As a recreation angler who cares about conservation, I respectfully request that members of the U.S. House vote yes on the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act.
Drift gillnets are an outdated commercial fishing method that produce excessive bycatch and waste, including popular sportfish, marine mammals and sea turtles. More than half of their catch is discarded as unwanted, prohibited or protected species. It’s time large-mesh drift gillnets are eliminated from California as they have been throughout the rest of the country.
In other U.S. and international fisheries, these gillnets have already been replaced by methods like deep-set buoy gear, which are productive for the targeted species and produce virtually no bycatch.
I urge House members to join their Senate colleagues, who passed the measure by unanimous consent, in helping to pass this important legislation that will ensure that all U.S. waters are free of this highly destructive fishing gear.
Richard Graham
Ojai
