Sixteen endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtles have been injured or killed in the Hawaii-based longline swordfish fishery this year causing an immediate halt to the entire fishery thanks to policies put in place by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project and allies. Longline fishing remains the leading threat to endangered leatherbacks, driving them towards extinction in the Pacific.

Regulations governing the Hawaii-based shallow-set pelagic longline fishery for swordfish include annual limits of 16 leatherback sea turtles and 17 loggerhead sea turtles that can be hooked, injured or killed.  Since the limit for leatherbacks was reached, Hawaii longline vessels are prohibited from shallow-set fishing north of the Equator for the remainder of the calendar year. 

Take action to demand immediate protections for leatherbacks! Click here to demand critical habitat be finalized for Pacific leatherbacks.

Earlier this year, the Sea Turtle Restoration Project and allies successfully defended the sea turtle take limits for loggerheads in court, victoriously returning the take limit to 17 loggerheads allowed to be injured or killed each year in the fishery after the limit was raised to 46. Click here to read our press release on the loggerhead longline victory.

Click here to read our press release on our victory achieving an uplist to endangered status for Pacific loggerheads, which immediately triggered increased scrutiny of the longline fishery on their imperiled population.