Good News...for Manatees

[ProfessorAronnax]

GOOD NEWS FOR MANATEES

 

[Nay]

Interesting,
That seems like a tough call, do you continue to list an animal even though it's no longer on the brink? It still needs protection but isn't about to die off tomorrow.

I'm very in favor of protecting the environment but so many environmental groups get really alarmist in their predictions that I don't feel like you can trust what they say much of the time.

I think this is great for the manatees, if their numbers are doing well and biologists think it's a stable population then with more monitoring and protection, maybe we'll see them healthy enough to be unprotected someday. They can't be endangered forever right?

thanks rapidiver

 

[DennisS]

They can't be endangered forever right?

Carl Hiaasen wrote a good column this week

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/14782935.htm

 

[trigfunctions]

Good article Dennis. This ruling is NOT good news for manatees.

 

[RonFrank]

They can't be endangered forever right?

thanks rapidiver

Not sure if this is good news for the Manatee or no. I think not.

If they become extinct, then they are no longer endangered, they are gone! :11:

It does not appear that the population is doing well enough to put them in the threatened catagory based on what little information is provided. The fact that the Red Tide can devistate these animals maybe enough to keep them on the endangered list. I'm glad the population is doing better, but it's hardly an explosion.

 

[jbilicska]

Thanks for the info Dennis . I thought this delisting news sounded a just a little bit strange myself

 

[RumBum]

It seems to me that with the status downgraded to Threatened, Florida has more room to circumvent federal and state guidelines to protect the manatees. This is from the US Fish And Wildlife Service website:

Endangered Species Protection
Listing as endangered gives animal species protection under Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act, which prohibits the take of a Federally-listed endangered species. (Take is defined as "to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect.")

Threatened Species Protection
Animal species listed as threatened do not automatically have protection under the Act. However, the Service has applied most of the same protection described above to threatened species. This is authorized through Section 4(d) of the Act.

We sometimes make exceptions to to take rule for threatened species. Exceptions to the take rule are often called 4(d) rules. We are also able to issue take permits to allow more activities that affect threatened species.
http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es/threatened_v_endangered.htm

:shakehead
I am disgusted by this.

 

[Nay]

Wow,
That's really sad when listings are changed due to outside pressures and not actual science. The numbers not only need to come up, they need to be stable.

Thanks for the second article, that paints everything in a very different light.

My personal opinion is that if the population is stable enough to sustain itself it isn't endagered. However we need ot do our part in helping the population remain stable and that's a tough balance to strike. Hopefully FL officials will be able to come up with a solid management plan that won't result it putting them back onto the endangered list.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Headline should read good news for developers

 

[ticokitty]

Considering the recent evaluation of our current endangered species act by our government (that somewhat loosens the definition of endangered) as well as the basic eco-idealism of Florida's county commissions (or lack there-of) I don't really think the Florida manatee is in recovery.

In 2005 there were 396 recorded deaths of manatees. Considering there are approximately 2000 left in the world (Florida Manatee) I would not say that is a great statistic that shows they are recovering. This year alone there have been 196.
http://www.floridamarine.org/features/view_article.asp?id=6780
(I taught a unit on manatees this year at school)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/22/AR2005092202099.html

"Rewrite of Endangered Species Law Approved
House to Vote Soon; Senate Could in 2006

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 23, 2005; Page A02

Setting the stage for the most sweeping restructuring of endangered species protections in three decades, the House Resources Committee yesterday approved legislation that would strengthen the hand of private property owners and make it harder for federal officials to set aside large swaths of habitat for imperiled plants and animals."

So, not to rain on your parade, I think anyone who is interested in conserving our natural places and species needs to be aware of what our government is doing right now. I think things we never thought could happen are.