In celebration of Endangered Species Day on May 19, more than
1,400 students from across the country submitted their artwork
showing threatened and endangered plants and animals. The contest
is under the direction of the Endangered Species Coalition.
“Protecting nature is critical to keeping our planet thriving
for future generations,” states an introduction to the art contest.
“What better way to do that than by engaging youth to put their
imaginative skills to work for wildlife in the 2017 Saving
Endangered Species Youth Art Contest.”
Art by Rajvi Bhavin Shah, 7, of
Roseville, Calif.
Image: Endangered Species Coalition
The annual contest is open to any student from kindergarten to
12th grade. I have to say that I’m always surprised at how
environmentally oriented competitions attract young artists able to
express themselves in interesting ways.
One of my favorite pieces in the endangered species contest is a
drawing of a mother polar bear and her cub on patches of ice — the
first picture on this page. The artist is 7-year-old Rajvi Bhavin
Shah of Roseville, Calif., who was able to bring a unique artistic
style to a scene used before.
In celebration of national Endangered Species Day on May 20,
students from across the country were invited to create artwork
about species that could be headed for extinction. Although the
number of entries was somewhat limited, I have been much impressed
with more than a few of these pieces.
The Saving Endangered Species Youth Art Contest is sponsored by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species Coalition,
Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and International Child Art
Foundation. The contest was established to encourage students to
learn about threatened and endangered species and to express their
understanding and feelings through art.
Judges included Wyland, the well known marine life artist; Jack
Hanna, host of television shows featuring wild animals; David
Littschwager, a freelance photographer and contributor to National
Geographic magazine; Susan Middleton, a photographer and author who
has produced several books of nature photography; and Alice
Tangerini, botanical illustrator for the Smithsonian Institution.
Entries were submitted in February and March.
The painting of Southern Resident Killer Whales was created by
17-year-old Christopher Chen of Oak Grove, Calif. The artwork was
named a semifinalist in the endangered species art contest. Of
course, those of us who live in the Puget Sound area are at least
somewhat familiar with the three pods of Southern Resident orcas, a
population listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
See NOAA’s Species
in the Spotlight.
Seven-year-old Rachel Yang of Belmont, Calif., was named the
winner among a much younger group of students, those in the
kindergarten-to-second-grade division. Her picture of yelloweye
rockfish should also spark interest for Puget Sound residents, as
these fish are listed as threatened in the Puget Sound region. See
NOAA’s
“Rockfish in Puget Sound/Georgia Basin.”
The picture of Atlantic salmon, third on this page, by Katrina
Sharonin, 12, took first place among the sixth through eight
graders. I thought the hourglass was an important element,
something to show that the species may be running out of time.
Although we think of Atlantic salmon as farmed fish on the West
Coast, remnant populations of wild Atlantic salmon can still be
found in central and eastern Maine. Once abundant along the East
Coast, Atlantic salmon are now one of the most endangered species
in the U.S. See NOAA’s
Species in the Spotlight. By the way, Katrina is another
student from Belmont, Calif., which had a large number of excellent
entries.
Elizabeth Kiernicki, 17, of Pingree Grove, Ill., was the
first-place winner among the students in grades 9 through 12 with
her picture of the northern spotted owl. The spotted owl, listed as
threatened, was once found in forests from Southwest British
Columbia through Western Washington and Western Oregon and as far
south as San Francisco Bay. Now, remnant populations are in decline
in scattered areas, primarily remaining segments of old-growth
forests, while a significant population survives on the Olympic
Peninsula. See U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service webpage.
Other semifinalists include Matthew Lei, 11, of Portland, Ore.,
with his portrait of a mother gray whale and her calf, and Michelle
Chang, 7, of Centrevile, Va., with her picture of a mother polar
bear and her cub waiting on a chunk for broken ice.
Endangered Species Day will be celebrated with events organized
by groups around the country. You can find registered events on the
webpage “Celebrate
Endangered Species Day,” although you may need to do an
Internet search for details.
It’s not hard to find information about the Endangered Species
Act or individual species with an Internet search engine, but the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gives you a place to start with its
Endangered
Species Day website.
Endangered Species Day was designated by
U.S. Senate resolution in 2006 to encourage teachers across the
country to spend at least 30 minutes “informing students about
threats to, and the restoration of, endangered species around the
world” and to encourage organizations and business to help produce
educational materials.
As far as I can tell, a
2012 Senate resolution was the last time that Congress
officially recognized Endangered Species Day, although it has
continued with the support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
This week’s announcement that the coastal population of canary
rockfish had dramatically rebounded got me to wondering what new
information might be coming from research on the threatened and
endangered rockfish of Puget Sound.
