Seafood has become a major food source to many people and the demand for killing innocent animals in the process is rapidly rising. In California, most commercial fisheries catch their fish by using drift nets. Fishermen free float mesh nets (that are as tall as a five-story building and as long as the Golden Gate Bridge) in the ocean until their projected fish become entangled. Imagine a colossal wall decorated with suffocating turtles and dead sharks floating in the deep, vast, and peaceful ocean. Everyday seals, sharks, and countless animals become entangled and die in the Central Coast because of drift net fishing. If it isn’t bad enough, these nonbiodegradable nets get lost at sea and continue to entangle and kill many sea creatures for months and years. Driftnet fishing should be banned in California because of its negative environmental impacts on the ocean's wildlife.

If drift net fishing is illegal in various locations, why isn’t a thriving state like California kept up with the rest of the world? Drift net fishing is a cost-effective method for catching large quantities of fish. This method is also lightweight, fragile and does not harm the seabed if the net comes into close contact with the ocean floor. Although I can partially relate with the idea that “Cheaper is better”, I cannot accept the conclusion that countless marine animals are being killed, when there are other sustainable and environmentally friendly methods available. Documents written by the European Parliament have reported that numerous driftnet fisheries have been utilizing alternative fishing methods like pots and trap nets in areas where drift net fishing has become illegal. Such as France, Portugal, and even Britain. These sustainable fishing methods catch the same targeted fish as it would with a drift net, without entangling nontargeted animals and throwing dead fish back into the sea.

It’s never too late to stop the irreversible damage. According to researchers conducted by The TerraMar Project (a wilderness preservation organization), 7.3 millions tons of animals are killed as bycatch per year by drift net fishing. The equivalent of almost 3,000 Olympic swimming pools of dead animals. In the Pacific Ocean alone, over 3 million sharks are caught every year as bycatch. The techniques that many commercial fisheries utilize are kept hidden from the public. As someone who has grown up next to Morro Bay (the fish market of SLO County), I had always assumed that everyone caught their fish by using the typical rod and reel technique. As a consumer, people need to be aware that the fish they are eating isn’t always caught in an environmentally and responsible way. Fisherman, of course, would argue that sustainable fishing is realistically too expensive. However many fishermen do not think about the variety of ways of catching fish. Working at a restaurant that sells a wide variety of seafood has allowed me to think about where my fish is coming from. 2nd Street Cafe- recently ranked #1 Thai food in SLO County, according to NewTimesSLO- receives, cooks and sells farm-raised fish instead of local fish (wild caught fish). Farm raised fish are fish that are commercially raised in controlled pens located in oceans, lakes, and even tanks. This method is not only environmentally friendly (because non targeted species can’t be caught or entangled in nets), but it also serves the same purpose as it would with a drift net. More fish results in more seafood.

The decision to adapt to safer and eco-friendly policies is perhaps more simple than we thought. There are countless alternative fishing methods that have been successful in different parts of the world and there are multiple ways of receiving fish. In order to make a change, we need to work together. Protecting our marine wildlife begins with taking better care of our ocean. Start taking action and make drift net fishing illegal in California.