BAR HARBOR, Maine – While the U.S. lobster industry is booming in Maine, some of its fishing methods are hurting a special group – the North Atlantic right whales.

The whales number slightly more than 400 and are facing extinction.

Recently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration convened a group of experts, called the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team. It made recommendations to the federal government about how to protect the right whales and, in particular, how the New England lobster industry can modify practices to save the whales.

Zack Klyver with Bar Harbor Whale Watch and Blue Planet Strategies, has reviewed data of about 100 whale sightings in Maine. He says the majority of the sightings were about 20 miles off the coast.

"That's where the greatest co-occurrence of risk is for whales and fishing gear, and that, I think, is where there really is need for conservation," Klyver states.

Meanwhile, the offshore lobster industry, which travels further into the water, has grown. According to a number of experts, this has been a deadly mix for the right whales.

Peter Baker, who directs The Pew Charitable Trust's marine conservation work in New England and the Atlantic region of Canada, describes the offshore lobster industry's rise.

"What we've seen over the last 15 years or so is this massive buildup of an offshore lobster fleet,” he points out. “And these guys go farther out in the federal waters. They go out into where the right whale migrates, and they put in much bigger traps. They're much heavier. They're much deeper."

Baker maintains conservation efforts need to focus more on industrial-size offshore fleets and their impact on whales.

Regina Asmutis-Silvia, executive director of the North American office of Whale and Dolphin Conservation, was part of the Take-Reduction Team. She says she was impressed by Maine's commitment to protect the whales.

"Maine, for instance, has said that they will reduce vertical line by 50%,” she points out. “Those vertical lines, those buoy lines that go up to the surface, that appears to be the biggest risk to right whale entanglements. And that's a very big deal."

Asmutis-Silvia hopes there will be a proposed rule by the end of the year and that within the next few years, this rule will significantly reduce the amount of vertical fishing line in the water.

But the recommendations must go through an approval process that could be divisive, particularly from some lobster groups.


Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


get more stories like this via email

Conservation groups say the Hawaiian Islands are on the leading edge of the fight to preserve endangered birds, since climate change and habitat loss are making it difficult for many indigenous species to survive.

A coalition of conservation organizations will hold the annual Manu o Ku Festival this weekend to celebrate the islands' myriad species.

John Kantor, a wildlife biologist with the National Wildlife Federation, said the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act has helped preserve many exotic Hawaiian species.

"The federal Endangered Species Act, and the funds that are raised for migratory birds under the various programs there, are funding the frontline researchers and conservationists and folks that are trying to solve this multitude of issues that threaten Hawaii's birds," he explained.

The festival, sponsored by the Conservation Council for Hawaii and the National Wildlife Federation, will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Coronation Pavilion of the Iolani Palace in Honolulu.

Kanter said the Migratory Bird Treaty was created in 1918 and updated in 1936. In conjunction with Canada, Mexico and other nations, it limits the taking of certain species for commercial products or as game. He cited the wood duck as one example, which is now plentiful but was almost wiped out a century ago.

"That species was almost extinct," he said, "and it is a hunted species - but there's strict regulations that are developed between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the states every year, based on the number of birds, that then are applied to the following season."

This year's festival celebrates the manu o ku, or white fairy tern, as an ambassador for other native Hawaiian species. Organizers have said conservation groups, educators and others are invited to share games and activities for people of all ages in learning about the manu o ku.

An environmental group is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Arkansas mudalia snail under the Endangered Species Act.

In Arkansas and Missouri, including along the North Fork River, mudalia are critically endangered freshwater snails.

Trisha Sharma, legal fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity, emphasized the need to save the snail from vanishing entirely. She said freshwater mollusks are the most endangered group of animals in North America, and snails are the most endangered mollusks.

"We've already lost more than 70 species of freshwater snails," Sharma pointed out. "The Endangered Species Act has a very high success rate. So if we can get it listed and protected under the ESA, it's highly likely that the species will survive and be able to continue playing its important role in the ecosystems where it's found."

Sharma noted areas where the Arkansas mudalia can be found have decreased by 90% and the main threat to the species is habitat degradation, primarily from dam construction and operation along the rivers.

Sharma emphasized mudalia is also threatened by habitat loss from grazing, logging and mining. She added climate change is also expected to threaten the species.

"Part of what can make a species more resilient to climate impacts is its ability to disperse as its habitat becomes unsuitable, and to essentially relocate to areas where it can survive," Sharma explained. "But snails have a pretty narrow set of habitat requirements and very limited dispersal capabilities."

Sharma said freshwater snails play a crucial role in managing nutrients by consuming detritus and plant matter, preventing their decay and subsequent disruption of water quality, and snails are vital for food webs, converting unusable food sources into usable ones for birds and turtles.


get more stories like this via email

Today is Earth Day, and one initiative in southern Arizona is helping build public gardens providing beneficial habitat for pollinators, from Monarch butterflies to bees and bats.

Emily Bishton, founder and coordinator of the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project, said the human population depends on these animals and insects, as many of our foods and plant-based products require pollination. But human activity and climate change have put pollinators in jeopardy and Bishton wants to increase awareness of how crucial they are.

"The best chance you have for attracting and nurturing pollinators is with the species that they've co-evolved with," Bishton explained. "They will instinctively know that is food for them, or a place they can lay their eggs. They also are more likely to be able to put up with the way our climate is now and the way it is changing."

Bishton pointed out one focus of the project is to get Arizonans to plant more native species like milkweed, which is especially critical for Monarch butterflies. She would also like people to reconsider the use of pesticides since they do kill pests but also other beneficial insects. She suggested contacting a local county extension service or master-gardener program for alternative methods.

Madian Romero, technical assistant supervisor for the Caviglia-Arivaca Library, has been responsible for getting teenagers in the area to participate in the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project. They not only help build garden spaces around town but grow their knowledge behind the importance of pollinators, as well as community building.

"The teens, they've come up with ideas on how to fundraise for the projects," Romero emphasized. "Each business that agrees to have a garden, it can be free."

Romero added the project has also been a character-building exercise for the young people of Arivaca, and hopes it is an experience they will cherish.