WildEarth Guardians

Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Marine Species to be Considered for Endangered Species Act Protection

National Marine Fisheries Service Agrees to Take Action on Gulf of Mexico Sperm Whale Population, Sawfish Species
Contact: Taylor Jones (505) 490-5141

Washington, DC – WildEarth Guardians reached a settlement last week with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under which NMFS agreed to take long-overdue action on a number of marine species. NMFS has agreed to make a preliminary finding on Guardians’ petition to list the sperm whale population in the Gulf of Mexico as a “distinct population segment” (DPS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by the end of March. The agency will also make an overdue decision on whether 5 species of sawfish warrant listing by the end of May.

“We’re glad that the agency has a plan to at last fulfill its legal obligations,” said Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Species in decline can’t afford agency foot-dragging.”

Although the worldwide population of sperm whales is listed as “endangered,” the resident population in the Gulf faces unique threats including continued oil and gas development, high levels of shipping traffic and noise, and effects from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Protecting sperm whales in the Gulf as a DPS would ensure that this genetically, morphologically, and behaviorally distinct population remains a part of the Gulf ecosystem.

Sawfish first evolved approximately 100 million years ago and have not changed much since then. Sawfish, like sharks (to which they are related), survived the impact from an asteroid that struck offshore from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago. In modern times, sawfish are threatened by human exploitation for curios, aquarium display, shark-fin soup, and traditional Chinese medicines. Their habitat is under pressure from coastal development, commercial activities, dredging, and diversion of freshwater.

Listing under the ESA has proven an effective safety net for imperiled species: more than 99 percent of plants and animals listed under the Act persist today. The Act is especially important as a bulwark against the current extinction crisis; plants and animals are disappearing at a rate much higher than the natural rate of extinction due to human activities. Scientists estimate that 227 species would have gone extinct if not for ESA listing.