Feds May Relax Rules on Endangered Turtles

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060310/ap_on_sc/fish_polic...

SEATTLE - Federal fish managers are proposing to relax rules designed to protect endangered leatherback sea turtles and allow some fishing off the West Coast under strict government supervision.

The changes, which must obtain final approval from the National Marine Fisheries Service, would open up drift gillnet fishing off the California and Oregon coasts from south of Monterey, Calif., to just north of Newport, Ore.

Drift gillnet boats use 900-foot nets that float about 10 yards below the surface to catch swordfish by the gills. Leatherback sea turtles can become entangled in those nets and die.

The ancient creatures are the largest sea turtles and typically weigh from 500 to 1,500 pounds.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Aw, shit, who needs turtles anyway?

You can't even train them to carry bombs to enemy ships.

[SpiralHawk]

14. When there are no turtles on Turtle Island

The human beings will be doomed.

Totally.

[blindpig]

16. Well said.

Climate change along with all of the abuse humans heap upon them may mean the end of this noble lineage. This is an unforgivable crime and the atonement will be harsh.

[mike_c]

2. have I mentioned today how much I hate those bastards....

Nothing matters to them but corporate profits. Greed is all. Pigs.

[moobu2]

3. Drift gill nets are barbaric

They kill everything that happens to swim into them.. Dolphins, Turtles, Sharks..everything, even Whales. They kill indiscriminately.

This is bad, bad, BAD news, but I'm not surprised at all.

[stepnw1f]

4. Mothafuckers are Killing Everything

These people are evil. They value nothing, yet place a price tag on it all.

[tabasco]

7. They value nothing but money and power.

They disrespect the Earth and all living things in order to enrich themselves. They are truly evil. We are at war, but not in the Middle East. We are at war with those who would be kings. The war never ends.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

10. but isn't SUSHI so TASTY?--I mean isn't it worth it to us? to enjoy Life?

if not why not?

I mean isn't it all about enjoying life and feein' good?

Why shouldn't Swordfish be served every day in every restaurant in every town in every country?
Why shouldn't we have a Sushi Bar on every corner of every street in every town in every country?



if it feels good do it!
If it tastes good kill it!

isn't that what it's all about?



.

[leftchick]

13. exactly right

evil mmotherfuckers!

[mitchtv]

5. Strict gov't supervision?

From the deregulation crowd? they'll have their hands out for a "contribution". That'll be the the extent of it. Drift gill nets prohibition IS the regulation. They are all dangerous.

[Mojorabbit]

6. This is the kind of news

that just makes me despair. I get depressed. I want to scream. Decades of work destroyed by these people.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. You aren't alone Mojorabbit...

And these are the guys that tout about being a "culture of life".

[depakid]

9. "strict government supervision"

Just considering the state of the fisheries in the first place, drift nets need to be outlawed.

More ecological insanity from the Bush administration.

[MisterP]

12. fisheries in trouble? blame those darn seals!

it's OUR planet--we were here first, dammit, and nobody will come before our immediate economic interest!!!

[Kool Kitty]

11. I hate these fucking bastards.

Each and every one of them. Every day, every goddamn day, not just one thing that makes your head explode, but lots of things that make your head explode. Why is the only life they care about seem to be rich white male life? Bastards. Dirty rotten bastards.

[blindpig]

15. More Leatherback information

In 1980 there were 115,000 female Leatherback turtles. Today there are 25,000 and they are close to extinction in the Pacific.

For more information and to help go here:

http://www.leatherback.org /

For more depressing information try this:

http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/sw/impacts/biology/turtles...

[The Stranger]

17. Can someone please save our fucking planet from this Administration.

Anyone.

[Eugene]

18. The government's rationale is unbelievable.

From the article:

The market for swordfish in the United States is strong, fishermen said.
Without a loosening of the restrictions, imports will dominate the market
leaving the species at greater risk because of the lack of regulations and
higher turtle-population density in other countries, fisherman Pete Dupuy said.

The markets must be satisfied, and if we don't let some turtles be killed,
the foreigners will do it even worse. BushCo's just gotta stripmine the whole planet.

Damn these fuckers to hell!

[Red1]

19. remember

the govt is a reflection of this countrys citizens, right or wrong

the corrections need to come from within, through education, it isn't easy

not including the members of DU, the rest need to come to their senses

the bush admn. is just the worst of us all

[NYC]

22. If we don't kill them here, they'll kill them over there.

Like the Iraq war, but in the opposite direction.

We're fighting them there so we won't have to fight them here.
We're killing them here so they won't have to kill them there.

[enlightenment]

20. Another golden moment in the NCLA plan --

No Creature Left Alive, that is.

[NYC]

21. Picture showing size of leatherback.

[shanti]

23. WHY WHY WHY???????

are they rolling back all these protection rules?? i just can't wrap my mind around this!