The Sea Turtle Restoration Project presents the first Bay Area screening of our powerful new video Last Journey for the Leatherback? and a chance to meet award-winning director Stan Minasian and renowned – and inspirational – oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle at an intimate reception before the showing.
San Francisco, California—A panel of experts of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization just released a report that recommended closing fisheries that pose the greatest threat to critically endangered Pacific leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles. In order to address the threat of extinction of leatherback and loggerheads, the panel of experts also recommended that “eco labels” be introduced, fishing effort reduced and financial support be directed towards developing countries to support conservation efforts.
The Ocean Conservancy has worked successfully to ensure the recent passage of the Marine Turtle Conservation Act (H.R.3378), in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Championed by Maryland Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (R-1st), the bi-partisan bill authorizes $5 million a year for international conservation projects protecting nesting sea turtles and their habitat, and will help to thwart illegal trade in sea turtle shell, meat and eggs. A similar bill passed the Senate in October of 2003. The bill now goes to President Bush to sign into law.
Celebrate World Environment Day in NYC
To celebrate UN Environmental Programme World Environment Day, “Wanted Seas and Oceans Dead or Alive” a coalition of marine conservation organizations will sponsor a free documentary film screening and panel discussion about endangered leatherback sea turtles and marine mammals at the American Museum of Natural History’s Linder Theatre at Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City Saturday, June 5 from 2:00-4:30.
HRH Princess Ann announced the six winners of the UK’s top conservation prize – the Whitley Awards – to a packed audience at the Royal Geographical Society in London last night (29 April).
San Francisco, CA – Today, in Hawai`i, the industry-dominated Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries held a press conference to announce the reopening of a fishery that NOAA Fisheries had previously closed because the fishery was killing enough Pacific leatherbacks to put them on a direct path towards extinction.
March 11, 2004—Today, the US Fisheries Service issued new rules banning California longline fishing from targeting swordfish from a huge swath of the Pacific Ocean. The final rule comes on the heels of an August 2003 decision by the federal Ninth Circuit Court concurring with environmentalists that the Fisheries Service had failed to conduct the proper environmental review before issuing permits to the fishery.
Two environmental organizations filed suit in Federal District Court today seeking to protect the Atlantic white marlin under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). The suit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network was brought against the National Marine Fisheries Service, (“NMFS”), an agency within the Department of Commerce charged with managing fisheries and protecting marine species under the ESA.
JANUARY 5, 2004—The California based environmental organization Sea Turtle Restoration Project compliments the “Northeast Distant Fishery Sea Turtle Bycatch Reduction Project” announced yesterday by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a move in the right direction to solve the problem of sea turtle bycatch. However, the plan itself will not stop the slide of the leatherback sea turtle toward extinction.
San Francisco, CA –Today, the UN General Assembly will vote on a resolution encouraging the “banning [of] directed shark fisheries” (Para 48), and “action to reduce or eliminate by-catch…to conserve non-target species taken incidentally in fishing operations” (paras 34-35 ) such as sea turtles, marine mammals and other species.
