Conservation and animal protection organisations have filed a lawsuit in the US Court of International Trade against several federal officials and departments, challenging their failure to enforce the import provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
These provisions are designed to protect marine mammals from bycatch in foreign fishing gear by requiring countries exporting seafood to the United States to adhere to the same standards as US fisheries.
The lawsuit was brought forward by the Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) against the US Department of Commerce, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the US Department of the Treasury, and the US Department of Homeland Security, along with their respective leaders. It seeks a court order to compel the government to enforce the MMPA’s requirement to ban seafood imports from countries whose fishing practices result in the deaths of too many marine mammals. Although sharks are classified as fish, this lawsuit, if successful, could also benefit them.
“The US government has violated the MMPA for far too long, causing significant harm to marine mammals worldwide,” said Kate O’Connell, senior policy consultant for the Animal Welfare Institute’s Marine Wildlife Programme. “It is reprehensible that more than half a century after the MMPA was enacted, Americans are still purchasing seafood with an invisible side of shark, whale, dolphin, porpoise, or seal. Enough is enough.”
Around 70% to 85% of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported from over 130 countries, including Canada, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Mexico. The United States is the world’s largest seafood importer, with over $21 billion worth of seafood products brought in annually, representing more than 15% of the global value of all marine food products in trade.
Each year, over 650,000 sharks, dolphins, whales, seals and other marine mammals are killed or severely injured in fishing gear. These animals become trapped in nets, entangled in fishing lines, or caught on fishing hooks, and are classified as bycatch from commercial fisheries targeting various other species, including popular consumer choices such as swordfish, tuna, shrimp, and crab.
This ongoing crisis highlights the urgent need for stronger protections and enforcement to safeguard vulnerable marine species, especially sharks, from the devastating impact of bycatch.
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