Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Jared Huffman (both D-Calif.) and nine members of Congress today called on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reconsider steps it has taken to authorize the use of harmful longlines off the West Coast.
Longlines, which have been banned in California waters since 1989, can unintentionally catch or kill endangered marine species. Instead of advancing sustainable options that yield higher quality catch, the Trump administration is proposing to expand the use of outdated, more-destructive longlines on the West Coast that are worse for the fishery overall.
“Authorization of a California-based longline fishery would be a step backward in the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s longstanding commitment to making meaningful progress toward reducing bycatch within U.S. West Coast fisheries,” the members wrote.
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