DELAWARE - The Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN) has announced their intention to sue the states of Delaware, New York, and New Jersey over the illegal killing of Atlantic Sturgeon, a species listed as endangered.
A nonprofit advocating for Delaware River Watershed waterways, DRN says scored of the endangered fish are being killed in without proper permitting or approval mandated by the Endangered Species Act, especially as a result of incidental bycatch. Bycatch, according to DRN, is the catching of a species that is not wanted or targeted by fishermen, or is not allowed to be kept or sold, and are therefore discarded.
Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), states must apply for and obtain special permits that provide exceptions to these incidental bycatch occurrences. Those permits would also require tracking of the number of fish killed, which DRN says would help inform decisions on how best to protect the endangered species.
DRN alleges Delaware, New York, and New Jersey are in violation of the ESA in allowing commercial fisheries to kill Atlantic Sturgeon as bycatch while fishing for other species such as Striped Bass, Weakfish, Summer Flounder, and Winter Skate without applying for those special permits.
“The Delaware River’s population of Atlantic Sturgeon is known to be the most imperiled in the world,” said said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper and leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, who has filed the lawsuit notices. “According to scientists, we have less than 250 spawning adults left. And yet, these three states and the federal government have been turning a blind eye for years as the Atlantic Sturgeon of the Delaware and other river systems are killed as bycatch. This is a shocking display of disregard for the law, the public trust, and the sacred duty of these agencies to safeguard endangered species from extinction so they can continue to benefit present and future generations,” said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper and leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, who has filed the notices.”
DRN says trawl and gill nets used by commercial fisheries are the main cause of incidental deaths of Atlantic Sturgeon.
“As of now, it is clear that in the time that has passed: New York, New Jersey, and Delaware have failed to take any action to prevent, reduce or even track the bycatch impacts on Atlantic Sturgeon, and their knowing neglect has put the federally endangered Atlantic Sturgeon at further risk of extinction,” van Rossum added.