Extinction countdown 4, unfortunately
This is a continuation of the topic Extinction countdown 3, unfortunately.
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1margd
Earth’s freshwater fish face harsh new climate challenges, researchers warn
Stefan Lovgren | 17 Dec 2025
Climate change is rapidly altering freshwater ecosystems — raising temperatures, altering flood pulses and oxygen levels — and driving complex, region-specific changes in how fish grow, migrate and survive.
Long-term U.S. data show sharp declines in cold-water fish as streams and lakes warm, while warm-water species gain only slightly. Some cold-adapted species are now disappearing as deep waters cease being a cold refuge.
From Africa to the Arctic, impacts are emerging, including stronger lake stratification, declining fisheries and rivers turning orange as thawing permafrost releases toxic metals. Declining freshwater fisheries increasingly put food security at risk, especially affecting diets and health in traditional and Indigenous communities.
Scientists say management and conservation techniques rooted in past conditions no longer work. New approaches must anticipate shifting baselines as climate change rapidly accelerates...
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/earths-freshwater-fish-face-harsh-new-climate-...
--------------------------------------------------------------
Citations:
Wang, S., Chen, F., Hu, M., Chen, Y., Cao, H., Yue, W., & Zhao, X. (2024). Past, present and future changes in the annual streamflow of the Lancang-Mekong river and their driving mechanisms. Science of The Total Environment, 947, 174707. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174707
Uy, S., Hogan, Z., Grenouillet, G., Lek, S., Chandra, S., & Ngor, P. B. (2025). Declining fish sizes across the Lower Mekong Basin highlight urgent conservation needs. Biological Conservation. doi:10.2139/ssrn.5092686
Brown, T. M., O’Connor, J., & Genner, M. J. (2024). Climate warming drives population trajectories of freshwater fish. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(51). doi:10.1073/pnas.2410355121
Rumschlag, S. L., Gallagher, B., Hill, R., Schäfer, R. B., Schmidt, T. S., Woods, T., … Mahon, M. B. (2025). Diverging fish biodiversity trends in cold and warm rivers and streams. Nature, 647(8090), 656-662. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09556-0
Xu, L., Feiner, Z. S., Frater, P., Hansen, G. J., Ladwig, R., Paukert, C. P., … Jensen, O. P. (2024). Asymmetric impacts of climate change on thermal habitat suitability for inland lake fishes. Nature Communications, 15(1). doi:10.1038/s41467-024-54533-2
Kamulali, T. M., Goodman, P., Russell, J. L., & Cohen, A. S. (2024). Understanding the 3D hydrodynamics of lake Tanganyika: Insights from modeling circulation patterns using a 3D ROMS model. doi:10.22541/au.172832729.98403844/v1
Thomas, P. A., Blaskey, D., Cheng, Y., Carey, M. P., Swanson, H. K., Newman, A. J., … Musselman, K. N. (2025). Warming Alaskan rivers affect first-year growth in critical northern food fishes. Scientific Reports, 15(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-025-14711-8
Sullivan, P. F., Dial, R. J., Cooper, D. J., Diamond, C., Tino, C. J., Gregory, D. D., … Lyons, T. W. (2025). Wild, scenic, and toxic: Recent degradation of an iconic Arctic watershed with permafrost thaw. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(37). doi:10.1073/pnas.2425644122
Lynch, A. J., Beard, T. D., & Paukert, C. P. (2025). Advancing climate adaptation for inland fish and fisheries. Fisheries. doi:10.1093/fshmag/vuaf095
Stefan Lovgren | 17 Dec 2025
Climate change is rapidly altering freshwater ecosystems — raising temperatures, altering flood pulses and oxygen levels — and driving complex, region-specific changes in how fish grow, migrate and survive.
Long-term U.S. data show sharp declines in cold-water fish as streams and lakes warm, while warm-water species gain only slightly. Some cold-adapted species are now disappearing as deep waters cease being a cold refuge.
