Dear Animal Lover,
As we reported last month, the National Marine Fisheries Service
has issued a temporary ban on gillnet fishing in the South Atlantic to protect North Atlantic right whale mothers and calves from accidental entanglement.
Now, there is a lifesaving opportunity to make this temporary ban permanent. With fewer than 350 right whales remaining, a permanent seasonal ban on gillnet fishing could be critical to the survival of this struggling species.
Please take action today and urge the National Marine Fisheries Service to move forward with its Proposed Rule to enact a permanent ban on gillnet fishing in the South Atlantic during the right whale calving season.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ocs/contactus.htmAccidental entanglement in fishing gear is the second leading cause of death for the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale. Because of their feeding habits, mothers and calves are especially vulnerable to entanglement. And the Southeast is an especially important area to provide protection.
Each November, pregnant female right whales migrate to waters off the coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida to give birth to and nurse their newborns. Gillnet fishing has historically occurred in this critical habitat area the species’ only known calving area but the National Marine Fisheries Service closed the area on an emergency basis after a weeks old calf was killed by a gillnet entanglement in January 2006.
The agency has taken action to protect the next generation of right whales from harmful fishing gear, but they need our support to stand strong and make the calving area gillnet ban permanent. Please take action today to help prevent another death.
Many thanks,
Kathleen McGoldrick
Vice President, Constituency and Outreach
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home