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ESA status reviews of marine species
ESA status reviews of marine species
Problem Statement
Declines in some Puget Sound marine fish populations resulted in a petition to
list 18 species as endangered. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
is considering the evidence for listing seven species under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) and has placed eleven others on a candidate list for future
consideration.
Critical Factors
- Under the ESA, the NMFS must decide which marine species should be listed.
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) scientists prepare status reviews
that discuss which populations qualify as "species" and the level of extinction
risk associated with each.
- After receiving petitions for listing 18 marine species in Puget Sound,
the NMFS has decided to conduct a status review of seven: Pacific hake,
Pacific cod, walleye pollock, Pacific herring, brown rockfish, copper
rockfish, and quillback rockfish.
- Scientists determine a population's risk of extinction by assessing a
number of factors, including trends in population abundance, threats
to genetic integrity, and the impacts of ocean conditions and climate change.
- The ESA allows listing of "distinct population segments," as well as named
species and subspecies.
- For marine fish species, the NMFS defines a population as "distinct" if
it is "discrete" and "significant" in relation to the remainder of its species.
- A population is "discrete" if it is markedly separated from other populations
by physical, physiological, ecological or behavioral factors.
- A population is "significant" if it has persisted in an unusual ecological
setting, if it differs markedly in genetic characteristics from the rest of
the species, or if its loss would create a critical gap in the taxon's range.
Status of Research
The NWFSC's effort to review the status of the above-mentioned species is one
of the first attempts that has been made to assess the status of a marine
fish population in the context of the Endangered Species Act. NWFSC
scientists must develop methods for determining the extinction risk
faced by each of the seven Puget Sound marine species. Scientists will
start by reviewing biological information for populations throughout
each species' range. They will then synthesize information from
a variety of disciplines, including ecology, genetics, life history
and population biology. Life-history patterns will then be incorporated
into genetic and population dynamics models. These models describe the ecology
of each species or population, and quantify the risk factors that may lead to
extinction.
Future Considerations
The NMFS Northwest Regional Office will use status reviews provided by scientists
at the NWFSC to make listing decisions that are timely, accurate and comprehensive.
These decisions will affect the entire Northwestern fishing community,
as well as state, federal and tribal fisheries managers. Because
the range of most fish species extends from the West Coast north through Canada
and into Alaska, similar user groups in Alaska could be affected by these decisions
and transboundary issues will arise.
Key Players
Fishery Resource Analysis and Monitoring (FRAM) Division, NWFSC
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Northwest Indian Fish Commission
Conservation Biology (CB) Division, NWFSC
Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Northwest Regional Office, NMFS
Pacific Fishery Management Council Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS
Contact:
Dr. Elizabeth Clarke, Director, FRAM Division (206/860-3381)
Dr. Rick Gustafson, Research Fishery Biologist, CB Division (206/860-3372)
NWFSC Issue Paper FRAM 6403 (HQ ID 288)
Issue Papers Home
last modified 2002-07-30
Web site owner: Northwest Fisheries Science Center
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