For fifty years, the ESA has been the “emergency room” for America’s wildlife. It brought the California Gray Whale back from the brink of extinction. It allowed Southern Sea Otters to repopulate our kelp forests. It is the lifeline for endangered Oceanic Whitetip, Scalloped Hammerhead and Soupfin sharks. The ESA works because it was fast, strict, and based on science. Add your voice to USFWS today!
Read MoreHope for the Soupfin Shark: CITES Protection and the Fight Ahead
For far too long, the soupfin shark has faced a relentless onslaught of threats, pushing its global populations to the brink. At the latest Conference of the Parties to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), soupfin sharks achieved international protection from trade.
Read MoreDefend the ESA: Submitting Comments
Making your voice heard is easy and takes less than 5 minutes. The most effective way to protect the Endangered Species Act is to submit your comment directly to the official federal record. Draft language to USFWS and Department of the Interior Doug Burgum.
Read MoreGood News for Shark Protection at CITES Oceanic Whitetip
The Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus longimanus} has been officially uplisted to CITES Appendix I at the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.The good news doesn’t stop there. CITES CoP20 saw an unprecedented commitment to marine conservation, with every shark and ray proposal tabled receiving adoption. This comprehensive suite of protections covers over 70 species and is a watershed moment for ocean wildlife.
Read MorePublic Comments Needed to Defend the Endangered Species Act
On November 19th the Trump Administration has published a proposal by US Fish and Wildlife to roll back Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections, specifically focusing on the removal of the “blanket rule” and its impact on threatened shark species. The public has a December 22nd deadline to comment to prevent the ESA from being weekend.
Read MoreSHARKED Act in Senate Committee- Act Now
Reintroduced into the House in spring 2024, the Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act of 2025 is supported by the recreational fishing industry and lobby bemoaning shark depredation on their catch. The bill could could have serious impacts on shark populations in all US waters. While ostensibly having Congress create a task force to examine shark depredation and human interactions, it has the potential to open protected areas or fishing for sharks. Without little scientific merit or credible support, the SHARKED Act language is a thinly veiled approach to open fishing on protected species and greenlight shark culls, tournaments and sportfishing for sharks in US waters.
Read MoreExecutive Order Threatens Sharks, US Coral Reefs
On April 17, President Trump issued an executive order would open large U.S.- marine protected areas to commercial fishing. The order authorized the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and US Fish and Wildlife Service to implement US-based fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. The proclamation threatens Pacific Island heritage, endangered species, and some of the healthiest coral reefs and marine ecosystems in the world.
Read MoreDefending US Marine Protected Areas
The islands and reefs of the USA Pacific Marine National Monuments are some of the most remote and healthiest protected coral-reef marine ecosystems in USA waters, even the world. These large, rich, biodiverse marine ecosystems have been protected for nearly two decades under 4 presidents of both parties. These marine protected areras are now at risk to being opened to commercial fishing interests under executive orders by the Trump Administration.
Read MoreSay No to Deep Sea Mining in American Samoa Waters
Please take 2 minutes to submit comments to the Dept. of Interior to STOP deep sea mining in American Samoan waters.
Read MoreStrengthening Global Protection for Critically Endangered Sharks at CITES
Sharks are facing an unprecedented crisis. According to recent studies, more than 37% of shark and ray species are threatened with extinction, with this figure rising to a staggering 70% for species involved in international trade. These statistics underscore the critical importance of strengthening global protections for these vulnerable marine predators.
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