June 16, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
The Endangered Species Act provides a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species, habitats, and the ecosystems upon which they depend across Alaska and the country. This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Act.
The Endangered Species Act has put many species on the path to recovery. Since it was enacted in 1973, no marine species has gone extinct. Less than 1 percent of all ESA-listed species (marine, anadromous, and terrestrial) have gone extinct. Others, like the eastern distinct population segment of Steller sea lions and the Eastern North Pacific stock of gray whales, have recovered.
Enacted in 1973, the Endangered Species Act continues to be a powerful and effective tool for focusing conservation efforts and preserving the diversity of the planet. In celebration of this momentous anniversary, we are highlighting the species we work to protect in Alaska.
Beluga Whale (Cook Inlet DPS): Endangered
Listed: 2008
Beluga whales are highly social, gregarious animals found in Arctic and subarctic waters. They weigh around 3,150 pounds, reach 16 feet long, and can live up to 90 years. One of the most vocal of all whales, with their chirps and squeals, belugas are often called “sea canaries.” They can swim backwards and change the shape of their “melon” forehead by blowing air into their sinuses. Cook Inlet beluga whales are the smallest of the other distinct populations of beluga whales. They face threats from human interactions, habitat constraint, climate change, human-caused noise, predation, and prey limitations. The population’s rapid decline, dire status, and the fact the population is not recovering makes it a priority for NOAA Fisheries. Cook Inlet beluga whales are one of NOAA Fisheries’ Species in the Spotlight—considered the most at risk of extinction in the near future.
Blue Whale (Eastern North Pacific Population): Endangered
Listed: 1970
Blue whales are the largest animal ever recorded on earth. They weigh up to 330,000 pounds, reach 100 feet, and can live up to 90 years. Everything about blue whales is large! They have a 400-pound heart and a tongue as big as an elephant. They have the biggest calves on the planet, which weigh almost 9,000 pounds at birth and gain 200 pounds a day. The biggest blue whales may eat up to 12,000 pounds of krill a day, straining huge volumes of water through their baleen plates. Blue whale calls can travel up to 1,000 miles underwater. The Eastern North Pacific population faces threats from entanglement in fishing gear, ocean noise, and vessel strikes.
Bowhead Whale (Western Arctic Stock): Endangered
Listed: 1970
Bowhead whales may live more than 200 years, the longest lifespan of all mammals. They can weigh 200,000 pounds and reach 62 feet. Bowhead whales are one of the few whale species that reside almost exclusively in Arctic and subarctic waters. Their name stems from their immense bow-shaped heads that are used to break through 2-foot-thick sea ice. The Western Arctic stock faces threats from climate change, contaminants, entanglement in fishing gear, ocean noise, offshore oil and gas development, predation, and vessel strikes.
Fin Whale (North Pacific Population): Endangered
Listed: 1970
Fin whales are the second largest whale species. As the fastest of all baleen whales sustaining speeds as high as 23 miles per hour, they have been nicknamed the “greyhound of the sea.” They are also sometimes referred to as razorbacks due to their small pointed dorsal fin and shape of their back. They can weigh up to 160,000 pounds, reach 85 feet long, and live 80 to 90 years. A fin whale uses 50 to 100 accordion-like throat pleats to gulp large amounts of food and water and eats about 4,000 pounds of food daily. The North Pacific population faces threats from climate change, entanglement in fishing gear, lack of prey due to overfishing, ocean noise, and vessel strikes.