I Need Your Help!

My little ocean buddies are in trouble again. Right now, U.S. fishery managers are trying to roll back protections for endangered sea turtles, false killer whales and humpback whales that swim across the Pacific past the Hawai’ian islands to the U. S. West Coast. A proposed expansion of the Hawai’i -based swordfish fleet would allow the catch of three times more loggerhead sea turtles and remove all limits on longlining in this fishery – to more than 4 million deadly hooks every year! This is an outrage! The weaker rules would result in more injury and death of gravely endangered Pacific leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles and also allow swordfish longliners to kill more albatross and marine mammals, including endangered humpback whales and false killer whales. All so that industrial longline fishers can catch more high-priced swordfish to send to expensive restaurants and supermarkets. We cannot allow this to happen.

Help Stop Sea Turtle Captures from Tripling in Hawaiian Swordfish Fishery

Here's what I need you to do:

1) Submit a letter by email (see below)

2) Sign the on-line petition and tell your friends

HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS: Public comment ends August 3, 2009!

To submit your comments by email:

1. Click here (Rule Number: 0648-AW49- Hawaii-based Shallow-set Longline Fishery)

2. Enter your first & last name under "Submitter Information"

3. List "Private Citizen" as your "Organization"

4. Write your own, or cut & paste the sample comment letter under "Public Comment or Submission"

5. Click submit!

SAMPLE COMMENT LETTER (cut and paste into text box)

I strongly oppose the expansion of the Hawai'i -based shallow-set swordfish fishery as proposed. Doing so would triple the number of sea turtles allowed to be captured. Every death or injury of a sea turtle in this fishery has serious consequences for the future survival of the species. The expansion would allow 4 million or more deadly hooks to be set in the ocean that are certain to accidentally catch and harm leatherbacks, loggerheads, humpback whales, false killer whales, seabirds and several types of fish. Even holding the line on the existing fishery as proposed in the "no action" alternative is unlikely to be protective enough. All other alternatives proposed in the regulation are completely unacceptable. I urge National Marine Fishery Service to reject the expansion of the Hawai'i -based longline fishery as proposed.

Thank you for considering my views. I look forward to hearing your response.

Yours truly,Your name, address

My little ocean buddies and I thank you for taking the time to make their voices heard. Longline fishing is the most irresponsible and least sustainable form of fishing on the planet. If you must eat fish, please know where it came from and how it was caught. Let's work together to preserve the ocean life that has been around for millions of years. We need it and it needs us.