Indiscriminate Killing

Off the coast of California, giant mile-long fishing nets are left to “soak” overnight. In the morning, fisherman pull up their catch – and that catch often includes dead dolphins, with water in their lungs and netting dug into their skin.

These dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles and whales struggle to escape, but the nets are so massive and strong that it’s nearly impossible. Trapped, they struggle until they run out of air.

For the fishing industry using these walls of death, dead dolphins are just another part of doing business.

Enough is enough. Oceana’s new report has identified these drift gillnets as among the top offenders in the nation – and now it’s time to hold them accountable and change these devastating practices.

Our new report on the needless waste and death of marine wildlife revealed some truly horrifying numbers. Nine U.S. fisheries fish so indiscriminately that they have to throw out almost as much as they bring to shore, and much of this wasted catch dies before or after being tossed overboard.

These fishing practices irreversibly harm our precious ocean ecosystems, indiscriminately killing animals big and small, and leaving millions of edible fish like cod and halibut sinking dead to the bottom of the sea.

Simple changes—like switching from giant nets to selective harpoons—would make a huge difference, and we need the help of ocean-lovers like you to make them a reality. Your gift today will help Oceana push for stronger enforcement and better regulations to minimize wasted catch, put pressure on these fisheries to do the right thing, and protect the amazing animals who call our oceans home.

But stopping them won’t be easy. We will need to influence legislation, put people on the ground, and keep the story in the press to get these fisheries to clean up their act. Put simply, we won’t be able to do it without people like you standing behind us.

Please, help make the difference for dolphins and sea turtles. Chip in by midnight on Friday to join Oceana in the fight to protect ocean wildlife in the U.S. and around the world. »

These fisheries are driven by profits – not what’s right. Changing their ways is going to take time and money. Your help is critical to keep up the fight so that we can continue to put pressure on the worst offenders and the federal government to enforce stronger common-sense regulations.

I’m so glad we have you with us for these critical fights.

For the oceans,
Susan Murray
Deputy Vice President, Pacific
Oceana

Airgun Blast Kills Whales

Dear Gabriel,

A whale’s ears can be more important than its eyes. And one loud airgun blast may deafen a whale forever. A deaf whale is a dead whale. Without a way to communicate, hear danger, or sound out the waters, whales and dolphins deafened by seismic airgun blasts may find themselves lost, hungry, or killed by a predator they couldn’t detect.

These blasts are used to find oil and gas under the seafloor, and they may soon be used in Atlantic waters off the U.S. coast. Oceana is fighting to block these plans and protect our Atlantic shores. Become a 2013 member today to join the fight to save the Atlantic and all the animals who are threatened by these deadly blasts »

The waters slated for seismic airgun testing include territory used by endangered North Atlantic right whales. With less than 500 of these whales left, we can’t afford to let a single one be harmed by seismic airguns. These airguns create blasts as loud as dynamite and go off every 10 seconds for weeks at a time.

We’ve gathered thousands of signatures against seismic airgun testing from activists like you, including 40,000 on the official White House petition site. Our organizers on the ground are bringing together coastal communities and rallying against these dangerous plans. We’ve managed to get seismic testing in the Atlantic delayed—but we’re not going to stop fighting. Can we count on your help?

After seismic testing in Madagascar, dozens of melon-headed whales beached themselves and died. The Department of the Interior estimates that 138,500 dolphins and whales will be injured by the proposed testing in the Atlantic.

Harmful seismic testing is also the first step to oil drilling off the Atlantic coast, bringing the threat of deadly oil spills to new waters. Your 2013 Oceana membership will help us ramp up our efforts to protect dolphins, whales and their habitats in the Atlantic and all over the world »

For the oceans,
Rachael Prokop
Oceana

These Whales Need Help

Dear Gabriel,

Sperm whales are family creatures. The endangered whales travel in pods with their relatives and spend years raising their young. But the time they spend carefully raising each child means that it will take a very long time for these creatures to replenish their numbers and rise out of endangered status.

And while we wait for their numbers to grow, healthy sperm whales are having their lives cut short by drift gillnets off the coast of California. Drift gillnets are mile-long walls of nets that are left out in ocean waters overnight to catch swordfish and thresher sharks. But these nets also catch these endangered whales. We need your help to save them.

