The Trump Administration has unveiled a plan to revise regulations that implement portions of the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), which conservationists say would cripple the law adopted in 1973 to protect imperiled species and critical habitat. A proposal announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s […]
Tag: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
POLL: Should cormorants be culled to protect local fisheries?
The House Natural Resources Committee met in Alpena, Michigan for a field hearing on double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) management. Cormorants are migratory birds and are therefore regulated under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. However, recreational and commercial fishermen around the Great Lakes say growing populations have negatively impacted local fisheries. Previously, managers were allowed to […]
Climate Change Caused One of the Biggest Seabird Die-Offs Yet
In 2014 scientists and beachgoers began finding west coast shores littered with thousands of small bodies. Their tragic discoveries would turn into what would become one of the largest seabird die-offs recorded yet, and now scientists have linked the cause to climate change. The birds who were washing up were Cassin’s Auklets, a portly little […]
Owner of South African hunting company indicted by US prosecutors over illegal elephant hunt
The owner of a trophy hunting business in South Africa has been indicted by prosecutors with the United States Department of Justice for violating the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act. Prosecutors in the US state of Colorado have alleged that Hanno van Rensburg, a South African national and owner of Authentic African Adventures, […]
Wildlife Threatened Again by Cruel Hunting Methods in Alaska
Conservationists are speaking out in opposition of a disturbing proposal that would reverse Obama-era regulations intended to protect wildlife in Alaska from some of the most egregious hunting practices around. In 2015, the National Park Service (NPS) finalized a rule that amended its regulations for sport hunting and trapping in Alaska to prevent cruel killing […]
POLL: Should “year-round” Canada goose “management” be allowed?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed a rule that would allow it to permit the destruction of resident Canada goose (Branta canadensis) eggs and nests for population control at any time of year. Currently, the Service can issue permits to destroy eggs and nests between March 1 and June 30 to “reduce, manage, […]
It’s a Miracle! Wisdom Lays an Egg at Age 67
Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, has once again returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial and has laid an egg. The approximately 67-year-old flies thousands of miles every year before returning to the Midway Atoll. Although these graceful birds nest on tropical Pacific islands, they can travel as far as […]
POLL: Should Trump’s elephant trophy hunting plan be stopped?
When you think of ways the White House could, in fact, “make America great again,” allowing big game hunters to bring elephant heads back into the country is probably nowhere on that list. Nevertheless, the Trump administration has just announced that it will get rid of restrictions that prevented hunters from doing just that. A […]