Tuesday, July 14, 2009

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.

16 comments:

Sandra y Coco Pug said...

Hi Stubby, this is sad news. Mom doesn't eat fish but she thinks she can also help sending one of those letters by mail. She will come back to your blog later to get all the details.

Unknown said...

Stubby - I just submitted my letter to the website. I hope it helps! I love fish, but try to be conscious about which kind I eat, how they are fished, and WHEN they are fished. It's hard, but important. Thanks for sharing this!

Mia said...

Mommy just sent her letter!! I sure hope it helps!!!

Kelly said...

Well this is just an outrage Stubby! I signed the petition and submitted a letter, too.

Stubby said...

Hi Coco! Tell your mom thank you for not eating fish and for sending a letter. If everyone speaks up they will know that we mean business.

Stubby xoxo

Stubby said...

Hi Rachel! Thanks so much for submitting your letter. It will definitely help and if everyone sends one then we can stop this nonsense.

It is important to know where all your food comes from, especially fish. There is so much fish on the market that comes via bad fishing practices and lots of animals are killed because of it. It doesn't have to be that way and we are working hard to change it.

Stubby xoxo

Stubby said...

Hi Lilo! Thanks so much for sending a letter. It will help and if we all pull together we can change the world. My little ocean buddies need all the help they can get.

Stubby xoxo

Stubby said...

Hey Pearly Poo! It is an outrage and I'm so glad to hear that you took actions to stop it. The list of people on the petition is growing and soon the fishery managers will have to stop this insanity. Thanks again!

Stubby xoxo

Archie and Melissa said...

hi stubby!
thank you so much for sharing this. we are off to write a letter too!

Stubby said...

Hi Melissa & Emmitt! I'm so glad you're going to send a letter. All my ocean buddies need our help and I'm so glad you've decided to take actions to help them.

Stubby xoxo

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Hi Stubby
We are off to write a letter too!
The ocean is where Puff and Star live. We must save them and their ocean friends!
love
tweedles

Stubby said...

Hi Tweedles! Thanks so much for writing a letter. Puff, Star, and all my other ocean buddies need our help. We cannot let bad fishing practices ruin their homes and their lives.

Stubby xoxo

Unknown said...

Stubby, thank you for letting us know about this. It hurts our hearts when people hurt critters of any type no matter where they live. We will send a letter, too.
xxxoo

Stubby said...

Hi Nancy - thank you for sending a letter. It breaks my heart too when my little ocean buddies are being killed for no good reason. We will see to it that this stops because it's the right thing to do.

Stubby xoxo

dw said...

Thank you for keeping us up-to-date on environmental issues such as the sea turtle project. I signed the petition! Go Stubby!

Stubby said...

Hey DW - Thanks for stopping by. I'm so glad you signed the petition because the sea turtles need our help.

Stubby xoxo