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| Not just "bycatch" |
The National Marine Fisheries Service proposed a Hawaiian population of false killer whales
(Pseudorca crassidens) for listing as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. The NRDC petitioned for their listing in October, 2009. Fewer than 120 of these large dolphins remain in near shore Hawaiian waters. The Hawaiian population is the only one known to inhabit inshore waters and is genetically distinct. Their preference for proximity to land is probably responsible for losses to starvation, entanglement and toxicity. The inshore population
has crashed over the last 20 years. Only Forty-six of the false orcas are capable of breeding raising the possibility of genetic defects. The mammals are highly social, intelligent and bond for life. The federal fisheries agency was sued in 2003 and 2009 by
Earthjustice [photo] for failing to protect false killer whales from commercial fishing. The environmental legal group accused the agency of ignoring its own data showing that the Hawaiian long line fleet was injuring and killing the mammals at a level nearly ten times what a healthy population can sustain. Long line fishing is known for its high levels of "bycatch" in which other species besides the target species (mostly tuna and swordfish) are hooked or entangled in gear. In 2008 the GAO issued
a highly critical report to the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee on the NMS failure to protect marine mammals from commercial fishing. In January of this year a consensus agreement was reached on a draft take reduction plan intended to reduce interaction with the islands' long line fishing fleet. The recommendations include gear modifications, disentanglement training for crews and a year round exclusion zone. A final rule after a public comment period is expected in October, 2011.
