Battle lines drawn over endangered species

Thursday, June 22, 2017 - 16:34 StudyHall.Rocks

How far should the U.S. go in working to protect endangered species?

        Last week, the Trump administration announced it was backing away from a regulation aimed at protecting whales. The administration withdrew the rule “to establish strict limits…for the California/Oregon large-mesh drift gillnet fishery on interactions with certain protected species.”
        Immediately, the Turtle Island Restoration Network, a wildlife advocacy group, announced that it had filed a formal notice of intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service “over its failure to prevent excessive whale deaths in the California Drift Gillnet Fishery,” a news release for the organization explains.
       Driftnets are mile-long nets used to catch fish. An estimated 1 in 4 whales entangled in fishery gear will be seriously injured or killed, according to the organization.
        Species at risk of extinction are listed in different categories, according to the World Wildlife Foundation:

Critically Endangered--The risk of extinction in the wild is extremely high.
Endangered--The risk of extinction in the wild is very high.
Vulnerable--The risk of extinction in the wild is high.

The driftnet issue is an example of how human interaction can impact wildlife. But frequently news stories focus on reports of animal populations becoming depleted. Beyond hunting or fishing, this can also happen when humans settle in areas once used as a creature's habitat. And in recent years, scientists have become concerned about the impact of climate change on wildlife.
Here are four examples of animals that are considered endangered for different reasons:

Historically, most humpback whales were killed by commercial whalers. Now, whales are more often killed by boat strikes, pollutants or after becoming entangled in fishing nets, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Image: NOAA.
Endangered sea turtles can also become entangled in fishing nets and debris. Additionally, humans have encroached on their nesting habitat.
Image: Andy Bruckner, NOAA.
Global warming poses a direct threat to polar bears, according to the National Wildlife Foundation. The creatures live and hunt on arctic ice -- which is melting.
Stock image.
Hunters, predators and disease took a toll on the population of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, according to the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation.
Stock image.