Current work in wildlife, rivers, public lands, and climate

Additional Contact:
Stuart Wilcox, swilcox@wildearthguardians.org, (720) 507-1969

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Washington, DC—Today, the National Marine Fisheries Service protected six imperiled marine species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in response to a 2013 petition by WildEarth Guardians. The daggernose shark, Brazilian guitarfish, striped smooth-hound shark, spiny angel shark and Argentine angel shark are listed as “endangered,” while the narrownose smooth-hound shark is listed as “threatened.”

“Protecting our oceans’ unique species is more important than ever, given rising ocean temperatures and a political administration extremely hostile to climate science,” said Bethany Cotton, wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians. “These protections are necessary to safeguard the health of our planet and prevent extinction.”

The daggernose shark (Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus), the Brazilian guitarfish (Rhinobatos horkelii), the striped smooth-hound shark (Mustelus fasciatus), the Argentine angel shark (Squatina argentina) and the spiny angel shark (Squatina guggenheim) are all species endangered by human exploitation and the lack of regulatory mechanisms to control overfishing. Similarly, the narrownose smooth-hound shark (Mustelus schmitti) is threatened by the devastating overuse of commercial fisheries.

“Our oceans and the species that call them home are suffering because of relentless human over exploitation,” said Stuart Wilcox, staff attorney for WildEarth Guardians and author of the listing petition. “Protecting these declining species is an important step in taking responsibility for the failing health of marine ecosystems.”

WildEarth Guardians submitted a petition to list 81 marine species and subpopulations — including the guitarfish and sharks listed today—under the ESA in July of 2013 due to significant threats to our oceans. More than half of all marine species may be at risk of extinction by 2100 without significant conservation efforts. Despite this grave situation, the U.S. largely fails to protect marine species under the ESA. Of the over 2,000 species protected under the Act, only about six percent are marine species.

The National Marine Fisheries Service had proposed listing the spiny angel shark as “threatened” but determined upon review of the best available science that “the species is experiencing substantial declines and remains at risk from over utilization by fisheries throughout its range,” and therefore granted the species “endangered” status.

Recognizing the decline of ocean health, on July 22, 2010, President Obama issued an Executive Order requiring agencies, including the Fisheries Service, to “protect, maintain, and restore the health and biological diversity of ocean… ecosystems,” and to “use the best available science and knowledge to inform decisions affecting the ocean.” Today’s listings are a step in the right direction toward living up to that mandate.

Protection under the ESA is an effective safety net for imperiled species: more than 99 percent of plants and animals protected by the law exist today. The law is especially important as a defense against the current extinction crisis; species are disappearing at a rate much higher than the natural rate of extinction due to human activities. Scientists estimate that 227 species would have gone extinct by 2006 if not for ESA protections. Listing species with global distributions can protect them from trade and help focus U.S. resources toward enforcement of international regulations and recovery of the species.