Contact
Andrew G. Ogden
Senior Attorney & Legal Program Director
Turtle Island Restoration Network
Office: 415-663-8590
Cell: 3-3-818-9422
aogden@tirn.net

Turtle Island Restoration Network and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center are joining forces to help protect marine mammals from the deadly drift gillnet fishery for swordfish off California’s coast.

Nearly 800 marine mammals have been killed by the drift gillnet fishery over the last 10 years. Fishery managers refuse to transition the drift gillnet fishery to more sustainable options to catch swordfish. Despite California’s environmental image, California is the last state to allow drift gillnet fishing for swordfish off its coast.

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center recently hosted Turtle Island’s Advocacy and Policy Director to speak to its members about the dangers of the drift gillnet fishery. Staff at the PMMC are already familiar with the problem – they have even helped to rehabilitate animals that have been injured by drift gillnets.

In January, a Pacific Marine Mammal Center volunteer captured photos of an unlucky sea lion named Cliffhanger, who was tangled in driftnets. Cliffhanger was treated by both the Pacific Marine Mammal Center and SeaWorld. You can check out the photos and read more about the incident here.