Canary rockfish // Photo
by Tippy Jackson, NOAA
Dayv Lowry, research scientist at the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife, shared some intriguing new information about
Puget Sound rockfish that could link into the coastal population.
In fact, if limited genetic findings hold up, a delisting of one
type of Puget Sound rockfish could be in order.
On Monday, the Pacific
Fishery Management Council reported that West Coast populations
of two groundfish species — canary rockfish and petrale sole — have
been “rebuilt” some 42 years earlier than expected. Canary rockfish
were declared “overfished” in 2000, and a rebuilding plan was put
in place a year later. Strict fishing restrictions were imposed,
and experts expected the stock to rebound successfully by 2057.
“This is a big deal,” former council chairman Dan Wolford said
in a
news release. “We now have six times more canary rockfish than
when we scaled back so many fisheries. This shows the Pacific
council’s conservation policies work.”
Meanwhile, WDFW and NOAA Fisheries are researching the three
species of Puget Sound rockfish listed under the Endangered Species
Act. They are canary
rockfish and yelloweye
rockfish, both listed as threatened, and bacaccio,
listed as endangered.
Yelloweye rockfish
Photo by Kip Evans, NOAA
Underwater surveys with a remotely operated vehicle in 2012 and
2013 looked for all sorts of bottomfish across a grid laid down on
Puget Sound. Researchers found a greater abundance of quillback and
copper rockfish (not ESA listed) than in the past, and young
juvenile quillbacks were seen on muddy substrate — not the place
you would normally look for rockfish.
While that was encouraging, nearly 200 hours of video at 197
grid points revealed just two canary and five yelloweye
rockfish.
“That was quite distressing to us,” Dayv said.
This year and next, surveys are more focused on rocky habitat,
including locations where fishing guides say they have had success
catching rockfish in the past. The results are more encouraging,
locating somewhere around 40 canary and 40 yelloweye and two
bacaccio, Dayv said.
“We’ve caught some big fish and some little fish, so the
population demographics have not entirely collapsed,” Dayv told me,
and that means there is still hope for recovery.
Rockfish don’t typically reproduce until somewhere between 5 and
20 years old, so over-fishing places the future of the entire
population at risk. Some rockfish are known to live as long as 100
years.
Finding juvenile yelloweyes — “bright red with ‘racing stripes’”
— is especially encouraging Dayv said.
Genetic work so far is offering some intriguing new findings, he
noted. While yelloweye rockfish from Puget Sound and the Strait of
Georgia seem to be distinct from those on the coast, the same
cannot be said for canary rockfish.
In fact, the limited samples taken so far suggest that the
coastal population of canary rockfish — those found by the PFMC to
be “rebuilt” — may not be genetically distinct from canary rockfish
living in Puget Sound.
If that proves to be the case, it could have a profound effect
on what we understand about canary rockfish and could even lead to
a de-listing of the Puget Sound population.
Kelly Andrews, a genetics expert with NOAA Fisheries, cautioned
that the sample size is small and more results are needed before
anyone can draw conclusions. New samples are soon to be examined to
see if there are any differences between canary rockfish on the
coast and those in Puget Sound.
“What initially may seem to be the same could change
dramatically with all these new samples we just got,” he told me.
“Still just finding them is good news.”
When the Puget Sound rockfish were listed in 2010, researchers
did not have the genetic data to define the populations in that
way, so they used reasonable assumptions about geographic
isolation. Now, the genetics can be factored in.
A five-year review is due to be completed this year for the
listed rockfish in Puget Sound. If the new genetics information
holds up, then the technical review team could propose a delisting
of the canary rockfish.
For that reason, a long-awaited recovery plan for rockfish is
being completed for the most part, but its release will be delayed
until the genetic information is conclusive and the five-year
review is completed. It would not make sense to come out with a
recovery plan for canary rockfish, if the plan is to delist the
population.
Meanwhile, small areas of Quilcene and Dabob bays have been
reopened to fishing for some flatfish. (See earlier news release.)
Bottom fishing is generally closed in Hood Canal because of the
ongoing low-oxygen problems and its effects of bottom fish.
As in other areas of Puget Sound, targeted bottom fishing must
take place in less than 120 feet of water, and all rockfish caught
must be released. Experts strongly advise using a “descending
device” (see video) to get rockfish safely back to deep water, no
matter where they are caught. Without that, many of the fish die
from barotrauma caused by the ballooning of their swim bladder as
they are brought to the surface. See
“Bring That Fish Down” by California Sea Grant and “Protecting
Washington’s Rockfish” by WDFW.
We know about beauty contests and cute baby contests, but the
competition really worth celebrating is the Ugliest Animal Contest,
sponsored by the British-based Ugly Animal Preservation
Society.
