Foreign Fisheries Contribute to Marine Mammal Deaths
Imported fish doesn't meet the same safety standards as domestic catches, says environmental group.
There's something fishy in U.S. seafood, suggests a report finding that methods used in foreign fisheries contribute heavily to deaths of marine mammals such as seals, dolphins, and whales.
"Net Loss: The Killing of Marine Mammals in Foreign Fisheries," the report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) conservation group, suggests that more than 650,000 marine mammals are killed or seriously injured every year—trapped or entangled by illegal nets or longline hooks—in foreign fisheries.
A lot of the foreign fish ends up eaten by domestic seafood fans. "The U.S. is importing more than 91 percent of all seafood it consumes, half of that being wild-caught," says NRDC report author Zak Smith. "So it can make a difference in the global market."
While
