They call them "walls of death," giant drift nets that float in the open ocean to catch large schooling fish, but target fish aren't all that are caught. According to an article by the Environmental Justice Foundation," an estimated 85% of animals caught
in driftnets are thrown back into the sea, dead or dying." The foundation also estimates that the
deaths of 10,000 cetaceans (dolphins, whales, porpoises) are caused by driftnets each year in just the Mediterranean. Driftnet fishing is illegal. However, many factors allow drift netting to be continued as governments turn their backs to this inhumane fishing method. Illegal driftnet fishing should be stopped and new methods should be used to catch large schooling fish.
Although driftnets are successful in catching target fish they also catch many non-target species including: dolphins, whales, sharks, rays and sea turtles. While considering these facts keep in mind that six of seven species of sea turtle are considered endangered and three of those six are critically endangered. These creatures can not afford to be lost to by-catch and illegal fishing practices. These nets are not easily seen in the open ocean. Fish, mammals and turtles swim into them and become entangled. Dolphins and turtles drown and non-target fish become entangled. Illegal driftnet fishing can be slowed and these useless killings can be stopped.
This video shows some of the effects of driftnet fishing and also explains why drift net fishing continues even after it was banned.
All forms of drift net fishing were made illegal in all Mediterranean states. So why is it still happening? The demand for large quantities of fish reinforces fishermen's illegal drift netting practices. With driftnets, fishermen can easily catch enough fish to support themselves and supply the world's large demands for fish. Governments often turn their backs to these practices. However, these practices are not necessary. Sustainable fisheries can catch fish and remain environmentally friendly while still meeting demands. If we make an effort to buy fish from sustainable fisheries we can make the demand for driftnet fishing lower. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has guides to help people select appropriate forms of fish based on regions. These guides can help you to avoid eating fish that have likely been caught due to driftnets or other forms of fishing that harm marine environments. I encourage you to download this list for your region and support sustainable fisheries!
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx
http://www.ejfoundation.org/page166.html
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/marineturtles/marineturtles.html
Imagine the shock of the sound of a rocket launching into orbit, even with earplugs the sound is shocking and painful. Luckily, the sound passes quickly and you can return to life as normal, however, earplugs and a quick escape are not an option to whales and other marine life near SONAR testing sites. Studies have shown that these loud sounds caused by the Navy's of many countries and energy corporations have an intense effect on whale's abilities to interact and function which can lead to death. "By the Navy's own estimates, even 300
miles from the source, these sonic waves can retain an intensity of 140
decibels -- a hundred times more intense than the level known to alter the
behavior of large whales." The Navy and energy companies should work to regulate their use of SONAR and other systems that create ocean noise in order to protect marine life in the surrounding areas.
So some whales can't hear for a while, whats the issue? The issue lies here: marine mammals use hearing for more than just communication. Dolphins and whales use their incredibly strong hearing abilities for hunting, protection, they even use it to orient themselves. To put it into perspective: a whale can hunt completely blind by using their keen hearing abilities. This sense is incredibly pivotal to the survival of marine mammals.According to an article by the Natural Resources Defense Council, when marine mammals are exposed to the loud SONAR of the Navy they are instantly disoriented, the shockingly loud sounds cause them to bleed from their ears and brains. As the dolphins and whales attempt to escape the sounds they may swim to deeper water, as they return to the surface from deep water they often get "the bends" which is caused by surfacing to quickly from deep water. All of these problems are often found as the cause of death in beached marine mammals that have died in an area where SONAR is being tested. It's not a coincidence.Joel Reynolds, the senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said "there is no question that sonar injures
and kills whales and dolphins." As dolphins in whales continue to be killed in large numbers by SONAR the need for action becomes more urgent.
This video shows the aftermath of several SONAR tests conducted by Navies in different locations. It also discusses ways to avoid these killings.
This is avoidable. The Navy can still use SONAR without harming marine life. As the video discusses, this issue can be fixed using "common sense." By taking simple actions such as avoiding SONAR testing where whales are feeding and calving and making sure whales and dolphins are not nearby during testing, these tragic deaths can be avoided.
http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/sonar.asp
Imagine a dolphin's cry for help as it is trapped in a net, swimming frantically looking for a way out as the nets only gets smaller. As it becomes crowded by tuna and other fish its fins and flippers break. Fully surrounded, there's no escaping now...and no breathing. This is the horrible death that dolphins face due to the commercial tuna fishing industry.
The amount of dolphins and other marine mammals killed in commercial tuna fishing expeditions has reduced drastically since the late 1950s due to recent efforts to reduce bycatch. However, the question that remains is: has help for the dolphins come to late?
According to an article by W. F. Perrin, B. Wursig, and J. G. M. Thewissen in the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, purse-seine fishing of tuna has been causing high mortality rates in marine mammals and other non-tuna marine life in the tropical Pacific since the late 1950s. Purse-seine fishing involves large nets used to catch and trap tuna but in the process of catching tuna, dolphins and other marine species are also caught, this is called bycatch. In some cases, dolphin pods are purposefully followed by fishermen because they know that where dolphins are tuna are also. The fishermen probably also know that this means they will catch and kill some dolphin along with the tuna. "The number of dolphins killed since the
fishery began in the late 1950s is estimated to be over 6 million animals, the
highest known for any fishery. For comparison, the total number of whales of
all species killed during commercial whaling in the 20th century was about 2
million." To me, these numbers were shocking. In about 60 years dolphins were being slaughtered in triple the amount that whales were slaughtered in the entire 20th century.
The two species of dolphin most effected by the purse-seine fishing in the tropical Pacific are the North Eastern Offshore Spotted Dolphin and the Eastern Spinner Dolphin. As fishing practices have become more heavily mandated and citizens have become more aware of "the tuna-dolphin issue" the amount of dolphins killed from tuna fishing has dropped drastically and "dolphin safe" tuna is now for sale. So, it would seem like the problem is solved, right? Not quite. "As of 2002, northeastern spotted and eastern
spinner dolphins were estimated to be at 19% and 29%, respectively, of
population sizes when the fishery began...Since the early 1990s, reported dolphin
mortality has been low enough that the dolphin populations should have started
to recover. As of 2002, however, neither dolphin population was recovering at
expected rates" This could be caused by many things including unreported kills or undetected stress caused to dolphins by the fishing practices. The issue that hits me the hardest is the possibility of "ghost nets" killing dolphins. A ghost net is a fishing net that has, for whatever reason, escaped into the ocean where its drifts free, as dolphins swim they can get caught in these nets. This video shows a dolphin trapped in a ghost net. As you watch this video, take notes of the large cuts on the dolphin's head, then imagine how salt water feels in them. This video brought me to tears.
How can the tuna industry carry on with their current fishing practices fully aware that ghost nets cause such pain and dolphin species still haven't rebounded from the extreme loss of life? Perhaps tuna industries should spend more of their time attempting to fix what they have broken than advertising their "dolphin safe" products. Obviosly, they aren't so safe when the very means by which tuna are caught still kill and injure about 1,000 dolphins each year. If 1,000 dolphins are still trapped each year, not including unreported deaths, then tuna companies are in no way, shape, or form worthy to call themselves dolphin safe. In junior high, when I first learned about the effects of tuna fishing on dolphins, I vowed that I would never again eat products containing tuna and I highly recommend that everyone join me in this fight.
http://swfsc.noaa.gov/textblock.aspx?Division=PRD&ParentMenuId=228&id=1408