There were plenty of candidates, from the proboscis monkey, with
its large nose, to the Dromedary jumping slug, a slug with a hump
on its back known for jumping to escape from predators.
But when more than 3,000 votes were counted last month, the
winner, with 795 votes, was the blobfish, a gelatinous fish that
lives at great depths off the coast of Australia.
As far as I can tell, nobody asked the blobfish what he thought
of this honor. But there was an important theme to the contest.
With an estimated 200 species going extinct each day, the ugly
animals need special attention, according to Simon Watt, president
of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, who told
The Guardian newspaper:
“We’ve needed an ugly face for endangered animals for a long
time, and I’ve been amazed by the public’s reaction. For too long
the cute and fluffy animals have taken the limelight, but now the
blobfish will be a voice for the mingers who always get
forgotten.”
I love that British term “minger,” defined by the Urban
Dictionary as “a male or female who fell out of the ugly tree
at birth and hit every branch on the way down.”
Adam Gabriel of “Epic
Wildlife” took note of the contest and posted his own video on
YouTube, which helps us understand the blobfish and his
motivations.
When you have time, listen to the comedians who nominated other
species for the Ugly Animal Contest. I think you’ll find the
following videos educational as well as amusing:
Finally, I have to reflect on the photo of the blobfish, a face
that launched a thousand YouTube video players. There are pictures
of blobfish and then there is THE PICTURE of a blobfish. This
picture has been repeated again and again, apparently without
permission, and many of the photo credits are simply wrong.
How THE PICTURE came to be taken during a research expedition is
described by
Mark McGrouther, collection manager for ichthyology at the
Australian Museum. By the time of the Ugliest Animal Contest, the
blobfish, known as Mr. Blobby, was already quite famous and beloved
in Australia, where he had his own Facebook page and
Twitter account. For
more about Mr. Blobby, check out this blog on the website of the
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation.
If you haven’t gotten your fill of blobfish by now, check out
“The Blobfish
Song” by Friday Morning Freak House.
Federal biologists have decided, following a yearlong review,
that the Southern Resident killer whales should remain listed as
“endangered.”
A lot of folks were surprised when the National Marine Fisheries
Service agreed to undertake the review, based on a delisting
petition from some farmers in California’s Central Valley. As I
outlined in a
Water Ways post last November, the agency acknowledged that
there was new scientific information about the extent to which the
Puget Sound whales breed outside their group. Such information
could potentially undermine the finding that the Southern Residents
are a distinct population segment, a prerequisite for the
endangered listing.
After the review, the federal biologists found that most of the
new evidence strengthens the position that the Southern Residents —
those that frequent Puget Sound — are distinct and unique in other
ways essential to the listing. Here’s how I wrote about it in
yesterday’s Kitsap Sun (subscription required):
“The endangered listing for the Southern Residents hinges on the
legal question of whether the three pods constitute a distinct
population segment of an identified species or subspecies. Agency
scientists maintain that the Puget Sound whales have their own
language and preferred food sources, and they don’t breed to a
significant degree with other killer whales. They also meet other
requirements for listing, such as having their own range of travel
and not interacting with other groups of the same species.
“New evidence, however, shows that their range overlaps that of
other orcas to varying degrees and that occasional external
breeding takes place. Still, agency scientists conclude, new
information about genetics, behavior and cultural diversity
demonstrates more convincingly than ever that Southern Residents
are unique and irreplaceable.”
I would speculate that taking on the yearlong review was one way
for agency officials to put the new information into official
context, as they see it, before a near-certain court battle
ensues.
By the way, the attorney for the farmers, Damien Schiff of
Pacific Legal Foundation, told me that he feels the agency
sidestepped the very information that compelled it to conduct the
status review:
“The decision is disappointing because of the result, but it
also seems to contradict the service’s own finding … that it had
substantial information that delisting may be warranted.
“They cleverly avoided that by mislabeling our information as
consistent with the action they took in 2005. They never really
engaged with the new evidence they were presented.”
Myoko Sakashita of the Center for Biological Diversity said her
organization will defend the National Marine Fisheries Service’s
findings if the case goes to court. The group led the court battle
that resulted in the orcas being listed as endangered in the first
place.
I asked Myoko if her group intends to push for further
protections for the Southern Residents, such as expanding critical
habitat into the Pacific Ocean. She confirmed that such action was
a strong possibility and may not wait for the agency’s regular
five-year review.
Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research said he has
presented research findings about the travels of the whales up and
down the West Coast, including forays into Northern California.
Recent satellite-tracking of the orcas by agency biologists
confirms that their habitat should be protected along the coast to
give them a better chance of survival, he said. See
Water Ways, April 5, 2013.
