Giacomo Abrusci
Today’s headlines are pretty apocalyptic regarding endangered species off the West Coast. A handful of articles quote the statement, “The Trump Administration has declared war on whales, dolphins and turtles off the coast of California.” — Todd Steiner, director of the Turtle Island Restoration Network.
Since this last election cycle any time I read a quote that dramatic I start to roll my eyes. Now, before I click share or start yelling names I have look a little deeper. First, was a Los Angeles Times article by Dan Weikel which cited no concrete information regarding this decision. Where was this damning bill or executive order? Nothing. There was one hyperlink that looked like it would direct us to information at NOAA but it just redirected you in a circle right back to Los Angeles Times. The next article from the Independent by Rachael Revesz was a little better but still had no actual information about what was going on.
So I kept looking through half a dozen other articles which all seemed to just repeat the same quotes. Until I called a friend at NOAA who the called a colleague and I got a FAQ sheet on the topic (you should open that hyperlink). 
The meat of the entire action can be summarized in this one paragraph:
What action is NOAA Fisheries taking on the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s recommendation for hard caps on protected species interactions in the West Coast drift gillnet fishery?
NOAA Fisheries has decided not to adopt a recommendation from the Council to put limits called “hard caps” on the number of certain marine mammals and sea turtles that could be entangled by drift gillnets. The Council’s proposed hard caps would have required the fishery to shut down for the rest of the season and even into the following season if the limits were reached. NOAA Fisheries is required under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to minimize costs and avoid unnecessary duplication when adopting fisheries conservation and management measures. The hard-cap proposal would have likely imposed significant new costs while also overlapping existing conservation measures that already protect those species. Therefore, NOAA Fisheries determined that the hard-cap proposal would not have provided significant additional conservation benefit.
Continue reading the fact sheet and you will see great info on gillnets, current trends, statistics on the dramatic decrease of entanglements, decreased impact on species, and downsizing of the fishery down to only 20 vessels.
Now what do I think? I don’t want to see gill nets anywhere in our ocean, I think those 20 vessels should start fishing something else- like nothing, and everyone should stop eating fish.
Do I think “The Trump Administration has declared war on whales, dolphins and turtles off the coast of California.” No. Statements like that are the problem in modern journalism, not the solution. They also make it harder when the Left gets fact-checked. I would have loved to see a hard cap on entanglements because one wasted life out at sea is one too many but the data just was not there to make a compelling argument.
Lastly, what should everyone be doing about this? Instead of being enraged at Trump (yes, please feel free to be enraged but not over this) the whole basis of this decision boils down to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (you should open that link too). If you want to make a difference start by picking up your phone so you can voice these concerns with your legislator.
What do I want you to take away from this? Read facts. Read science. Stop yelling at worthless headlines about a war that is not happening and if a decision from this Administration bothers you then talk to someone on Capitol Hill. To find your representative click here. If you want to learn more about how to change a law through the democratic process click here.