US Vows To Protect Endangered Humpback Whales In The Pacific Ocean

It’s been said time and again – man needs to do something to protect the creatures that inhabit our planet. While this has been preached time and again, there are those that show less concern for the wellbeing of the animals.

The oceans haven’t been spared from man’s atrocities. In fact, reports of illegal fishing and killing of whales have been reported year after year. It’s high time that the powers that be step in to help these poor innocent creatures from unnecessary cruelty.

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Not to fret because it seems as if good news is looming in the horizon. The US administration has announced a piece of news that everyone will take pleasure in, especially the activists who have worked so hard to protect the oceans. The country will be officially protecting a total of 116,098 square nautical miles of the Pacific Ocean. They will declare the area as a critical habitat for the three populations of endangered humpback whales that have made it their homes.

The final rule made would start to help protect the migrating whales from human activities such as ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and oil spills. The important action was prompted by a 2018 legal victory by the Center for Biological Diversity, Wishtoyo Foundation, and Turtle Island Restoration Network. They have sued the people involved for the federal failure to designate critical habitat as necessitated by the Endangered Species Act.


Catherine Kilduff, an attorney with the center released a statement regarding this matter and said, “Pacific humpbacks finally got the habitat protections they’ve needed for so long. Now we need to better protect humpbacks from ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, their leading causes of death. To recover West Coast populations of these playful, majestic whales, we need mandatory ship speed limits and conversion of California’s deadly trap fisheries to ropeless gear.”

The Center for Biological Diversity also sued the federal government at the beginning of the year. They said that the agency failed to protect endangered whales from speeding ships that have used the California ports. Moreover, the organization will co-sponsor the California Whale Entanglement Prevention Act (Assembly Bill 534) as well. This means that the state’s commercial Dungeness require the crab and other trap fisheries to convert to ropeless gears. These gears are also called “on-demand” or “pop-up buoy” gear. The action needs to take place by the end of 2025.

There’s a presence of one population of endangered humpback whales that feeds off California’s coast. However, the area only has fewer than 800 individuals. The low number means that they are at the mercy and are vulnerable to threats that come from the people who are in the area. Hence, the rule made means a win for the whales because it designates a total of 224,030 square nautical miles for the two endangered and one threatened populations. The overlapping habitat means that the 116,098 square nautical miles will be under protection.

To be specific, the new rule designates 48,521 square nautical miles of critical habitat off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington for the humpback population that spends the winter season in Central America. The Mexico population also gained 116,098 square nautical miles in the North Pacific Ocean. The area covered includes the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. The latter regions mentioned also make up the 59,411 square nautical miles that has been listed for the Western North Pacific humpback population.


Todd Steiner, executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network, said, “Today is a good day for humpback whales and the ocean all living things depend on. Designating 116,000 square miles of critical habitat in the ocean is something to celebrate, but whales, turtles, and dolphins still need additional protection from industrial fishing and ship strikes to recover and thrive, so we won’t be resting on our laurels.”

Furthermore, Critical habitat protection will help safeguard the essential areas of the ocean specifically for migrating and feeding. The designation will guarantee that federally permitted activities will not destroy or harm the important habitats for these mammals. There is proof that shows how endangered or threatened species that have protected critical habitat are twice more likely to recover as compared to those without anything. This is certainly good news for the world and for the environment.

 

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