A peer-reviewed study published in mid-January in the academic journal PLOS ONE shows that eastern Steller sea lions, Hawaiian humpback whales, Southern sea otters and North Atlantic green sea turtles protected by the Endangered Species Act are in a recovery mode.
Eastern Steller sea lions increased along the Pacific coast from California to Alaska from 19,103 to 59,968 individuals between 1990 and 2013 due to protection of their major haul-outs and rookeries and were declared fully recovered and removed from ESA endangered species list in 2013, according to researchers with the Center for Biological Diversity.
The Hawaiian humpbacks, who give birth in the waters off the main Hawaiian Islands and forage in Southeast Alaska waters, increased in number from just 800 in 1979 to over 10,000 in 2005. They had been protected since 1970 but it took until 2016 before they were declared fully recovered.
Southern sea otters, who live along the central California coast, increased in number from 1,443 to 2,688 individuals between 1079 and 2017 and are now near their federal recovery goal. Their recovery has been pivotal in improving the health of coastal kelp forest ecosystems, the report said.
Green sea turtles in the North Atlantic also increased from 464 nests on Florida beaches in 1989 to 39,000 in 2017 after being protected in 1978.
“We should celebrate the Act’s tract record of reducing harms from water pollution, overfishing, each habitat destruction and killing,” said Shaye Wolf, a Center for Biological Diversity scientist and coauthor of the study. “Humans often destroy marine ecosystems, but our study shows that with strong laws and careful stewardship, we can also restore them, causing wildlife numbers to surge.”
