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Defenders Wins Reprieve for Threatened and Endangered Sea Turtles
Through grassroots activism and legal advocacy, Defenders of Wildlife has raised the alarm about bottom longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, where threatened and endangered sea turtles have been drowning and dying at alarming rates the victims of razor sharp hooks on fishing lines that span anywhere from four to nine nautical miles.
To save these turtles, the Defenders legal team engaged in intense negotiations with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in spring 2009, taking legal action and mobilizing nearly 50,000 caring Defenders supporters like you to speak out in favor of closing the bottom longline fishery in the Gulf of Mexico.
In April 2009, our efforts paid off in a huge victory for threatened and endangered sea turtles. The NMFS ordered a 6-month emergency closure of the bottom longline fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, providing a crucial lifeline to protect the lives of imperiled sea turtles from capture and death in the fishery.
More information
Press Release: Emergency action implemented for threatened and endangered sea turtles (4/29/09)
Learn more about sea turtles: did you know there are seven different species of sea turtles in the world's oceans?
Adopt a sea turtle. Make a symbolic adoption to help support our efforts to protect these wonderful animals.
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