As Fisheries Service Dithers, New
England Porpoises Drown written by Carl Safina and Andrew
Read of National Geographic describes a growing problem off the coast of Maine.
Everyone has heard of dolphins getting caught in fishing nets. Since dolphins
are mammals they must surface regularly to get oxygen. If they are caught in a
net and cannot surface, they literally drown.
What happens to dolphins also affects porpoises. In
the article, I learned that tens of thousands of porpoises have died already
within the last 15 years. The worst part is, there is a simple solution to the
problem, but most fishermen are too lazy to use it.
“It” is called a Pinger. Pingers are small
electronic devices that are easily attached to gill-nets, the very nets porpoises
get caught in. Porpoises cannot see the nets in the water, and swim straight
into them, and get stuck. But Pingers help by sending out a small tone every
four seconds. The noise alerts porpoises to the net so they can properly avoid
it.
Pingers are cheap, simple, and easy to use. So why
don’t fishermen use them? It is actually illegal to have gill-nets without
pingers attached. All are aware of the law, yet they continue to ignore it and
thus murder hundreds more porpoises.
When the pinger law was first implemented in 1998,
porpoise deaths dropped by 95%. Ninety-five percent! But over the years federal
support waned. 75% of fishermen stopped using pingers, as observed by federals
on board boats. Porpoise deaths have risen yet again to 800 per year.
I am horrified by the number of fishermen who are
just being lazy and killing porpoises because of it. If strict legal action is not taken soon,
there might not be any porpoises left in New England. Everyone is all for
saving the dolphins and whales, now it’s time to stick up for the porpoises.
Many people have gotten involved in this issue,
saying “no pingers, no nets”. If you are caught with no pingers, your nets are
taken away. Will this help the problem? What would you do?
At the end of you post you ask some questions about a "no pinger, no nets" policy. I believe this policy would be very effective. If you are caught breaking the law there needs to be a punishment. This punishment makes sense if you don't have a legal net you can't use it. If you're caught using it you get it taken away. Not only does this make sense logically but to the fishermen it would make sense economically. I am sure a net costs a lot more than a pinger, which you mention are very cheap, therefore buying a cheap pinger makes you more profit than having your net taken away. I think this solution would make perfect sense and help to save porpoises!
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