Endangered Species: NOAA’s Report to Congress and a look at some “Species in the Spotlight”
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ay 15th is Endangered Species Day and a great opportunity to highlight the protection and recovery activities for the 80-plus threatened and endangered marine species under our stewardship responsibilities. Today, we released our Recovering Threatened and Endangered Species FY 2013-2014 Report to Congress and launched a new, year-long campaign to draw special attention to eight of our listed species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).Our eight species in the spotlight are:
Atlantic Salmon Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment (DPS)
Central California Coast Coho Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU)
Cook Inlet Beluga Whale (DPS)
Hawaiian Monk Seal
Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle
Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook (ESU)
Southern Resident Killer Whale (DPS)
White Abalone
Summary of SR winter-run Chinook salmon ESU natural and hatchery escapement from 2005-2010 in the Central Valley, California. NOAA chart.
Our campaign, “Species in the Spotlight: Survive to Thrive” is a concerted effort to rally individuals, agencies, groups, tribes, institutions and organizations large and small to help these most-at risk species survive. Our report and the details about these species and the campaign are available on our website.
The ESA has been successful in preventing extinctions, with less than 1 percent of listed species being lost since the Act’s inception. While we have recovered and delisted only a small percentage, we would likely have seen hundreds of species go extinct without the critical safety net provided by the ESA and the public-private partnerships working to ensure they survive and thrive.
[information]NOAA Fisheries Communications
