Vanishing right whale must remain on endangered list
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The fading North Atlantic right whale will remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, and the species requires a series of protective steps to stave off extinction, U.S. federal authorities said Tuesday.

The whales number only about 340 and they have declined in population in recent years. America's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a review of the whale's status on Tuesday that said the whale "is continuing to decline and has not met many of the recovery criteria outlined" in its recovery plan.

Protection of the whale is a source of dispute between conservationists and commercial fishermen because one of the top threats to the animals is entanglement in fishing gear. NOAA performed a required five-year review of the whale's status that said the animal is continuing to decline because of threats from fishing gear, collisions with ships and other factors.

A washed-up lobster trap and tangled line sits on a beach in Biddeford, Maine, U.S., November 13, 2009. /CFP

A washed-up lobster trap and tangled line sits on a beach in Biddeford, Maine, U.S., November 13, 2009. (Photo: CFP)

NOAA also released recommended actions to try to stabilize the whale's population. The actions include partnering with the Canadian government to reduce collisions and entanglements. The whales migrate every year from the waters off Georgia and Florida to New England and Canada.

The agency also recommended more research and implementation of fishing gear modifications that reduce risk to the whales. It also said there should be more emphasis placed on the removal of derelict fishing gear from the whales' range.

NOAA's announcement came a week after Maine's congressional delegation announced plans to use the federal spending bill to attempt to delay new protections for the whales for six years. That would put a halt to new restrictions on lobster fishing, an industry based largely in Maine. The delegation and Democratic Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement that the planned restrictions would "not meaningfully protect the right whale, but will threaten the livelihoods of thousands of Maine families and small businesses."