OCEAN DESTRUCTION
Multiple undercover investigations have exposed blatant animal cruelty and widespread destruction of marine life, including sharks viciously stabbed and repeatedly bludgeoned over the head with a baseball bat, animals allowed to slowly suffocate, and seabirds and dolphins drowning after being trapped by driftnets.
EXPOSED
Drowned
Suffocated
Bludgeoned
Depleted
TAKE ACTION
Driftnet fishing is responsible for widespread destruction of marine wildlife.
For every one swordfish caught by the commercial driftnet fishing industry, an estimated seven other marine animals are also entangled, injured, and killed in these nets. And at least six endangered, threatened, or protected species are harmed by driftnets off the California coast.
U.S. Residents Outside California
A federal bill to ban cruel driftnets has been introduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress! If you live in California, your representatives already support the bill.
If you live outside California, please tell your representatives in Congress to support these important bills!
WHAT ARE DRIFTNETS?
Driftnets are mile-long walls of netting that float in the ocean. They are extremely harmful as notoriously high numbers of sea animals, including protected species, such as dolphins, sea lions, and seabirds, are caught, killed, and thrown away by the driftnet fishing industry. These animals are referred to as “bycatch.”
This loss of life is a massive threat to marine ecosystems.
Driftnets are already banned in many countries, and only one driftnet fishing industry remains in the United States—in federal waters off the coast of California.
MARINE ANIMALS HARMED BY DRIFTNETS
This isn’t the first time Driftnets Have Been Exposed
The End Driftnets Coalition, which includes Mercy For Animals, Turtle Island Restoration Network, SeaLegacy, and Sharkwater, has released groundbreaking investigations uncovering horrific animal cruelty caused by driftnets in California. The video footage reveals how marine animals—including protected species, such as dolphins, sea lions, and seabirds—are routinely trapped and killed in the commercial fishing industry’s driftnets. Animals are documented being stabbed, cut apart, pierced with hooks, and caught in nets and drowned or left to slowly suffocate aboard driftnet fishing boats off the coast of California.
The End Driftnets Coalition is a national alliance that comprises Mercy For Animals, Turtle Island Restoration Network, SeaLegacy, Sharkwater, and compassionate individuals working toward a society free of the driftnet industry and its devastating impacts on marine animals and the ocean ecosystem.
Special thanks to Larry Brown, Sharkwater, and On Wings Of Care