Victory! Puget Sound’s Orcas Will Stay Protected [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.care2.com/causes/victory-puget-sounds-orcas-will-stay-protected.html

by Alicia Graef August 16, 2013 5:30 pm



Following a legal battle about whether or not to remove a group of orca whales from the endangered species list, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced they will be keeping their protection.

The orcas at the center of this fight, known as the southern resident killer whales, include three distinct pods (J, K and L pods) who live in Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca during the summer months and migrate to the open ocean in the winter. Their route includes traveling through the San Francisco Bay area where they feed on Chinook salmon.

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service listed the southern residents as endangered species in 2005 in response to a petition filed by conservation organizations that argued their population was distinct and warranted protection. As of now, there are only 82 of these orcas in the wild.

Last summer the Pacific Legal Foundation filed a petition with the NMFS to remove the southern residents from the endangered species list, arguing they had been illegally listed as a Distinct Population Segment and that they aren’t genetically distinct.

FULL story at link.

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