Saving Seafood

Feds give N.J. $1M to protect South Jersey wetlands

February 26, 2021 — More than 500 acres of wetland habitat near the Jersey Shore is in line to be protected, thanks to a $1 million grant from the federal government.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would award the funds to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program to help pay for the acquisition and permanent protection of 517 acres in Atlantic and Cape May counties.

The federal agency declined to give a specific location for the tract, but said it is adjacent to the state’s Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area.

The total cost of the project is expected to reach $1,492,000, according to the USFWS. That leaves nearly $500,000 to be matched by the state and any local conversation groups that are partnering in the effort.

The property is part of the Great Egg Harbor estuary, which includes a variety of wetland habitats, from barrier islands and back bays to mud flats and forested areas. The area is critical for the survival of various fish and shellfish, plus hundreds of species of birds, including the threatened red knot.

Read the full story at NJ.com

A new Trump rule could shrink protected habitat for endangered wildlife

December 16, 2020 — The Trump administration adopted a rule Tuesday that could shrink the historic habitats of plants and animals threatened with extinction, an action that opponents say will make it more difficult for them to recover.

On their way out of office, the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service established a rule that changed the definition of what determines a habitat under the Endangered Species Act. It was the second major rollback the administration has made to the signature wildlife protection law.

Under the new definition, only “critical habitat” that can sustain the species in question can be protected, as opposed to a broader habitat the plant or animal might one day occupy if it is suitable.

“This action will bring greater clarity and consistency to how the Service designates critical habitat,” Rob Wallace, assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, said in a statement. “Making the Endangered Species Act more effective at conserving imperiled wildlife and more transparent and user friendly for stakeholders represents a win-win for everyone.”

Read the full story at The Washington Post

Federal charges filed in a 2018 shark fin trafficking case

September 1, 2020 — Hamada Suisan Co. Ltd., the owner of a Japanese-flagged fishing vessel, was charged in federal court Monday tied to the illegal trafficking of shark fins.

The charges of aiding and abetting the attempted export of shark fins stems from a November 2018 discovery of hundreds of fins in the possession of workers from the fishing vessel, M.V. Kyoshin Maru No. 20.

According to the Department of Justice, the vessel’s Indonesian workers legally came to Hawaii to board flights out of the Honolulu International Airport. During routine TSA screenings of carry-on luggage, agents found some 962 shark fins within their bags, weighing in approximately 190 pounds.

Read the full story at Hawaii News Now

Court Battle Underway Over Revamped Endangered Species Rules

October 8, 2019 — A major fight is shaping up in federal court over the Trump administration’s recently issued rules that rewrite how the government implements the Endangered Species Act.

The battle was broadened on Sept. 25 when attorneys general from 17 states, the District of Columbia and New York City filed a challenge to the regulations in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs, led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, contend that the set of three new final rules—published in the Federal Register on Aug. 27 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service— “fundamentally undermine and contradict” Endangered Species Act requirements.

Two of the regulations took effect on Sept. 26. The effective date for the third, which aims to expedite “interagency cooperation”  procedures in listing species as endangered, was extended to Oct. 28.  [View 8/12/19 ENR story on regulations here.]

Among other changes, the rules set a stricter definition of “critical habitat” needed for an endangered species to survive; end a practice of giving threatened species the same protections as endangered species; allow economic factors to be aired—though not as a decisive factor—when agencies determine whether to list a species as endangered.

Read the full story at The Engineering-News Record