Massive mile-long gillnets weighted to the seafloor three miles off the California coast are set to catch halibut or sea bass - but end up entangling more than 125 species of marine life - according to a new report from Oceana and the Turtle Island Restoration Network. The California Fish and Game Commission meets tomorrow and Thursday to discuss whether the bycatch is at acceptable levels.

Caitlynn Birch, Pacific marine scientist for Oceana, said 64% of the animals caught in this are thrown back to sea.

"This high rate of bycatch raises concerns over the fishery's wastefulness and impacts on California's marine biodiversity," she said. "However, fishery managers have not been tracking how much fishing effort is occurring in the set gillnet fishery, so we don't actually know the true toll on wildlife."

The analysis found that the set gillnets are ensnaring sharks, skates, rays, endangered whales, sea lions and many species of commercial and recreational fish, including damaged and undersized California halibut, rock crab, sand bass and lingcod.

29 fishing boats currently hold permits to fish three miles offshore, and reducing the number of fishing permits would be one sure way to reduce gillnet bycatch, she said.

"California voters and fishery managers have taken action in the past to ban this non-selective gear in near-shore waters, which has resulted in major rebounds of vulnerable fish and marine mammal populations," Birch said. "So, we do know that removing these nets has a positive impact on many vulnerable species in California."

The Fish and Game Commission has a toolkit of options to reduce bycatch - but is still deciding whether action is warranted in this fishery.


get more stories like this via email

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife just announced a marine warden discovered an endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle dead, drowned by old crab-fishing gear left off the Farralon Islands near San Francisco.

Today, the agency's Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group is meeting to discuss how to respond.

Geoff Shester, California campaign director and senior scientist for Oceana, said sea turtles and whales can get trapped in vertical ropes extending from a buoy on the water's surface to the trap on the ocean floor.

"When they do encounter something like a rope, they often spin around in circles and kind of do some twists to try to get unwrapped," Shester explained. "But unfortunately, they start to panic and can even get more entangled. The rope was wrapped around it. So, it was essentially pinned and was underwater, so then, it couldn't get to the surface to breathe or escape."

This year's crab fishing season has already been delayed twice and now could be pushed into the new year. Federal research shows Pacific leatherback sea turtles have declined off California by 90% over the last 30 years and are at risk of going extinct due to gear entanglements, loss of nesting habitat and poaching.

Shester wants the state to approve newer, ropeless pop-up gear which can sit on the ocean floor until the fishing crew returns.

"We're calling on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to strengthen those rules, both for lost gear and also to authorize the use of pop-up gear," Shester emphasized. "So that there are more options for fishermen to stay on the water and fish in a whale- and turtle-safe method."

The state estimates Dungeness crab fishing crews lose between 7,000 and 14,000 traps each fishing season, and fewer than 5% are retrieved.

Lawmakers and scientists in Massachusetts are working to bolster the state's growing "blue economy."

Several pieces of legislation aim to create a "blue workforce pipeline" in marine biotechnology, commercial fishing and more.

Wally Fulweiler, professor of earth, environment and biology at Boston University, said a healthy ocean makes for healthier coastal communities and "blue jobs," such as oyster reef restoration will stick around as long as coastal ecosystems are cared for.

"Humans are part of the system, and I think we have to figure out a way that we can all kind of work within that system," Fulweiler urged. "I think oyster aquaculture is one way forward there."

Fulweiler pointed out oysters improve water quality, provide food and support livelihoods. Currently valued at more than $8 billion, the state's blue economy grew nearly 40% over the past decade.

Lawmakers hope to create more pathways for students interested in ocean-related careers, including more educational grants to remove some of the financial and technical barriers to accessing the ocean sciences. Fulweiler stressed tackling the challenge of climate change and its effects on our oceans will take an all-hands-on-deck approach.

"If we can lower that entry point -- basically not use technology as a gatekeeper -- I think we might get a better understanding of how ecosystems work," Fulweiler contended. "We may be able to get more voices and ideas to the table."

Fulweiler added new voices could help ensure emerging technologies, including offshore wind energy and large-scale fishing, can minimize any ecological harm.

This story was produced with original reporting from Ethan Brown for The Sweaty Penguin.

A new analysis by Oceana found crews in the California set gillnet fishery have severely underreported the number of seals and sea lions caught and killed or injured over the past 20 years.

Researchers estimate fishing crews are reporting marine mammal bycatch just 6% of the time.

Caitlynn Birch, Pacific marine scientist for Oceana, said it proves the need for government observers onboard the boats.

"It's well known by fishery managers that self-reporting is unreliable," Birch asserted. "However, there's no enforcement. If there's no third-party, federal fishery observer out there, they're not going to say that they killed a sea lion?"

The National Marine Fisheries Service stopped posting observers on fishing boats around 2017. The Marine Resource Committee of the California Fish and Game Commission meets Nov. 16 to consider a suite of measures to protect wildlife, including a new observer program.

The Commission and the Department of Fish and Wildlife are working to update management of the set gillnet fishery, improve data collection and reduce bycatch.

Birch argued fishery managers need observers on the vessels or electronic monitoring in order to accurately quantify the fisheries' impacts on wildlife.

"If we don't have correct data we're flying blind," Birch contended. "In terms of trying to manage a fishery that has high rates of bycatch and interacts with protected species."

Log books from 2005 and 2012 showed fishing crews self-reported an average of 12 incidents per year where set gillnets caught a California sea lion or harbor seal. Federal officials estimated the real number is 212 per year, based on fishery data acquired on trips where an observer was on board.