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The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.
(Architect of the Capitol)
Article January 16, 2024

A Pair of Supreme Court Cases About Fisheries Management Could Put Important Protections at Risk

What you need to know about Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce

United States Supreme Court (front row L-R) Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan, (back row L-R) Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson pose for their official portrait at the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court building on October 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)
From the Experts September 26, 2023

Here’s What to Expect From the Supreme Court This Term

Recent environmental rulings from the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority have revealed a dangerous agenda, but we still have strong legal tools to protect people and the planet.

Press Release September 22, 2023

Groups File Supreme Court Amicus Brief in New England Fisheries Case

The case could significantly affect how federal courts review federal regulations

document September 22, 2023

Supreme Court Amicus Brief – Loper Bright Enterprise v. Raimondo – New England Fisheries

The case could significantly affect how federal courts review federal regulations

Press Release May 16, 2023

Fishing and Conservation Groups Sue PG&E over Harms to Salmon and Steelhead on Eel River

Groups take legal action to reduce lethal impacts on imperiled fish from utility’s operation of outdated hydroelectric Potter Valley Project dams

Press Release March 27, 2023

Yurok Tribe and Fishermen Sue to Protect Klamath Salmon

Federal agency cuts flows as the largest river restoration project begins

document May 17, 2022

Legal Complaint – Oceanic White tip shark delayed biological opinion

Conservation Council of Hawai‘i and Michael Nakachi bring this action for declaratory and injunctive relief to remedy the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) failure to protect threatened oceanic whitetip sharks from harm caused by fisheries in the Western Pacific Ocean. Specifically, NMFS has failed to complete required consultation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) regarding the effects of NMFS’s continued authorization of two fisheries managed under the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pacific Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region on the oceanic whitetip shark. By failing to complete consultation, NMFS is failing to ensure that these activities do not jeopardize the continued existence of the species, in violation of Section 7 of the ESA and its implementing regulations.

In the News: Civil Beat November 10, 2021

How The Magnuson-Stevens Act Shaped Hawaii’s Fishing Industry

Andrea Treece, Attorney, Oceans Program, Earthjustice: “Certainly, behind the scenes, the CEOs of the car industry are having an influence, but they’re not writing the rules for their own industry.”

Oceanic whitetip shark. (Kaikea Nakachi)
Article July 27, 2021

A Small Victory for a Dwindling Species: Oceanic Whitetip Sharks

Thanks in part to this lawsuit, whitetip sharks will have a better chance of survival if they get accidentally caught in fishing gear.

Humpback whale lunge feeding in an anchovy-rich cove, off the coast of Santa Cruz, Calif. (David Gomez / Getty Images)
Article July 26, 2021

Congress Considering Revamp of Nation’s Key Fisheries Law

The climate crisis is changing oceans, our laws must address that

Rice's whale — a new species of whale recognized in 2021, previously known as a subpopulation of Bryde's whale, endemic to the Gulf of Mexico.
(NOAA Fisheries)
Press Release July 22, 2021

Groups Challenge Seismic Oil and Gas Testing in the Gulf of Mexico

Powerful underwater blasts put iconic endangered whale at risk

Press Release July 15, 2021

Earthjustice Sues Federal Government to Protect Overfished Pacific Sardines

Pacific sardines are key food for whales, seabirds, and salmon, yet fishery managers are failing to rebuild populations

A sea turtle swims in the Florida Keys. While the species is protected under the Endangered Species Act, it remains at risk of extinction due to harmful fishing practices.
 (Getty Images)
Update May 6, 2021

President Biden Has a Chance to Prevent the Extinction of Sea Turtles

But the administration must act now.

document April 6, 2021

Petition to Require Sea Turtle Excluders

April 6 2021 petition to require sea turtle excluder devices on vessels

Press Release April 6, 2021

Groups Sue to Prevent Imperiled Sea Turtles from Drowning in Fishing Nets

Government must require turtle excluder devices on all shrimp boats

Press Release February 2, 2021

Earthjustice Files New Legal Actions to Protect Anchovy and Ocean Wildlife as Fisheries Service Again Ignores Court Order

Continued refusal of Fisheries Service to follow court orders puts anchovy at risk of overfishing and threatens whales, sea lions, dolphins, salmon

Press Release January 14, 2021

Earthjustice Sues on Behalf of Conservation Groups to Stop EPA Rubber-stamping Florida Wetlands Destruction

EPA’s approval of developer-backed scheme to turn permitting over to state violates U.S. environmental laws

Humpback whale lunge feeding in an anchovy-rich cove, off the coast of Santa Cruz, Calif. (David Gomez / Getty Images)
Press Release: Victory September 3, 2020

Oceana and Earthjustice Prevail in Lawsuit to Protect Ocean’s Small Fish

Federal judge rules fishery managers failed to prevent overfishing of northern anchovy