— from KOMO News —
Federal officials say they may restrict salmon fishing off the West Coast to help the Pacific Northwest’s critically endangered killer whales, but two environmental groups are suing anyway to ensure it happens.
The Center for Biological Diversity, which filed a lawsuit nearly two decades ago to force the U.S. government to list the orcas as endangered, and the Wild Fish Conservancy asked the U.S. District Court in Seattle on Wednesday to order officials to reconsider a 2009 finding that commercial and recreational fisheries did not jeopardize the orcas’ survival.
The National Marine Fisheries Service issued a letter early last month indicating that it intends to do so. Julie Teel Simmonds, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the point of the lawsuit is to ensure they finish the job with urgency, given the plight of the whales, and to take short-term steps in the meantime to help provide more of the orcas’ favored prey, Chinook salmon.
“We have got to figure out how to get them more salmon,” she said. “Since 2009 it’s become much more crystallized just how critical prey availability is to their reproductive success and survival.”
The Endangered Species Act requires the government to certify that any actions it approves won’t jeopardize the survival of a listed species. In the 2009 review, experts found that it wasn’t clear how a lack of prey affected orcas, but that the fisheries were not likely to contribute to their extinction.
Since then, however, the population of whales that spend their summers in the waters between Washington state and Canada — known as the Southern Resident killer whales — has fallen from 87 to 75. A calf born in December is the first to have lived past birth since 2015. And scientists have learned much more about how crucial it is for orcas to have enough of the large, fatty Chinook: As they starve, the whales start burning their blubber. Because toxins from water pollution are stored in the blubber, that can harm the whales’ reproductive ability, scientists believe.
READ FULL ARTICLE: komonews.com/news/local/2-groups-sue-trump-administration-over-orca-starvation-deaths
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As a Libertarian I get to see stories in a different light from that of members of the Mega Party. I often see media outlets shading the story to a point of view that corresponds with the editorial stance of the media outlet.
In the case “2 groups sue Trump administration over orca starvation, deaths” the current holder of the oval office is mentioned to cast him in a bad light. Trump must have a policy in place that causes orcas to stave.
If you read only the headline that is the sense you would have. Reading further, it seems a lawsuit was started in 1999, during the Clinton administration. Also at issue is a 2009 report that came out under Obama. Since this seems to be an ongoing problem that spans administrations on both sides of the aisle, would a headline that reads “2 groups sue Federal Government over orca starvation, deaths” be a more accurate way to headline this article?
I agree with you, Rob.
Whoever heads the government, now is the time to give more salmon to the orcas.
Hello all, what really needs to happen is to stop all commercial and recreational fishing. Yes, I hear the uproar. But what else can be done? At least stop the Chinook (also know as King Salmon) fishing.
Perhaps we need to…
When an Orcas washes up on the beach, dead, the scientists who go out to clean it up have to be in hazmat-suits. That is just how toxic they are from all the pollutants in the ocean that they have ingested through their food. We are not very good stewards of our Oceans.
It is necessary to live in harmony with the Earth again if we want Life to continue.
I hope they win the lawsuits. What a waste of money to have to sue again and again ad nauseum, when we HAD protections in place. This administration is bent on overturning every environmental protection that Nixon put into place to protect the environment and habitat for humans and the creatures with no voices. Also it’s overturning the National Monument status that would’ve helped us protect the orcas and other cetaceans. Meanwhile, sonar exercises by the Navy will ensure extinction.
Four things could immediately help the orcas:
1. 5 yr minimum moratorium on commercial and private chinook salmon fishing, with stiff fines for violations.
2. 5 yr moratorium on commercial and private whale watching; ie chasing down pods of whales for human amusement and/or profit – especially including helicopter and aircraft “sightings” so that people in boats can follow the whales to hidden places where they can’t be seen chasing the whales (yep; this really happens!) Reassess after 5 yrs. IF no moratorium, then meaningful stiff fines for anyone who violates the required distances away from whales, and distances should be greatly increased.
3. Figure out SOMETHING with the dams so that salmon can get down to the Salish Sea according to their spawning cycles.
4) Education!!!! this would prevent having to levy fines and should be first and foremost.