US agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released a new five year action plan to stop the decline of eight marine species identified as being most at risk of extinction.
The ‘Species in the Spotlight’ campaign aims to join together with local, state and tribal governments, academic partners and the public to ensure these species do not decline further.
The eight species highlighted in the action plans, all listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, are the Gulf of Maine population of Atlantic salmon, Central California Coast coho salmon, Cook Inlet beluga whales, Hawaiian monk seals, Pacific leatherback sea turtles, Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon, Southern Resident killer whales in Puget Sound, and white abalone.
“The action plans will help change the trajectory to recovery for these eight extremely vulnerable species,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for NOAA Fisheries.
“Recovering threatened and endangered species also supports strong coastal communities and benefits our nation’s economy. Recovered species play important roles in a healthy marine food web, contributing to sustainable fisheries and creating vibrant coastal destinations with wildlife tourism opportunities,” she added.
Recovery plans, devised for all threatened and endangered species, are more detailed than action plans and include all of the management actions necessary for species recovery, criteria necessary for a species to be considered recovered and removed from the endangered species list, and time and cost estimates for its goals.
