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Court Urged to Uphold Ship Strike Protections for North Atlantic Right Whales
Conservation groups today filed a friend of the court brief expressing support for a federal vessel speed limit rule to protect critically endangered North Atlantic
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Fish and Wildlife Service Misguided in Rescinding Vital Strategic Growth Policy for the National Wildlife Refuge System
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service quietly rescinded its Refuge System Strategic Growth Policy in December, bypassing the legally required public comment period for such a change, despite having issued the policy with an accompanying public comment period in 2014.
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Defenders Celebrates Tremendous Step to Restored Florida Rivers
On Monday, the Northeast Florida Rivers, Springs, and Community Investment Act was filed to restore the natural flow of the Ocklawaha River, Silver and St
Press Releases
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Defenders and Healthy Gulf Prevail in Court Case to Protect Imperiled Gulf and Mississippi River Species from Bonnet Carré Spillway Impacts
Defenders of Wildlife and Healthy Gulf won a critical victory for imperiled wildlife in and around the Gulf of Mexico when a district court ruled last night that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and NOAA Fisheries must engage in a prospective Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation for the threatened and endangered species and critical habitat that are affected by Bonnet Carré Spillway openings.
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Glass Frog Proposal Moves Forward To Full Adoption at CITES After Overwhelming Support
Today, in a late-night session the proposal to list all 158 species of glass frogs on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora was adopted by consensus after the European Union decided it would not block the proposal in the face of overwhelming support. The proposal was led by fourteen countries, including the host country Panama, Costa Rica, and the U.S.
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CITES Proposals for Endangered Sharks Pass First Hurdle at COP19
In a monumental step for marine conservation, two proposals to protect 60 sharks passed the first hurdle towards protection by the 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP19) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
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Lesser Prairie-Chicken Gets Federal Protections
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is listing the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Southern DPS of the lesser prairie-chicken is being listed as endangered. The Northern DPS of the lesser prairie-chicken is being listed as threatened, although Defenders petitioned for it to be endangered, which would provide it stronger protections.
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Gulf of Maine Lobster Fishery Loses ‘Sustainable’ Label Over Concerns About North Atlantic Right Whale Entanglements
The Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Watch decided to revoke the sustainability label for Gulf of Maine lobster, citing concerns over endangered North Atlantic right whales becoming entangled in fishing gear. The decision comes after Defenders of Wildlife and other conservation groups acted in June 2022 to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale by formally objecting to a determination that the fishery should be recertified. MSC certification is widely recognized in grocery stores with a “blue fish tick” ecolabel.
jcovey@defenders.org
