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Defend Sea Turtles in the Mediterranean |
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Dear jenny,
Every day, sea turtles are captured and killed in the Mediterranean on "long-lines" -- miles-long fishing lines with hooks that catch turtles right alongside fish.
We think it's time someone confronted the long-liners about this. So we'd like to send our flagship, Ranger, into the Mediterranean to lead the fight to protect turtles.
To do that, though, we need your help!
Last year, we were able to get Oceana scientist Charlotte Hudson, filmmaker Mar Mas, and Carlos Perez of Oceana Europe on board a Spanish longliner for a few days. In this short time, they were able to record amazing and heartbreaking footage of what happens to these wonderful turtles when they swallow one of the thousands of small hooks on a Spanish longliner. And, Charlotte -- with Carlos' help -- was able convince the Spanish crew to try out a different kind of hook (called large circle hooks) that won't catch and kill turtles. They found that the new hooks brought back fish -- and no turtles. (Charlotte wrote about the trip on our blog.)
This year, we want to bring that message to the whole Spanish longlining fleet -- one of the largest fishing fleets in the world. That's where Ranger comes in. To make a difference, she'll need to reach the Mediterranean by June to bear witness and begin the fight needed to ensure that the thousands of endangered loggerheads who make the journey from the US every year end their trip laying eggs back on an American beach, not hooked on a Spanish long-line.
But deploying Ranger isn't a cheap proposition. She's a big boat, requiring a full-time crew of ten people and thousands of dollars worth of video and scientific equipment to accomplish her mission. Like any large vessel, she costs thousands of dollars per day to operate -- no small consideration for a non-profit like us. And yet, her presence could be instrumental in helping force turtle protection to the top of the European Union's agenda.
That's why we need your help. Our goal is to raise $60,000 by May 31 to support Ranger's operations in the Mediterranean. That will help us get her over there in time to make a difference.
Does that sound like a lot? Maybe -- but if 1% of the people subscribed to this newsletter contributed $25 each, we'd raise it! And contributors will receive a special benefit -- the opportunity to participate in a conference call with Xavier Pastor, the director of Oceana Europe, to discuss the threat first-hand.
Will you be one of the 1%? Will you be able to tell your friends that when the call went out, you helped protect turtles from the Spanish longliners?
The choice is yours. Time is running out. Give today!
Thanks in advance for your support -- and remember, if you have questions or comments, I'm a click away at wavemaker@oceana.org.
For the oceans,
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