You can help stop the unnecessary killing of sperm whales. Donate today to help meet the $50,000 goal by May 15»

Southern California’s deep waters are home to an abundance of squid—a sperm whale’s favorite snack. And while pods of whales are swimming in these squid-rich waters, they may find themselves facing a wall of nets.

In 2010, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) estimated that 16 sperm whales became entangled in drift gillnets off of Southern California. For Pacific sperm whales, which take so long to give birth and which have such a small population, those 16 whales were irreplaceable. If we continue to allow drift gillnets to kill these whales, their future is at risk.

Sperm whales can grow to over 50 feet long and weigh 40 tons. You would think these massive creatures would not have much to fear, but a mile-long net wrapped around their fins or tail can keep them from swimming, cause lethal injury, and even trap them underwater. A sperm whale can hold its breath for a long time, but if it’s held underwater overnight in a drift gillnet, it will drown.

It’s time to stop this practice. Oceana is working to convince NMFS and the state of California to phase out this deadly gear type and replace it with cleaner gears, but we need help to keep up the fight.

Give by May 15 to help us protect endangered whales and the world’s oceans»

Your support will help us fund our work to protect ocean ecosystems off the California coast and across the globe. Our work has resulted in great victories in these waters—from establishing a protected area for leatherback sea turtles to stopping an expansion of these deadly drift gillnets—and now it’s time for us to continue the fight and end drift gillnetting in California altogether.

Thanks for all that you do.

For the oceans,
Rachael Prokop
Oceana

Adopt A Dolphin

Dear Gabriel,

Dolphins, like humans, use calls to communicate and stay together.

But if blasted constantly by seismic testing for oil, it’s easy for babies and mothers to get separated.

Adopt a dolphin»

Dolphins are among the most intelligent animals on Earth. A mother and baby will use calls to communicate, just like humans.

They also form tight bonds with each other, seeming to grieve for lost family members.

Those emotional bonds are too often ripped apart. Seismic testing for oil drilling can send noise blasts hundreds of miles, every 10 seconds for weeks, which harm dolphins and drown out their voices.

With one simple act – adopting a dolphin – you can play a big role in saving baby dolphins from that deafening noise.

Oceana’s comprehensive campaign to stop seismic testing in the Atlantic and implement stronger international bycatch rules is pushing us closer to a day when these gentle, smart creatures are safe.

Adopting a dolphin with the Dolphin Gift Pack Adoption means getting:

• A cozy stuffed dolphin for you or your loved one
• Personalized adoption certificate
• Dolphin cookie cutter
• Seasonal cookie recipe

We’ll do the gift wrapping for you for just $5!

Each adoption helps fund our work around the world – from protecting sea turtles and whales from drowning in fishing nets, to keeping oil drilling out of the Arctic, to stopping seismic blasts from harming dolphins.

Cross some gifts off your list with animal adoptions from Oceana.

If you’re interested in adopting a different ocean animal, browse our online adoption center to see all of our great selections.

For dolphins and all other ocean creatures,
Emily Fisher
Oceana

Over 100 Million Years Old

Dear Gabriel,

Adopt a sea turtle for a loved one this holiday season – and be a part of the urgent fight to save these ancient creatures.

When you adopt a sea turtle before December 1, you’ll get 10% off. Just enter the code EARLYBIRD at checkout. Shipping is free!»

All seven species of sea turtle are over 100 million years old, making them some of the very few animals to survive since the time of the dinosaurs.

Many migrate across entire oceans every year from their feeding grounds to the beaches where they lay their eggs.

Along that route, they face danger. Many turtles are caught in fishing nets and held under water for hours – left to struggle for air and then drown.

But with your help, we can save them. Adopt a sea turtle and play an important role in reducing the dangers these amazing creatures face every day.

Don’t wait! The holidays are just around the corner. Adopt a sea turtle or other ocean animal and get 10% off before December 1 when you enter the code EARLYBIRD at checkout.

Adopting a sea turtle is easy. With one $75 gift, you’ll send your loved one an amazing gift unlike any other, all while helping protect these ancient creatures. Included in the sea turtle adoption pack:

• Cuddly plush sea turtle
• Personalized adoption certificate
• Sea turtle cookie cutter
• Seasonal cookie recipe
• Knowledge that their adoption is helping sea turtles around the world.

For just $5 extra, we’ll do the gift wrapping for you – and if you want to make your gift greener, you can send the certificate electronically!

And the best part? Shipping with delivery by Christmas is free for a limited time.

