Feds to reclassify manatees from 'endangered' to 'threatened'

[dcpandafan]

Feds to reclassify manatees from 'endangered' to 'threatened'

Sea cows took decades to emerge from a sea of troubles.

Within a year, federal wildlife officials plan to reclassify the long-embattled Florida manatee from "endangered" to the less serious status of "threatened."

On Friday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to publish a proposed rule to reclassify the species. The public would then have 90 days to weigh in on the change. Then the service expects to publish the final rule to reclassify within a year.

"Based on the best available scientific information, we believe the manatee is no longer in danger of extinction," Michael Oetker, deputy regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, said at a press conference Thursday at Miami Seaquarium.

The announcement comes after decades of studies and debate over whether Florida's most iconic creature should drop a peg from "endangered," a status the marine mammal has held since America's original list of endangered species was created in 1967.

"Endangered" means the species is at risk of going extinct. "Threatened" means they no longer are at imminent risk of extinction but could become so in the foreseeable future.

Feds to reclassify manatees from 'endangered' to 'threatened'

 

[Chlidonias]

the link above is actually to a very long article (with a couple of really annoying pop-up adverts) with all sorts of stuff about the issues around the down-listing, especially with regards to boaties. There are also some interesting stats at the bottom about manatee deaths, and near the top a cool photo of over 1000 manatees gathered at a warm-water discharge.

Well worth reading the article.