April 21, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Today, NOAA Fisheries released nine new Species in the Spotlight Priority Action Plans, two of which are for species in the Greater Atlantic Region. These plans highlight the most vital actions that NOAA Fisheries and our partners can take to reverse the declining populations of nine endangered marine species that are most at risk of extinction. Building on the successes of the past five years, NOAA Fisheries is renewing the initiative through 2025 to sustain momentum toward recovery.
GARFO’s two Species in the Spotlight are:
- Atlantic Salmon Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment (DPS)
- North Atlantic Right Whale (added in 2019)
NOAA’s seven other Species in the Spotlight are:
- Central California Coast Coho Salmon Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU)
- Cook Inlet Beluga Whale DPS
- Hawaiian Monk Seal
- Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle
- Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook Salmon ESU
- Southern Resident Killer Whale DPS
- White Abalone
Established in 2015, the Species in the Spotlight initiative has since helped us achieve important milestones toward recovery. Watch the video.
We invite you to review the Species in the Spotlight Action Plans for 2021-2025 and learn more about our partners and what we have accomplished in the past 5 years. We appreciate all of our current partners and collaborators, as the steps we need to take to stabilize these species would not be possible without them.
Read our webstory to learn more.