4,600只海龟每年在美国渔业中丧生

渔业之间的兼捕的海龟丢失是令人心动的。目前，我们因捕鱼每年杀死估计的4,600只海龟 - 它们被包裹在网上或钩住为鱼类设置的诱饵线。但是，一份新报告表明，自1990年以来，这代表了海龟减少了90％的海龟。因此，4,600人死亡的好消息？我们正在取得进步，还是我们仍然是一条永远失去海龟的道路？

渔业正在取得进展

保护国际报告，“Duke University的项目全球研究人员（全球逐个捕获物种的评估）和保护国际（CI）由国家海洋渔业服务（NMF）报告的可用信息，负责管理美国渔业的机构估算how many sea turtles were taken as bycatch by U.S. fishermen between 1990 and 2007. Bycatch is the accidental capture and injury of marine animals in fishing gear that are not the target catch species. The researchers estimated that 4,600 sea turtles currently perish each year in U.S. coastal waters, but nevertheless represents a 90-percent reduction in previous death rates."

据研究人员介绍，好消息是真的渔业在过去二十年中遵循新的兼捕减少措施的努力已经取得了显著凹痕。其中包括在长线上使用圆圈钩子，这些圈钩不太可能在诱饵钩子之后的乌龟，可以节省钩住的龟而不是伤害它，而不是更多的，在虾拖网上使用“乌龟排除设备”允许龟在被抓住后逃脱的网，以及关于在海龟最有可能存在的时候保持特定区域的规则。

但当然，杀死的海龟数量是坏消息。即使是海龟的死亡也会是坏消息。尽管如此，虽然每年的4,600海龟亏损仍然是一个严重的问题，但它比20年前估计的71,000人少了90％。总捕获率下降60％，仅为300,000以下的138,000。Though that is across 20 fisheries in the US, Conservation International notes, "Shrimp trawls in the Gulf of Mexico and Southeastern U.S. alone accounted for up to 98% of all takes [and 80% of all turtle deaths due to bycatch] during the past two decades."

更仍然需要完成

研究完成后，研究人员意识到这些措施的效果是如何帮助拯救海龟 - 但也需要更多的改善。目前尚不清楚的是，海龟人群是否正在得到足够的帮助，以至于他们可能会在遭受大量损失后恢复。

杜克大学保护国际和兼职教师院校学习和科学研究和科学研究和科学研究总监研究和主任。"Bycatch limits must be set unilaterally across all U.S. fisheries with overall impacts to populations in mind, much as it's done for marine mammals. This would ensure that these bycatch reductions are successful in recovering sea turtle populations...The bottom line is, we have the tools and the knowledge to save these iconic but threatened animals. We just have to commit to consistently implementing these tools in fisheries in U.S. waters and around the world to promote sustainable fisheries with reduced bycatch."

Oceana的伊丽莎白格里芬威尔逊, senor manager for marine wildlife, is less excited about the report's findings: "It is disgraceful that U.S. fisheries are allowed to kill 4,600 endangered and threatened sea turtles each year - and that is the best case scenario. This estimate also assumes that sea turtle protection measures are being followed in all U.S. fisheries. The actual number of sea turtles killed in U.S. fisheries is likely significantly higher."

因此，虽然报告中的好消息是取得的进展，但坏消息是我们仍然每年丢失成千上万的海龟 - 而美国水域中发现的所有物种都受到威胁或濒临灭绝。事实上，在我们可以说海龟与钓鱼线和篮网中相对安全的情况下，还有很长的路要走。