So far, critical habitat has been designated for most of Puget
Sound, but this year provides evidence that they rely on a much
greater area. So far this summer, the Southern Residents have been
mostly missing from the San Juan Islands, probably because of a
serious decline in the chinook salmon runs returning to the Fraser
River in British Columbia. This kind of extended summer absence
from inland waters has never been witnessed over the past 30 years
— and nobody seems to know where the orcas are now.
I asked Ken what he thought about the petition to list Lolita,
also known as Tokitae, as “endangered” along with the rest of the
Southern Residents, of which she is a member. Ken said he supports
the idea, even if it means nothing regarding Lolita’s welfare or
future. Having her included in the federally protected population
may be the only way to guarantee that researchers can examine her
body after she dies, he said. If nothing else, the orca’s tissues
could contain information to help future generations of killer
whales.
Back to the decision to keep the Southern Residents on the
Endangered Species List, here are a few press releases from
involved organizations:
The legal battle to determine whether captive killer whales —
specifically Lolita — should be considered part of the endangered
orca population has been taken out of the courtroom by parties in
the case.
Lolita lives alone in a
tank at Miami’s Seaquarium.
Photo courtesy of Orca Network
A
settlement agreement (PDF 284 kb) was signed two weeks ago
between the National Marine Fisheries Service — which enforces the
Endangered Species Act for marine mammals — and animal rights
advocates who would like something better for this isolated
animal.
Lolita is a female killer whale from Puget Sound who has been
kept in a tank in Miami for 42 years.
The agreement essentially puts the lawsuit on hold pending a
formal petition process under the ESA. Otherwise, the Animal Legal
Defense Fund, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and
others in the case would be left to argue about missed deadlines
and proper legal notice to the federal government. See
U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle’s ruling (PDF 48 kb).
Reading between the lines, I can imagine a conversation between
lawyers for the two sides: Continue reading →
Geoduck harvesting remains controversial. Some people are
convinced that it creates long-lasting damage to the seabed and to
the creatures that dwell on the bottom. Others are equally
convinced that damage is minimal and does not last very long.
I have never determined for myself if one side or the other is
absolutely right, or if it depends largely on bottom conditions at
a specific site. As a reporter, I continue to listen to both sides
and try to give them each fair treatment.
One thing is for sure, however: The money that goes into state
coffers from the sale of geoducks is quite remarkable. In a story
published in
today’s Kitsap Sun, I quote state officials who say the market
has remained strong, despite the downturn in the economy.
In a single area north of Blake Island in Kitsap County, the
state will receive $1.4 million for geoducks harvested this year
alone. Similar amounts can be expected from that area for the next
few years.
I will entertain comments and links to documents from anyone who
wants to discuss the damage issue. I must give some weight,
however, to the National Marine Fisheries Service, which has
approved a Geoduck Habitat Conservation Plan and incidental take
permit under the Endangered Species Act.
(See the NMFS Web site on geoducks.)
The reports, which are based largely on research by the
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, give the geoduck
fishery a “low-effect” rating when it comes to threatened and
endangered species.
“A low effect HCP is one that NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determine to have minor or
negligible effects on federally listed, proposed, or candidate
species and their habitats covered under the HCP,” according to the
NMFS Web site.
Six Canadian environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against
their federal government to protect the habitat of killer whales,
including the Southern Resident animals that frequent Puget Sound
in the summer and fall.
“This is the first lawsuit ever of its kind in Canada,” said
Lara Tessaro, staff lawyer at Ecojustice. “We hope to force the
federal government to legally protect the critical habitat of
endangered species — like the Southern Resident killer whales.”
The lawsuit covers the Southern Residents, listed as
“endangered” under Canadian law, and the Northern Residents, listed
as “threatened.” The listing criteria are somewhat different in the
two countries. Canadian authorities, like their U.S. counterparts,
have officially recognized the whales at risk of extinction.
“DFO’s decision not to protect critical habitat of resident
killer whales is symptomatic of the federal government’s widespread
failure to implement the Species at Risk Act,” Gwen Barlee, policy
director of the Wilderness Committee, said in the
news release.
Also mentioned in both the news story and release was Lance
Barrett-Lennard, recognized as an expert on killer whales
throughout the Northwest and co-chairman of Resident Killer Whale
Recovery Team in Canada. Barrett-Lennard said the team has resisted
efforts by government officials to remove scientific information
from the team’s list of recommendations.
“If the response by the [fisheries] minister stands, it
effectively means that nothing has to be done under the Species at
Risk Act to protect killer whales, so it’s a hard pill to swallow,”
he said in the
CBC story.
I placed a call this morning to DFO to see if anybody wishes to
discuss this lawsuit. Officials responded this afternoon that they
can’t comment because the issue is before the courts.
