- A Shared Responsibility
- Endangered and Threatened Species under NMFS Jurisdiction
- Recovering West Coast Salmon and Steelhead
- Salmon Research and Climate Change
- Finding a New Future for Corals
- CITES Gives Hope to the Queen Conch
- A Brighter Future for the Kemp’s Ridley
- Mixed News for the Hawaiian Monk Seal
- Caribbean Monk Seal: Gone but Not Forgotten
- Hawaii Longliners Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch
- Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery
- Underwater Noise and Endangered Species
- Reducing Threats to Right Whales
- Reducing Obstacles to Fish Migrations
- Partnerships for Steelhead in Southern California
- Conserving Species Before They Need the ESA
- Cooperative Conservation with the States
- Listing Actions
A Shared Responsibility
Endangered wood storks nest in the upper branches of trees at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia.
Photo Credit: Wendy Teas/NOAA
By Angela Somma
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, shares responsibility for implementing the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with the Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Generally, the Fish and Wildlife Service manages terrestrial and freshwater species, while NMFS manages most marine and anadromous species. NMFS is responsible for conserving 68 species listed under the ESA, from large whales to sea turtles, corals, and fish, including Pacific salmon.
This issue of the Endangered Species Bulletin focuses on NMFS’ efforts to conserve and protect these threatened and endangered species. Specifically, we describe innovative recovery efforts, such as the management of ship speeds on the Atlantic coast to protect highly endangered right whales, the progress in restoring Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, and the need for urgent action to avoid the extinction of the Hawaiian monk seal. This edition also highlights conservation efforts for newly listed corals, habitat improvements for Pacific salmon, and the emerging issue of acoustics and the impacts of sound on marine mammals, sea turtles, and fish in the marine environment.
Finally, we illustrate two of our programs that address conservation for a wide variety of species: our Cooperation with States program to conserve listed and candidate species, and our Species of Concern program, which draws attention and resources to species that may be vulnerable but are not listed under the ESA. By focusing research and management attention on these species now, we may be able to avoid the need for future listings under the act.
In the years ahead, NMFS intends to continue these conservation and recovery efforts and work cooperatively with the Fish and Wildlife Service to implement the ESA.
Angela Somma, Chief of the Endangered Species Division for NMFS, can be reached at Angela.Somma@noaa.gov or 301-713-1401.
