April 27, 2015 — A week ago, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration officials hailed as a success the proposal to take the majority of the world’s humpback whale population off the endangered species list.
And while Jooke Robbins, director of humpback whale reserach for the Center for Coastal Studies, agrees that the whales are not in danger of going extinct tomorrow, she worries about their possible future off the list — and how the public’s perception of the whales could change as a result.
“As far as it being a success story, that I’m not so sure about,” she said. “I’m not saying they shouldn’t be delisted, but that doesn’t mean they’re recovered.”
NOAA proposes to split the world population of humpback whales, which are collectively considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act, into 14 distinct populations. Of the 14 populations, 10 would be delisted, two would be listed as threatened and two would be considered endangered. With delisting of populations that are doing better, NOAA says they will be better able to help the weaker populations.
“The return of the iconic humpback whale is an ESA (Endangered Species Act) success story,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries in a prepared statement when the proposed change was announced. “As we learn more about the species — and realize the populations are largely independent of each other — managing them separately allows us to focus protection on the animals that need it the most.”
Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times