1. Stephanie Lingvall, UC Davis, stephanielingvall@gmail.com
NOAA established the National Observer Program
(NOP) in 1990. This program was established to
“document the incidental take of marine mammals,
sea turtles, seabirds, target and non-target fish
species” (bycatch). The research design consists
of gathering the reports for the last ten years,
beginning with the 2005-2006 fishing season and
ending with the 2014-2015 fishing season. These
reports will be used to assess the impact the
fishery has on marine wildlife.
Every year this fishery produced an amount of
bycatch that was comparable to the amount of
animals that were kept. Although bycatch rates have
decreased considerably over the past ten years, they
still remain high.
Figure 5. Total animals kept and discarded (2005-2015)
Despite several attempts at regulating this fishery, it
remains unsustainable. Drift gillnets harm marine
wildlife and threaten the health of the marine
ecosystem. The use of drift gillnets should be
phased out immediately and replaced with more
selective gear. Furthermore, in order to make this
transition more feasible for fishermen, policy should
incentivize the use of more sustainable gear. Lastly,
Marine Protected Areas (MPA) should be expanded
in order to assure the conservation of California’s
invaluable marine wildlife and habitats.
Karpa, Doug, Todd Steiner, and Peter Fugazzotto. "California Driftnet
Fishery: The True Costs of a 20th Century Fishery in the 21st Century.”
California: Turtle Island Restoration Network, 2015. Print.
NOAA Observer Program. NOAA. 2015. Web.
st.nmfs.noaa.gov/observer-home/regions/westcoast/
driftnet. Web
WWF and the Zoological Society of London. “Living Blue Planet Report:
Species, Habitats and Human Well-Being.” Switzerland: WWF
International, 2015. Web.
FLOATS
NETTING
ANIMALS SWIM INTO THE
NETS AND BECOME
ENTANGLED.
Unsustainable commercial fishing is one of the biggest
threats to the global marine ecosystem. In addition to
producing half of the world’s oxygen and mitigating the
effects of climate change, the marine ecosystem, and
marine biodiversity are fundamental to life on earth,
underpinning economies and businesses, and sustaining
the livelihoods and well-being of billions of people
worldwide. Between 1970 and 2012, marine populations
have declined by a staggering 49% (WWF et al).
Currently the California drift gillnet fishery consists of
approximately twenty vessels that operate with a limited
entry permit between the months of May and January
(NOAA 2015). This fishery has prompted criticism due to the
high amount of bycatch (unintended catch) it produces.
According to a recent report, this fishery has killed more
whales and dolphins (some that are listed as endangered)
than California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska combined
(Karpa et al 2015).
To determine the impact of drift gillnet fishing on
marine wildlife and use these findings to shape
policy options that protect the marine ecosystem,
while keeping in mind the fishermen who depend
on this fishery for their livelihood.
Figure 2. Hammerhead Shark in Drift Gillnet
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/shark
Figure 1. Drift Gillnet Vessel
In the past ten years the California drift gillnet
fishery has discarded more animals than it has
kept. Of the discarded animals, several were
listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Figure 3. Averages of the total kept and discarded animals
(2005-2015)
Figure 4. Species listed as endangered under the Federal
ESA that were caught and discarded (2005-2015)
TOW ROPE