NOAA Proposes Lifting Protections for Most Humpback Whales
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Associated Press] By Caleb Jones - April 21, 2015
The federal government on Monday proposed removing most of the world's humpback whales from the endangered species list, saying the massive mammals have rebounded after 45 years of protection and restoration efforts.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries officials want to reclassify humpbacks into 14 distinct populations, and remove 10 of those from the list. The last time the agency delisted a species due to recovery was more than two decades ago.
Approval of the proposal would not mean there will be an open hunting season on humpbacks.
All the whales remain protected under the Marine Mammals Protection Act, and the United States is still an active member of the International Whaling Commission, which banned commercial whaling in 1966, said Angela Somma, chief of NOAA Fisheries endangered...
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