Just months after Mercy For Animals and the Ban Death Nets coalition released shocking undercover footage exposing the commercial driftnet fishing industry, California lawmakers passed Senate bill 1017 to phase out the use of the nets in the state.
Authored by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), along with over 15 co-authors, the bill is set to phase out the use of swordfish driftnets over a four-year period after the creation of a transition program, funded through public-private partnerships, to assist fishers who will be required to stop using the nets.
The bill passed nearly unanimously in both the state senate and assembly. Governor Brown has until September 30 to sign this historic legislation into law.
