Know the Costs
Know the real costs of commercial crab fishing
Hidden Costs
Whales
Marine FOod Web
Marine FOod Web
Approximately 2/3 of identified fishing gear-related whale entanglements are from commercial Dungeness Crab fishing.
Marine FOod Web
Marine FOod Web
Marine FOod Web
Commercial Dungeness crab fishing is diminishing a population already suffering from climate change and ocean acidification.
Plastic Pollution
Plastic Pollution
Plastic Pollution
Commercial fishing gear dumped in the oceans is the biggest plastic polluter in the seas. Continuing to use obsolete, untraceable crabbing gear contributes to the problem.
Social Inequity
Plastic Pollution
Plastic Pollution
Often costing around $50/pound, Dungeness Crab represents another example of socioeconomic inequity: as impacts are pushed onto the public, while the wealthy enjoy the benefit.
Meet the Victims
Whales
Since 2013, there has been a large increase in the overall number of whale entanglements reported along the U.S. west coast. More than 84 whales are known to have been entangled in commercial fishing gear.
Commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear is the most common source that has been identified during this period by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration- accounting for approximately 2/3 of all identified entanglements. But those are just the whales we know about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is all Dungeness Crab fishing bad for the ocean?
NO! Commercial and recreational fishing are very different, not only in scale, but also on their impact on the environment.
Is it just whales that are getting tangled in crab fishing gear?
NO! A variety of marine mammals and other wildlife are being trapped in abandoned fishing gear. Even Leatherback turtles are known to get tangled up in abandoned plastic fishing lines.
Aren't whales and other wildlife protected by the government?
THEORETICALLY. In 2018, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife asked the Trump Administration for permission for California's commercial fishing industry to "take" or coincidentally kill a number of Endangered Species Act-protected species.
How much of the Garbage Patch is abandoned Fishing gear?
A LOT! Abandoned fishing gear which is often deadly to marine life makes up the majority of large plastic pollution in the oceans, according to Greenpeace, and one study found that as much as 70% of the macroplastics contaminating the ocean are fishing-related. Read more at the Guardian
In the Pacific Ocean, a recent study of the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" in the North Pacific found that more than 86% of the more than 40,000 tons of plastics were fishing-related. Read more at the Guardian
About Us
Our Team
Our Mission
Our Mission
Our amazing team of regulars and part-time volunteers are committed to helping others. We take our convictions and turn them into action.
Our Mission
Our Mission
Our Mission
We focus on making the maximum positive effort through education and outreach.
We believe in building empowered, informed people who will create social, environmental, and economic justice.