endangered species act – Southern Fried Science

Why the new Trump order to shoot wolves is both illegal and a dreadful precedent for endangered species

September 5, 2026September 5, 2026 Ali Gaster No Comments

On September 4, Donald Trump issued an executive order targeting the Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections of gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves. In the Oval Office he stated to an Arizona rancher that “you can shoot them as of today.” Video of this statement has now gone viral, with massive amounts of social media … Read More “Why the new Trump order to shoot wolves is both illegal and a dreadful precedent for endangered species” »

The Trump Administration’s latest attack on the Endangered Species Act

August 21, 2026 Ali Gaster

Conservation, Policy, Science

There are three ways to destroy an environmental law. You can repeal it. You can withhold funds to enact or enforce the law. Or you can keep the law on the books, but rewrite the machinery that makes it work (i.e., you can sabotage it). Over the course of two weeks, the U.S. Fish and … Read More “The Trump Administration’s latest attack on the Endangered Species Act” »

Endangered species in limbo

August 17, 2026 Ali Gaster

Conservation, Policy, Science

If you spend any time scrolling through the Federal Register (and let’s be honest, that’s just one of the cool, hip, and happening ways we pass the time here at Southern Fried Science), you will notice an alarming trend. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is widely considered the gold standard of conservation law and it … Read More “Endangered species in limbo” »

Ten very bad, no good things the latest Trump Administration has done to the oceans

August 14, 2026 Ali Gaster

Conservation, Policy, Uncategorized

The last 18 months have been an absolute nightmare for U.S. ocean and conservation policy. But here are the top ten worst things (in no particular order) this administration has done to marine conservation. 1. Opening Papahānaumokuākea to fishing In June 2026, a sweeping executive proclamation tore down commercial fishing bans in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine … Read More “Ten very bad, no good things the latest Trump Administration has done to the oceans” »

Emergency room conservation: why waiting for the Endangered Species Act to save a species is a fiscal disaster

August 11, 2026 Ali Gaster

Conservation, Policy, Science

Let’s talk about a pervasive zombie idea (a disproven idea that refuses to die) that continues to shamble through the halls of resource management. This is the belief that we shouldn’t spend money on conservation until a species is officially, legally designated as Threatened or Endangered. The logic behind this delay usually wears a suit … Read More “Emergency room conservation: why waiting for the Endangered Species Act to save a species is a fiscal disaster” »

First, do no harm.

July 17, 2026August 3, 2026 Ali Gaster

Conservation, Policy, Science

How the Trump Administration has yet again hobbled the Endangered Species Act. The Trump administration has officially finalized a rule stripping habitat destruction from the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In a joint announcement by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce, officials rolled back a 40-year conservation … Read More “First, do no harm. “ »

After 50 years of conservation, what’s next for the Endangered Species Act?

February 23, 2024 David Shiffman

Conservation

2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, one of the earliest, strongest, and most important conservation laws on Earth. The environmental non-profit Defenders of Wildlife wrote a report tracking successes (so far) and proposing improvements for the future. I interviewed Dr. Lindsay Rosa, the Vice President of Conservation Research and Innovation at … Read More “After 50 years of conservation, what’s next for the Endangered Species Act?” »

No Endangered Listing for Dusky Sharks (and That’s a Good Thing)

December 16, 2014 Chuck Bangley

Conservation

Though the fisheries news cycle has mostly been taken up by the 15-year anniversary of the Sea Around Us project (and some choice words between researchers), today also marked the official announcement of the 12-month finding on the petition to list dusky sharks on the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Long story short, the National Marine Fisheries Service has decided that the dusky shark population in the Northwest Atlantic doesn’t need ESA protection to avoid extinction. While it may be tempting to decry NMFS’ decision as falling short for a species that has long been a prime example of declining shark populations, what it actually means is that things are looking up for the dusky shark. Finding that out only takes a little reading into the decision documents.

10 Reasons why Great and Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks Deserve Endangered Species Act Protections

May 1, 2013January 8, 2024 David Shiffman 7 Comments

Conservation, Science

A great hammerhead shark swims by a Project AWARE "Extinction is NOT an Option" sign, Bimini, Bahamas. Photo credit: Neil Hammerschlag — A great hammerhead shark swims by a Project AWARE “Extinction is NOT an Option” sign, Bimini, Bahamas. Photo credit: Neil Hammerschlag

The Endangered Species Act is one of the strongest conservation laws on the planet, and to date, no shark has ever been given ESA protections. In recent weeks, however, the National Marine Fisheries Service has responded to a series of NGO petitions requesting ESA protections for two species of hammerhead sharks. NMFS proposes to list 2 “distinct” population segments” (DPS) of scalloped hammerhead sharks as endangered and 2 as threatened, with 2 DPS’s listed as “not warranted”. The response to the great hammerhead petition is not as developed (the petition itself is more recent), but notes that “the petitioned action may be warranted”.

I strongly believe that both of these species of hammerhead sharks need and qualify for Endangered Species Act protections. If you agree, I encourage you to submit an official public comment in support of listing both under the ESA following the instructions below. Failure to follow all instructions to the letter will result in your comment not being considered. Commenting on this blog post does not count as submitting a public comment, and neither does commenting on a Facebook post about this blog post. Online petitions will not be considered. This process is open to the public, but requires that we follow basic instructions.

To submit a public comment in support of great hammerhead ESA listings, click on the “comment now” button on this page and fill in the required information. To submit a public comment in support of scalloped hammerhead ESA listings, click on the “comment now” button on this page and fill in all the required information. You can also submit written comments via the mail to “Office of Protected Resources,NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 or by fax to 301-713-4060 attn: Maggie Miller. Please note that if you submit a comment by mail or fax, you need to include code NOAA-NMFS-2013-0046 for great hammerheads and code NOAA-NMFS-2011-0261 for scalloped hammerheads.

To help craft your public comment, I’ve written a list of 10 reasons why these sharks qualify for Endangered Species Act protections. Please do not just quote this post word-for-word, if you do then your comment will be considered a “form letter” and not an individual comment.

The Endangered Species Act and Marine Animals: To List or Not To List?

February 28, 2013October 28, 2013 Chuck Bangley 2 Comments

Conservation

Endangered species seem to be coming up around here more often than usual, mostly due to the potential state-level listing of great white sharks in California. This move has been resisted from some surprising corners, including researchers who are generally pro-shark conservation. The reasons why scientists might want to oppose an Endangered Species listing are laid out by Dr. Chris Lowe in an earlier post on this very blog, so I won’t reiterate all of them here. Surprisingly, I have yet to see any comments accusing Dr. Lowe of being a shill for the drift gillnet fishery.

There seems to a be a real sense among some conservation-minded folks that Endangered Species listing is something of a “holy grail” for species protection and recovery, and some petitioners would have you believe that anything less is unacceptable (and probably the result of corruption). However, the Endangered Species Act has a very specific process by which species receive protection, and a defined set of limitations. A lot of well-meaning people seem to have limited knowledge of this process and limitations. To do my little part to help fix this, this post will be a short primer on the Act and will show how a marine species has recently navigated the entire process for listing. With any luck, maybe this will result in one or two fewer misguided online petitions.