Oceana is working hard to win protections for sea turtles and other animals that get brutally killed as bycatch. Adopt a sea turtle today to make sure those efforts stay strong in the coming year.

Sea turtles need advocates – and by adopting one you’re becoming one of their strongest supporters. Adopt a sea turtle or other ocean animal today – shipping is free!

With so many sea turtles at risk, the right choice for gifts this season is adoptions. Thank you for all that you do.

For sea turtles everywhere,
Emily Fisher
Oceana

Walls of Death

Dear Gabriel,

Sea Turtles Caught in “Walls of Death”

Endangered turtles and whales need your help. Deadly drift gillnets off the coast of California are threatening the lives of leatherback turtles, sperm whales, and other marine animals. These mile-long nets, left out overnight to catch swordfish, create an underwater “wall of death” for anything unlucky enough to swim into them.

These nets should be banned, but instead the fishery may soon expand. We’re fighting to protect these rare and important creatures, but we need your support. Donate $10 today and your gift will be DOUBLED!

Oceana.org

Powerful Majestic Creatures

Dear Gabriel,

Sperm whales are one of the world’s most powerful, majestic sea creatures – but they’re no match for drift gillnets.

In just one year, an estimated 16 sperm whales were drowned in gillnets off the coast of California. That’s not counting the sharks, turtles, dolphins, and other open ocean animals that are caught in greater numbers.

These nets, which are supposed to catch swordfish, are notorious for killing some of our oceans’ most endangered species. They should be banned—but instead they continue to kill turtles, sharks, whales and more.

That kind of indiscriminate killing of ocean wildlife cannot be allowed to continue, so we are fighting to stop the use of swordfish drift gillnets off the coast of California.

You can help us meet our $40,000 goal if you chip in – and until October 31, every gift you give will be MATCHED for double the impact. Donate just $10 today and join the fight to stop deadly gillnets»

The destructive power of gillnets cannot be underestimated, even for the formidable sperm whale.

Up to 65 feet long and weighing over 50 tons, these deep diving whales can hold their own against nearly anything in the oceans. But sperm whales were prized by whalers in the 18th and 19th centuries for the spermaceti oil contained in their large heads, and were hunted mercilessly.

They grow slowly, taking time to raise their young between births. Without human interference, a sperm whale may live to be 70 years old. But a young whale caught in a net doesn’t just lose those decades of life—it loses its chance to have babies and help replenish a population still struggling from the effects of whaling.

Six weeks ago, we filed our formal intent to sue the federal government for violating the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This is precisely the kind of action that will force the government to protect endangered ocean wildlife threatened by gillnets.

While they can be expensive, these lawsuits work. A similar lawsuit in 2009 forced the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service to grant protections for the endangered loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles. Our fight against the use of drift gillnets in places where endangered sea creatures reside could save more turtles and whales – but only if we have the resources we need to win.

With your help, we can continue the fight for sperm whales and other ocean creatures around the world. Give $10 today and we’ll DOUBLE your support!»

For the oceans,
Emily Fisher
Oceana

Arms Around Antarctic

Dear Friends,

Antarctic waters are home to almost 10,000 species including many of the world’s great whales. But industrial fishing fleets, roaming ever further, threaten their survival. Amazingly we now have a chance to save them by getting governments to create the world’s largest network of marine protected areas there.

In days, 25 countries will meet behind closed doors to decide the fate of Antarctica’s Southern Ocean. Most of them want to save it, but Korea and Russia are leading an effort to scupper the deal for the sake of their own fishing interests. If enough of us raise our voices now, we can break open this meeting, isolate the wreckers, get behind the champions and help create a vital refuge before it’s too late.

The whales and penguins can’t speak for themselves, so the outcome is up to us. Once 750,000 people have signed, Avaaz will flood the talks with hard-hitting billboard ads to cause a stir and convey our message to key delegates. Sign the petition to save the Antarctic Ocean:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_southern_ocean_1/?bMPbqab&v=18723

An incredible myriad of animals live in these remote waters, many found nowhere else on Earth. Orcas, blue whales, leopard seals, Emperor and Adelie penguins, Antarctic petrels — they are threatened like never before by a cruel mix of rapidly advancing fishing technology and climate change. Massive protected zones in the Southern Ocean is the only way to guarantee their survival.

