Biodiversity & Species
20-year whaling moratorium on the chopping block
You wouldn’t know it from the headline of this week’s NYT article (“US Leads New Bid to Phase Out Whale Hunting,”) but the worldwide commercial-whaling moratorium that has been in place since 1986 is under seige. Countries are meeting this week to work out details of a deal in which the world’s three leading whaling …
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CONTINUE READINGAlaska aborts anti-ESA ad campaign
In February, Alaska lawmakers decided to launch a $1.5 million public relations campaign against the Endangered Species Act, and specifically against the listing of the polar bear as a threatened species. Later, they toned it down a bit, planning to use the money to hold a conference on polar bear listing and ask PR firms …
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CONTINUE READINGEndangered listing for Delta smelt warranted but precluded
Finally completing work on a petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity in 2006, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that reclassifying the Delta smelt from threatened to endangered is “warranted but precluded.” That means the population decline is dramatic enough to justify the conclusion that the smelt is in fact endangered, …
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CONTINUE READINGCalifornia’s Delta & Water Reforms: Now the Hard Work Begins
Last fall’s passage of landmark California legislation to “fix” the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and reform California water law was big news. But key, recent events demonstrate that the devil is truly in the details, and that while legislation certainly matters, it is the manner and means of executive branch implementation that ultimately spell success or …
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CONTINUE READINGDelta NRC committee issues initial report
The National Research Council’s Committee on Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta released its first report this morning (also available through the National Academies Press web site, with registration). On a quick review of the summary, the conclusions are unsurprising — the Committee finds that the provisions of the Biological Opinions for …
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CONTINUE READINGPink Flamingo: Carpetbagger or March Madness?
While Holly Doremus considers the State of the Birds, it might be fair to ask her why she spotted a Greater Flamingo, yesterday, in Northern California. The six Berkeley Law students and this blogger, who accompanied her on a paddle at the Elkhorn Slough and came upon this scene, want to know. Normally, the closest …
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CONTINUE READINGState of the Birds, 2010
Following up on last year’s first report, a coalition of government and non-profit agencies has issued a new State of the Birds report. This version concentrates on the effects of climate change. The key conclusions, from the summary: Birds in every terrestrial and aquatic habitat will be affected by climate change, although individual species in …
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CONTINUE READINGDo Californians eat endangered whale meat?
Yes, apparently we do, but only at the most upscale of sushi restaurants. See the LA Times story here (and note the $600 price tag for the meal). Here’s some information about sei whales (the species being served), courtesy of NOAA’s Office of Protected Resources: During the 19th and 20th centuries, sei whales were targeted (along …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Delta: pumps, politics, and (fish) populations
Cross-posted at CPRBlog The past couple of weeks have been crazier than usual on the Bay-Delta. The pumps were first ramped up and then ramped down. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) pandered to the irrigation crowd (or at least a part of it) by proposing to ease endangered species protections in the Delta. And the fall-run …
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CONTINUE READINGGood news for the pika . . . or not
Cross-posted at CPRBlog. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has completed its review of the status of the cute little American pika. The verdict is good news for the pika, at least as far as it goes and if FWS is right about the science. FWS has decided that the pika is not endangered or …
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