Sitka Objects To ‘Critical Habitat’ Designation For Humpback Whales. According to KCAW, “Four years ago humpback whales were taken off the Endangered Species List, but that doesn’t mean that all whale populations are healthy. Instead, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration split humpbacks into fourteen distinct population groups, nine of which need no further protection, four of which remain endangered, and one of which — a population which breeds off the coast of Mexico — remains listed as threatened. Some of that Mexico breeding population of humpbacks feeds in Southeast Alaska in summertime, which is why NOAA now proposes designating much of the area as ‘critical habitat.’ (Farther to the north and west, Alaska’s coastal waters are proposed to be designated critical habitat for humpback whales that breed in the Western North Pacific, one of the endangered populations.) Local officials in Sitka are concerned that a critical habitat designation will be another hurdle in the permitting process for work on the city’s waterfront, and become an impediment to the management of the region’s commercial fisheries. Interim municipal administrator Hugh Bevan outlined the issue for the Sitka Assembly in November (12-12-19). ‘It’s somewhat of a misconception that things like this only apply to federal actions. They also apply to any permits that we are required to obtain from the federal government. And I’m especially concerned about impacts to our abilities to maintain our harbor infrastructure and things like that.’” [KCAW, 1/4/20 (=)]

 

José Javier Rodríguez, Adam Hattersley Seek To Extend Protections For Endangered And Threatened Species. According to Florida Politics, “State Sen. José Javier Rodríguez and state Rep. Adam Hattersley are each filing legislation that would require Florida officials to continue protecting endangered and threatened species, even after the federal government removes those classifications. The pair of measures (SB 1360 and HB 1067) direct the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to continue protecting those species as the FWC deems necessary. That protection would continue even after an endangered or threatened species is declassified under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. ‘When our federal leaders roll back protections for endangered and threatened species without justification, it’s time for Florida to step up and protect our unique biodiversity,’ Rodríguez said in a Friday statement on the legislation. The Endangered Species Act allows those classifications to be made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service.” [Florida Politics, 1/3/20 (=)]

 

Record Number Of Atlantic Salmon Eggs Reported In Washington County River Last Year. According to Bangor Daily News, “A record number of Atlantic salmon eggs were laid in the East Machias River last year, an indication that an eight-year effort to restore the endangered species in the river is paying off. Biologists counted 61 redds, or nests that fish build for spawning, buried in several inches of river gravel spread between Crawford and East Machias. That’s six times the number of redds counted in the East Machias River since the Downeast Salmon Federation began tracking salmon egg nesting patterns there 20 years ago, said Dwayne Shaw, the federation’s executive director. ‘This is just huge,’ Shaw said. ‘A number like this hasn’t been seen in the river in decades.’ The federation counted 12 redds in 2016, four in 2017 and 10 in 2018. Over the past 20 years, the East Machias River on average has yielded about 10 redds a year. With each redd containing about 4,000 eggs, the 61 redds are carrying about 240,000 eggs — enough, given the rigors of nature and the presence of predators, to produce about 2,000 salmon that will survive in the river over the next two years and become smolts, fish mature enough to go to sea, Shaw said.” [Bangor Daily News, 1/4/20 (=)]

 

 

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