US fisheries managers want to end humpback whale protection and if they are granted this, humpback whales would no longer be listed under the Endangered Species Act. The group says that the whales are doing well now and don’t face extinction like they did when first put on the list.
If fisheries have their way, there will be a new list for humpback whales are now a different list: a list where the listed are in danger, all over the world. However, on Monday, a proposal was opened up to the public that sought to end humpback whale protection in only some areas by putting the world’s population of humpback whales into 14 groups. The groups having differing levels of protection, 10 of those groups would be totally off protected status.
Humpback Whale Protection Levels Will Vary By Population
The humpback whales off the the protection list would include most whales traveling in U.S. waters, as well as some in Mexico and Australia. However, two populations of humpbacks that travel in areas near northwest Africa in the Arabian Sea and Cape Verde Islands would still remain under protection of the Endangered Species Act. The humpbacks traveling in Central American areas and the Northern Pacific near Japan would actually be upgraded to threatened status.
Additionally, if the request by the fisheries is approved, any population of humpback whales taken off the endangered list, would still have some level of protection via the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
If Humpback Whale Protection Laws Change
Getting rid of the protection the humpback whales now have would mean that ships and fishermen could get by with hitting or killing a whale or producing too high a noise level in certain underwater areas. The changes to humpback whale protection are being suggested because scientists claim there are now tens of thousands of humpbacks versus only a few thousand back in the ’70s when they were originally put on the Endangered species list.
Since 1966, commercial hunting of whales has been prohibited by the International Whaling Commission. However, some countries still hunt them, such as Japan, Norway and Iceland, for instance, killing of these mammals is permitted for scientific research and a few more are killed by Japanese in the Southern Ocean for blubber and their meat. There are also humpbacks killed by things such as being tangled up in fishing equipment, loss of habitat, harassment from whale watchers, and being hit by ships.
The bottom line is that if there is an end to humpback whale protection, the humpback whales in some areas of the world will no longer have the same levels of protection and support that now exist. The public has 90 days to give their opinions to the NOAA Fisheries in this situation before the decision is made.
Japan is one of the countries whose whale protection laws are actually being upgraded. Watch this video on an experience in Japan including a whale shark:
https://youtu.be/qf1vQ9DfIj4
