2006 provides for mapping, identification, and assessment of the impacts of marine debris, as well as removal and prevention activities, research and development of alternatives to gear posing threats to the marine environment, and outreach activities.

What Ocean Conservancy Is Doing to Help

Marine Mammals: Ocean Conservancy, a driving force in marine mammal protection for more than thirty years, was a major player in the passage of the take-reduction provisions of the MMPA, which seeks to end marine mammal deaths from commercial fishing through a stakeholder-driven process. Ocean Conservancy is leading the way toward reaching that goal, which will be an historic achievement in marine mammal conservation.

Since 1995, we have worked on formal plans to reduce the number of mammals seriously injured or killed by the commercial fishing industry in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. We are the only conservation group to serve on all six federal "take reduction" teams established under the MMPA, including the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team established in 1996 by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to address threats to endangered whales from commercial fishing gear. Since 1996, take reduction plans have been developed for several gillnet, trap, pot, and longline fisheries on both the East and West coasts of the US, saving hundreds of dolphins, whales, seals, and sea lions from being entangled or hooked in commercial fishing gear each year.

Sea Turtles: All six species of sea turtles found in US waters are listed as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and entanglement is a primary cause of their disappearance from the ocean. Turtles get caught in gill nets, scooped up by trawls, and snagged on hooks in longline fisheries. Ocean Conservancy has put our scientific and legal expertise to work to ensure that adequate protections are in place. We have participated in efforts to develop and refine gear modifications, and worked with regional fishery management councils and fishery managers to propose and implement stronger fishing regulations. In the 1980s, Ocean Conservancy requested legislation mandating the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) on shrimp nets, devices that significantly reduce the accidental take of sea turtles. Today, largely due to our efforts, federal law requires the use of TEDs by offshore shrimp trawlers from North Carolina to Texas. Ocean Conservancy is now urging NMFS to require TEDs in all Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico trawl fisheries.

Throughout their range, sea turtles hover on the brink of extinction largely due to the longline fishing industry. With our partners, we have supported legal caps on the number of turtles allowed to be taken by the Hawaiian swordfish and tuna longline fishery and advocated for the use of modified circle hooks in both the Hawaiian and East Coast longline fisheries. Circle hooks ensnare dramatically fewer turtles than conventional versions. These measures have reduced sea turtle interactions with longline gear by 89 percent. In the Gulf of Mexico, we are working to reduce the number of active vessels in the fishery and to implement seasonal closures and a prohibition on squid bait to prevent sea turtles from being caught on bottom longline gear targeting grouper and other reef fish.

Reducing Marine Debris

Since 1986, the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) has not only removed trash from shorelines and the ocean (6.8 million pounds in 2008 alone), it has created a tremendous data base about marine debris and its sources so people can work to prevent trash from getting into the ocean and killing wildlife in the first place.

What You Can Do to Help

• Join Ocean Conservancy’s online community to learn more and stay up-to-date on ocean issues.
• Purchase seafood that is caught using methods that don't harm marine wildlife or wildlife habitats.
• Reduce your use of plastics and other items that can wind up as trash in the ocean.
• Sign up for the International Coastal Cleanup and help keep our ocean clean and safe.

© Copyright 2010 Ocean Conservancy
The Ocean Conservancy, International Coastal Cleanup and Ocean Action Network are registered trademarks of Ocean Conservancy.

Visit www.oceanconservancy.org/contactus for regional office addresses and email information.

Printed on , © Copyright 2010 Ocean Conservancy
The Ocean Conservancy, International Coastal Cleanup and Ocean Action Network are registered trademarks of Ocean Conservancy.

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