For the last 20 years mining and oil drilling have been banned in the Antarctic. And CCAMLR, the 25 member governing body that regulates the ocean in this region, has already committed in principle to creating these marine protected areas. But the two plans being negotiated — one to protect part of the fragile Ross Sea and one for East Antarctica — are at risk of dilution or delay. Let’s make sure that disagreement doesn’t destroy our dream of saving Antarctica’s ocean… and our planet.

A small group of negotiators now holds the future of this ocean in their hands. They won’t put the planet before profits – unless they know we’re paying attention! Let’s unleash a massive surge of global pressure right now. Click the link below to sign and then share the petition with everyone!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_southern_ocean_1/?bMPbqab&v=18723

We know we can win on oceans. Our community has already helped establish the two largest marine reserves in the world. Let’s throw our arms around the Antarctic Ocean now and save it before it’s too late.

With hope,

Alex, Luis, Lisa, Ricken, Laura, Emma, Jooyea and the whole Avaaz team

Hawaiian Sea Turtles

From Change.org

Protect Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles
Started by: Chris, Woodacre, California

My name is Chris Pincetich, and for as long as I can remember, my fondest childhood memories were swimming nearby Hawaii’s sea turtles. My family and friends on Oahu all care deeply about local green sea turtles, known as honu to native Hawaiians, but now the honu are threatened by a proposal to remove protections that have allowed them to thrive.

Over the last forty years, hunting of sea turtles has been banned on Hawaii and now it is common to see sea turtles basking in the sun without fear. If hunting them were again allowed, they would be slaughtered on public beaches for their meat and shells, to be sold to restaurants and turned into souvenirs.

Take action before the October 1 to ensure a future for Hawaiian honu!

Thanks to conservation work by SeaTurtles.org and allies, sea turtles have a fighting chance to recover from the brink of extinction. In Hawaii, they are rebounding from just 67 nesting females to over 800 now. However, their population is far short of the published goal of 5,000 Pacific green sea turtles needed to declare their population as recovered.

The honu are innocent ancient ocean navigators that deserve protection from hunting. The National Marine Fisheries Service needs to hear from you today that you oppose removing them from the Endangered Species Act, oppose the movement to allow hunting of sea turtles, and support protecting critical habitat for the honu. (Proposed rule NOAA-NMFS-2012-0154)

Join our ‘Ohana (family) at SeaTurtles.org to protect the honu, check the box when you sign-on to keep informed!

Click here to sign CHRIS’s petition, “National Marine Fisheries Service: Protect Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles”.

PG&E DEAFENING SEA LIFE

Gabriel,

The blue whales, humpback whales, sea otters, dolphins and porpoises living off of California’s central coast are at serious risk of coming under attack from deadly seismic testing.

An energy company called Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is trying to get approval to continue operating a dangerous nuclear power plant that sits at the intersection of multiple earthquake fault lines. It is hoping a map of the Shoreline Fault’s deeper regions will help with the approval process.

The testing proposal calls for powerful air cannons to shoot deafening underwater explosions every 13 seconds for 42 straight days to create a map of the sea floor in an area that California has set aside as a marine reserve. According to one local official, the testing would “cleanse the Point Buchon State Marine Reserve of all living marine organisms.” We can’t let that happen.

There’s a public forum happening on Monday to discuss this issue. Greenpeace will be there and we want you to join us. Help us collect 40,000 messages of support from around the country for protecting all these amazing marine creatures by taking action today.

Tell the California Fish and Game Commission to block PG&E’s reckless seismic testing plan and to protect the blue whales, humpback whales and other creatures that call the Pacific coast of the United States home.

We know the horrible effects this kind of testing has on marine life. It’s been done before. Each underwater blast will be at a volume level that will instantly deafen and possibly kill everything unfortunate enough to be in its path in the most barbaric way imaginable.

PG&E knows what this testing will do. The company has already offered compensation to local fishermen who rely on the area for their livelihood. But the impacts of this testing would go on for years and its impossible to put a pricetag on the loss of a species like the blue whale.

Humpback and blue whales have actually just begun appearing in amazing, pre-hunting numbers in the area to feed on krill for the winter. We’ve been waiting decades for this. These whales and other marine life don’t need to die so that an energy company can profit by continuing to operate a dangerous nuclear power plant on top of earthquake fault lines.

Gabriel, this is your chance to speak out against PG&E’s crazy plan. Make your voice heard and take action today to save the marine life off the coast of central California from deadly seismic testing.

Sincerely,

Phil Kline
Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner