“Fragile deep-sea corals play a critical role in the marine ecosystem and must be protected,” said CLF Senior Attorney Erica Fuller. “Coral provide essential habitat for many important commercial and recreational fish species, and they are highly vulnerable to disturbances with any damage taking decades or centuries to recover. This rule is a good step in protecting some corals in select areas, but more must be done to expand these protections in the Gulf of Maine.”
Jun 22
2021
2021
Apr 1
2021
2021
Enough Analysis. It’s Time for Action to Protect Right Whales from Vessel Strikes
Regulators have known for more than 20 years that vessel strikes kill right whales at an alarming rate. But to date, they haven’t put forward a real solution.
Mar 19
2021
2021
Enough Analysis. It’s Time for Action to Protect Right Whales from Vessel Strikes
Regulators have known for more than 20 years that vessel strikes kill right whales at an alarming rate. But to date, they haven’t put forward a real solution.
Dec 30
2020
2020
NOAA Proposes New Rule to Protect Right Whales
“After such an unprecedented delay, this new rule will help stem the surge of right whale deaths we’ve seen over the last several years,” said Erica Fuller, Senior Attorney at CLF. “Ropeless fishing is the only solution that protects whales and fishermen, and the rule expands that practice. However, NOAA must end its reliance on weak rope as a solution and get emergency protections on the water immediately while this rule is finalized.”
Oct 26
2020
2020
Preliminary Estimate: 366 Endangered Right Whales Remain on Earth
“These population estimates are devastating,” said Erica Fuller, Senior Attorney at Conservation Law Foundation. “The outlook is grim if we do not act today. We know human activities are decimating this population, what will it take for federal fishery managers to finally take action to protect these magnificent animals?”
Oct 13
2020
2020
Entangled Right Whale Spotted Off New Jersey Coast
“Tragically, this is yet another dead whale swimming,” said Emily Green, Senior Attorney at CLF. “Entanglements in fishing line basically torture the whale to death and pose one of the greatest threats to the recovery of this species. Right whales can be saved, but we must make difficult decisions to protect them now or else witness their demise.”
Sep 30
2020
2020
Fishery Managers Adopt 100% Monitoring Plan
“Atlantic cod is one of New England’s most iconic fish and it is in peril,” said Allison Lorenc, Policy Analyst at CLF. “Establishing a new understanding of catch through 100% monitoring will provide scientists and managers with the information they need to prevent overfishing and help species like cod recover to healthy populations. A sustainable fishery must be based on accurate data, and the fishery management council demonstrated their commitment to that today while also minimizing the economic burden on the industry.”
Jul 31
2020
2020
We Must Protect More of Our Ocean
We know that to protect biodiversity and build our ocean’s resilience to climate change, we must protect much more of New England’s ocean.
Jun 25
2020
2020
Right Whale Found Dead in U.S. Waters
“This death is a tragedy,” said Erica Fuller, CLF Senior Attorney. “Like most of the right whales before it, this one didn’t die of natural causes. NOAA must take the threat of ship strikes seriously. We urgently need more surveillance of whale habitats and mandatory vessel speed restrictions in these areas as soon as possible.”
Apr 15
2020
2020
Update: How to Track Right Whales from the Comfort of Your Home
Thanks to technology, you can spot endangered North Atlantic right whales from your couch. Right now, the whales that traveled south for the winter are migrating back north to our waters. While we’re all at home, it’s a great time to add whale watching to your quarantine activity list.