As the Trump administration continues its attack on our nation’s public lands and waters, it has never been more pressing to highlight the importance of a healthy ocean ecosystem. That is why CLF is heading to Washington, DC next week to participate in Capitol Hill Ocean Week.
Jun 6
2018
2018
May 22
2018
2018
Fishery Managers Must Recognize Atlantic Herring’s Key Role in Ocean Health
Atlantic herring is the main source of food for larger fish, whales, and seabirds. However, New England fishery managers currently don’t take herring’s key role as a food source into account when determining how many herring fisherman can catch. Now, there’s a chance to improve how New England sets herring catch limits.
May 17
2018
2018
CLF Continues Working to Restore Native River Herring to New England’s Coastal Rivers
Every year, alewives and blueback herring return to their native waters to spawn. But thousands of dams have cut these fish off from thousands of acres of freshwater bodies, thwarting reproductive cycles that had been ongoing for eons. The impact of these dams, on top of threats from pollution and overfishing, have led to a drastic decline in river herring populations – threatening their survival.
May 10
2018
2018
CLF Challenges National Marine Fisheries Service Habitat Protection Plan
Conservation Law Foundation has filed two challenges to the National Marine Fisheries Service Omnibus Habitat Amendment related to the impact of fishing gear on important species.
May 2
2018
2018
Fisheries Managers Fail to Protect Our Ocean (Again)
After 14 years of development, a newly approved plan for managing New England’s fisheries should have prioritized protection of important ocean habitats and improved the long-term well-being of our fishing economy. Instead, in a short-sighted decision, fishery managers put fragile habitats and overfished species at even greater risk than they are today.
Apr 20
2018
2018
These whales will be extinct in 25 years, scientists say — unless we act now to save them
Erica Fuller, an attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, observed the proceedings with growing frustration. “We’re facing extinction,” she said afterward. “We don’t have time to say nothing works, or everything is too expensive.”
Feb 5
2018
2018
Fishery Council’s Coral Protections Are Progress, Though More Could Have Been Done
When thinking about New England’s ocean, marine life like lobster, cod, and humpback whales might come to mind. Corals, on the other hand, might not make the list – though they should: New England’s ocean is home to many rich, vibrant, colorful deep-sea coral communities, some of which likely include organisms more than a thousand…
Jan 30
2018
2018
Fishing Council Approves Amendment to Protect Corals
“Using their authority under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to safeguard fragile corals is commendable,” said Allison Lorenc, Policy Analyst for Conservation Law Foundation. “However, the Council’s approval of Option 6 – based largely on fishing industry conjecture – is a missed opportunity to make decisions based on the best available information. The Council had an option on the table that would have protected far more corals and would not have had significant impacts on existing fisheries.”
Restoring River Herring
Alewives are critical to Maine’s fisheries but collapsed due to laws keeping the fish from spawning ground. CLF took action to save the species.
Jan 4
2018
2018
Not on Our Watch: Protecting New England’s Ocean from Offshore Drilling
[Update: On Jan. 4, 2018, the Trump administration announced a new five-year plan that would open up most U.S. continental shelf waters, including protected areas of the Arctic and the Atlantic, to oil and gas drilling. CLF joined 63 other groups in opposing this plan. Read the full joint statement here.] Over the past year, we’ve…