NOAA Completes White Abalone Recovery Plan
October 21, 2008
NOAA’s Fisheries Service has made available the final recovery plan for white abalone, a marine mollusk listed in 2001 as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
This recovery plan outlines reasonable actions which are believed to be required to recover and/or protect white abalone, and is required by the ESA as a guideline for the conservation and survival of ESA listed species. The primary goal of this recovery plan is to establish self-sustaining populations of white abalone in a number of locations throughout its historic range.
The plan recommends a number of actions. NOAA scientists will work closely with the state of California, other federal agencies, private organizations and the Mexican government to monitor white abalone. They will use acoustic remote sensing technology to identify and learn as much as possible about potential white abalone habitat and will continue to expand the captive program, so more can be released into the wild.
The white abalone is the first marine invertebrate to be listed as endangered under the act. It was once abundant off the coasts of Baja and southern California, where it thrived in waters from approximately 15 to 200 feet deep, making it the deepest occurring abalone species in California.
Abalone reproduce by releasing eggs or sperm into open water. Usually, large groups of abalone gather in a single location to do this, increasing the chance of fertilization. At the height of the commercial fishery in the 1970s, divers harvested abalone in large quantities - resulting in a decreased population able to reproduce.
Today, scientists’ estimates of white abalone densities show much lower numbers than historic estimates. There may be just a few thousand left in southern California. The white abalone population in Mexico is thought to be depleted based on commercial fishery data, but the status of the species in Mexico remains uncertain.
The final plan is available on the web at http://ww.nmfs.noaa.gov
or by emailing: whiteabalone [dot] recoveryplan [at] noaa [dot] gov. NOAA made the draft recovery plan available for public comment in 2006.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.
On the Web:
NOAA’s Fisheries Service: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov
Related posts
IDNR Releases Biological Stream Ratings for Diversity, Integrity, and Significance
October 20, 2008
Stream ratings are an important tool in identifying which streams are the most biologically diverse and have a high degree of integrity
SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announces the release of biological stream ratings that combine, update, and enhance the two previous approaches for rating Illinois streams. Stream ratings are an important tool in identifying which streams are the most biologically diverse and have a high degree of integrity. These ratings are regularly used by the IDNR and watershed and environmental groups that focus on stream protection and enhancement.
The new ratings for diversity, integrity, and significance replace the Biological Stream Characterization (BSC) and Biologically Significant Streams (BSS) that were developed in 1984 and 1992 respectively.
“Both BSC and BSS processes generated products that are used extensively by diverse stakeholders,” said IDNR Acting Director Sam Flood. “The new stream ratings will provide the Illinois Department of Natural Resources with a mechanism for identifying high-quality examples of all stream communities and will guide management and restoration activities throughout the state.”
The new ratings use fish, macroinvertebrates, crayfish, mussels, and threatened and endangered species information to generate an overall score of biological diversity and integrity in streams. The purpose behind the new ratings was not only to update outdated information, but to establish baseline conditions against which change promoted by the Wildlife Action Plan could be measured and understood. Since the Wildlife Action Plan broadly addresses all types of wildlife including fish, mussels, amphibians, and reptiles, these new ratings will help resource managers to determine if aquatic organisms are responding to management activities promoted by the plan.
The information contributing to integrity and diversity ratings is then used to identify a sub-set of stream reaches as “biologically significant”. The revised ratings are limited mostly to wadeable streams and incorporate biological information from 1997 - 2007.
“We believe that including additional groups of organisms into both integrity and diversity measures in ratings provides a more robust assessment of stream biological condition, thereby improving our confidence in stream ratings,” said Mike Conlin Director of IDNR – Office of Resource Conservation.
More information about how the ratings were developed and what biological information was used can be found at: http://www.dnr.state.il.us/orc/BioStrmRatings/
Related posts
Pennsylvania Game Commission Tip Line Open to Witness of Game Law Violations
October 20, 2008
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has established a “Turn-In-a-Poacher” program to strengthen the Commonwealth’s efforts to apprehend people who are suspected of killing threatened or endangered species or multiple big game animals.
“The program encourages citizen involvement by offering a reward to callers who provide ‘tips’ that lead to the prosecution of an individual or individuals who kills endangered or threatened species or unlawfully take multiple big game animals, which includes deer, bear, wild turkey and elk,” said Richard Palmer, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Protection director. “You can get involved by either calling a toll-free-telephone number - 1-888-PGC-8001 - or filling out an online ‘TIP’ Reporting Form.”
Online TIP forms can be accessed via the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), scroll down and select the “Turn In a Poacher” icon in the right-hand column, and then click on “‘TIP’ Reporting Form.”
The TIP program was authorized by the General Assembly as part of a legislative package to deter crimes against wildlife. The act authorizes the Game Commission to increase by $200 fines against individuals convicted of killing threatened or endangered species or unlawfully taking multiple big game animals. That money is then placed in a special fund from which $100 will be used to pay the individual providing the “tip,” and the remainder is used to help offset the costs of running the TIP program.
“Calls to the TIP telephone number are always answered by a secure recording device,” Palmer said. “Tips submitted using the new on-line reporting system will be delivered electronically to a special email account in the agency’s Bureau of Wildlife Protection. Access to the recording device and e-mail account is limited to ensure confidentiality and program integrity. Both methods of reporting are available to the public 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.
“People who provide ‘tips’ can choose to remain completely anonymous, particularly if you’re not interested in a reward for your efforts to help wildlife and fight criminal activity against it. But, if you would like to claim a reward you’re entitled to, you’ll have to provide a way for the agency to let you know that your information led to the successful prosecution of the accused individual and that the reward is yours.
Information about other crimes against wildlife – such as the illegal harvest of a single deer, bear or elk, crimes on State Game Lands - still is of great interest to the Game Commission, but should be reported to the appropriate agency Region Office serving the county in which the violation(s) occurred.
“Remember, every time another individual gets involved with reporting crimes against wildlife and wild places, Pennsylvania’s great outdoors improves,” Palmer said.
Related posts
Revised Wolf Management Page on IDF&G Web Site
August 15, 2008
Idaho Fish and Game Website visitor may notice that the Wolf Management page has a new look.
At the request of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission, Fish and Game has added some wolf injunction court case documents to the wolf management page. For anyone interested in the case, the page includes the original complaint, the judge’s injunction order and several declarations by experts and plaintiffs.
To make the page easier to navigate, it has been rearranged by broadening the categories. Some bookmarks may no longer be active or may lead to dead ends.
Most of the documents found on the former page are still there, but they may be under a different heading. State laws and Fish and Game rules on wolf management on hold by the injunction, are included for reference and convenience. Wolves still are listed under the Endangered Species Act.
Recent Comments