A new analysis by Oceana found crews in the California set gillnet fishery have severely underreported the number of seals and sea lions caught and killed or injured over the past 20 years.

Researchers estimate fishing crews are reporting marine mammal bycatch just 6% of the time.

Caitlynn Birch, Pacific marine scientist for Oceana, said it proves the need for government observers onboard the boats.

"It's well known by fishery managers that self-reporting is unreliable," Birch asserted. "However, there's no enforcement. If there's no third-party, federal fishery observer out there, they're not going to say that they killed a sea lion?"

The National Marine Fisheries Service stopped posting observers on fishing boats around 2017. The Marine Resource Committee of the California Fish and Game Commission meets Nov. 16 to consider a suite of measures to protect wildlife, including a new observer program.

The Commission and the Department of Fish and Wildlife are working to update management of the set gillnet fishery, improve data collection and reduce bycatch.

Birch argued fishery managers need observers on the vessels or electronic monitoring in order to accurately quantify the fisheries' impacts on wildlife.

"If we don't have correct data we're flying blind," Birch contended. "In terms of trying to manage a fishery that has high rates of bycatch and interacts with protected species."

Log books from 2005 and 2012 showed fishing crews self-reported an average of 12 incidents per year where set gillnets caught a California sea lion or harbor seal. Federal officials estimated the real number is 212 per year, based on fishery data acquired on trips where an observer was on board.

Critics of a conservative plan to expand offshore oil drilling said it endangers coastal communities who rely on a healthy ocean.

Project 2025, written by the right-leaning Heritage Foundation, aims to dramatically reshape U.S. energy policy, opening millions of acres to new oil and gas production.

Angelo Villagomez, ocean director at the Center for American Progress, said it prioritizes short-term profits over long-term climate sustainability.

"It's going to prohibit the United States from even including the word climate change in any of our government documents," Villagomez pointed out. "You can't deal with these real threats just by closing your eyes and pretending that it's not there."

While offshore drilling is illegal in New Hampshire, Villagomez noted operations elsewhere spread toxins far and wide, harming marine life and vital habitats. Supporters of the plan said offshore drilling releases fewer emissions and gets America closer to being energy independent.

Project 2025 also promotes the dismantling and privatization of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The federal agency handles the vast majority of climate, weather and marine science research as well as commercial fishing regulations. Villagomez argued breaking up the agency could lead to chaos on the water and economic instability for vital industries throughout New England.

"NOAA manages all of our fisheries," Villagomez explained. "So are we going to let all of the states have different rules for how we manage fisheries?"

Former President Donald Trump has claimed he has no knowledge of Project 2025, however many parts of the plan were written by members of his former administration. The plan would undo much of President Joe Biden's executive order to protect at least 30% of American land and ocean areas by 2030.

Florida's saltwater anglers are increasingly frustrated by sharks swooping in and taking their catch in what is known as shark depredation.

The resurgence of shark populations is affecting recreational fishing across the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast.

Marcus Drymon, associate extension professor at Mississippi State University and marine fisheries specialist for the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, said the issue has become particularly pronounced in the Sunshine State, where anglers report losing more fish to sharks than ever before.

"For recreational fishermen in Florida, this is causing a lot of anger and frustration over lost fishing opportunities," Drymon observed. "Anglers are saying when they used to be able to catch fish without sharks biting them and they can no longer do that."

A recent panel at ICAST, the world's largest sportfishing trade show, focused on shark depredation, which took place in Orlando last month. Experts said the issue affects the broader fishing industry, particularly charter fishermen who depend on successful trips for their income.

Some are calling attention to the bipartisan SHARKED Act, which passed unanimously in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year, intended to assemble a task force to explore solutions to the problem.

Chris Macaluso, director of the Center for Marine Fisheries for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said the increase in shark depredation is partly due to the success of shark conservation efforts over the past few decades. He is hoping to see the final passage of the SHARKED Act to help guide any actions taken based on science.

"Ramp up the amount of scientific knowledge and the sharing of knowledge and the gathering of scientific data when it comes to shark populations," Macaluso urged. "To see if there are some management changes that could take place that would reduce these negative encounters with sharks. "

As shark populations recover and more anglers take to the water, the conflict between sharks and anglers will likely intensify. However, experts are hopeful with continued research and legislative support, effective solutions can be found to balance anglers' needs with the ongoing success of shark conservation efforts.

Scientists in Massachusetts are working to protect historic shipwrecks and the habitats they provide from dangerous marine debris.

There's more than two hundred shipwrecks in the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary near Cape Cod alone. It's also a popular whale watching and fishing location.

Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser - an associate scientist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - said discarded nets, traps, and plastics are damaging the ships' structures and harming the creatures who call them home.

"All of that impacts wildlife because it becomes ingested," said Meyer-Kaiser. "It can entangle organisms such as seals and fish."

She said new federal funding will help develop robotic technology to safely undo entangled nets from some of the deepest shipwrecks and float them to the surface, where they can be retrieved.

The Biden Administration has allocated nearly $30 million to tackle the increasing amount of marine debris through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

One study alone shows there's now enough fishing line left in the ocean each year to reach the moon and back.

Meyer-Kaiser said she and her colleagues aim to work with commercial and recreational fisheries to find out why, and develop ways coastal communities can find solutions.

"We want to have an honest conversation with all relevant parties at the table," said Meyer-Kaiser. "And begin to constructively and collaboratively design a policy recommendation, that can be implemented to prevent marine debris from entangling on shipwrecks in the future."

Meyer-Kaiser said new funding will also develop classroom lessons to teach K-12 students about the harms of marine debris to ocean creatures and their historic homes.

That includes what's often referred to as the Titanic of New England - the steamship Portland, which sank off the coast of Massachusetts in 1898.





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