Great! An encouraging model for future cooperation at solving issues related to
conservation and management of all our precious resources and wildlife!
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 26, 2019, at 5:59 PM, Catherine French (Redacted sender "cfrench1366"
for DMARC) <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Definitely worth the read. It is a groundbreaking agreement
That protects whales and sea turtles from getting entangled in commercial
Dungeness crab gear. And it’s good for the Dungeness crab industry as well!
Calm Seas,
Catherine French
Writer, mentor, naturalist
805.570.0432
We are given only so many days, make each one count.
Sent from my iPad Air
Begin forwarded message:
From: CDFW News <noreply+feedproxy@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: March 26, 2019 at 5:50:08 PM PDT
To: cfrench1366@xxxxxxx
Subject: California Fish and Wildlife News
Reply-To: CDFW News <CDFWNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
California Fish and Wildlife News
Entanglement Settlement Protects Whales, Sea Turtles and California’s Crab
Fishery
Posted: 26 Mar 2019 12:51 PM PDT
SAN FRANCISCO — Californians will be pleased to know that Dungeness crab
will be caught off the coast with greater care for endangered wildlife under
a settlement announced by the Center for Biological Diversity, the
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the Pacific Coast
Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA).
The legal settlement protects whales and sea turtles from entanglement in
commercial Dungeness crab gear. The Center for Biological Diversity sued
CDFW in October 2017 after a drastic increase in the number of whale
entanglements off the West Coast.
“As I’ve said many times, no one wants whale entanglements to happen,” said
CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “This agreement represents hours of
intense negotiation to help ensure they don’t happen while supporting the
resiliency of the crab fishery in the long run. I am thankful for the
leadership of the Center for Biological Diversity and the Pacific Coast
Federation of Fishermen’s Associations who realized something needed to be
done together.”
“This is great news for whales and sea turtles fighting extinction off
California’s coast,” said Kristen Monsell, a Center for Biological Diversity
attorney. “The settlement will reduce serious threats from crab gear to
these beautiful and highly endangered animals. This agreement is a turning
point that gets us closer to zero entanglements and a healthy ocean.”
The lawsuit was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity against CDFW
(Center for Biological Diversity v. Bonham) in federal court in San
Francisco. The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, which
represents crabbers, intervened in the lawsuit.
The settlement, subject to court approval, creates a comprehensive approach
to the problem of whale entanglements. It expedites state regulation,
ensures stakeholder input from the Dungeness crab Fishing Gear Working Group
and formalizes a first-ever commitment by CDFW to pursue a federal permit
for protecting endangered species. While these steps are executed, the
settlement calls for this year’s crab season to end three months early and
prescribes protective measures for future springtime fishing seasons, when
the greatest number of whales are present off the California coast.
In November 2018, CDFW announced it would seek a federal permit under the
Endangered Species Act to address protected species interactions with the
crab fishery. Obtaining a permit and developing a conservation plan as part
of that process can take years, so the settlement spells out interim
protections.
“This settlement represents the path back to normality for California’s crab
fishery with built-in protections for whales and crab fishing operations
under the Endangered Species Act,” said Noah Oppenheim, executive director
of PCFFA. “The past several years have been extraordinarily challenging for
fishing families, and the actions we’re taking here are no exception. But in
the end, we’re going to emerge together with a resilient, prosperous, and
protective fishery that will continue to feed California and the nation.”
Details of the settlement can be found at
http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=166146.
The mission of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is to manage
California’s diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats
upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and
enjoyment by the public.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation
organization with more than 1.4 million members and online activists
dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations is the largest
commercial fishermen’s organization on the West Coast, representing 17 local
and regional associations from Santa Barbara to Southeast Alaska. As a major
commercial fishing industry trade association, PCFFA represents the
interests of commercial fishing families who make their living harvesting
and delivering high-quality seafood to America’s tables.
###
Media Contacts:
Jordan Traverso, CDFW, (916) 654-9937
Kristen Monsell, Center for Biological Diversity, (510) 844-7137
Noah Oppenheim, PCFFA, (415) 723-1801 or Michael Coats, (707) 235-6203
You are subscribed to email updates from CDFW News.
To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Email delivery
powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States
