Conservation Group Sues to Protect Humpback Whales from Fishing Gear

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sued the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for failing to protect endangered Pacific humpback whales from deadly entanglements in sablefish pot gear off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. The complaint states that fishing gear entanglements are a leading threat to endangered humpback whales who migrate along the West Coast, where 48,521 square nautical miles were designated as their critical habitat in 2021. CBD is seeking declaratory judgment that NMFS violated the Endangered Species Act when it authorized incidental takes of humpback whales during commercial fishing in the sablefish fishery and is asking the court to vacate the authorization.