From Africa to the Arctic, impacts are emerging, including stronger lake stratification, declining fisheries and rivers turning orange as thawing permafrost releases toxic metals. Declining freshwater fisheries increasingly put food security at risk, especially affecting diets and health in traditional and Indigenous communities.
Scientists say management and conservation techniques rooted in past conditions no longer work. New approaches must anticipate shifting baselines as climate change rapidly accelerates...
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/earths-freshwater-fish-face-harsh-new-climate-...
--------------------------------------------------------------
Citations:
Wang, S., Chen, F., Hu, M., Chen, Y., Cao, H., Yue, W., & Zhao, X. (2024). Past, present and future changes in the annual streamflow of the Lancang-Mekong river and their driving mechanisms. Science of The Total Environment, 947, 174707. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174707
Uy, S., Hogan, Z., Grenouillet, G., Lek, S., Chandra, S., & Ngor, P. B. (2025). Declining fish sizes across the Lower Mekong Basin highlight urgent conservation needs. Biological Conservation. doi:10.2139/ssrn.5092686
Brown, T. M., O’Connor, J., & Genner, M. J. (2024). Climate warming drives population trajectories of freshwater fish. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(51). doi:10.1073/pnas.2410355121
Rumschlag, S. L., Gallagher, B., Hill, R., Schäfer, R. B., Schmidt, T. S., Woods, T., … Mahon, M. B. (2025). Diverging fish biodiversity trends in cold and warm rivers and streams. Nature, 647(8090), 656-662. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09556-0
Xu, L., Feiner, Z. S., Frater, P., Hansen, G. J., Ladwig, R., Paukert, C. P., … Jensen, O. P. (2024). Asymmetric impacts of climate change on thermal habitat suitability for inland lake fishes. Nature Communications, 15(1). doi:10.1038/s41467-024-54533-2
Kamulali, T. M., Goodman, P., Russell, J. L., & Cohen, A. S. (2024). Understanding the 3D hydrodynamics of lake Tanganyika: Insights from modeling circulation patterns using a 3D ROMS model. doi:10.22541/au.172832729.98403844/v1
Thomas, P. A., Blaskey, D., Cheng, Y., Carey, M. P., Swanson, H. K., Newman, A. J., … Musselman, K. N. (2025). Warming Alaskan rivers affect first-year growth in critical northern food fishes. Scientific Reports, 15(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-025-14711-8
Sullivan, P. F., Dial, R. J., Cooper, D. J., Diamond, C., Tino, C. J., Gregory, D. D., … Lyons, T. W. (2025). Wild, scenic, and toxic: Recent degradation of an iconic Arctic watershed with permafrost thaw. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(37). doi:10.1073/pnas.2425644122
Lynch, A. J., Beard, T. D., & Paukert, C. P. (2025). Advancing climate adaptation for inland fish and fisheries. Fisheries. doi:10.1093/fshmag/vuaf095
2margd
Year-end ‘good news’ as flat-headed cats reappear in Thailand after 29-year absence
cover image
Sean Mowbray | 26 Dec 2025
"... Diminutive, shy and nocturnal, flat-headed cats are notoriously challenging to study. This rediscovered population is no exception. Access to the swampy forest in which it dwells requires battling through chest-high waters and tangles of mangroves.
These traits, and the terrain, no doubt helped the small cat elude the camera traps of researchers studying other species such as otters in the same area in recent years, according to Rattapan Pattanarangsan, Panthera’s conservation program manager for Thailand. Anecdotal reports had come from southern Thailand that fishers occasionally trapped flat-headed cats over the past decade, Pattanarangsan told Mongabay by phone.
On top of the difficulties in spotting or snapping images of these cats, they don’t have distinctive markings like other species, such as clouded leopards or tigers, complicating identification of individual cats. That means estimating the population or density is challenging. So far, surveys have been confined mostly to the forest edge, but the number of detections already suggests there could be a higher concentration of cats within the forest compared to elsewhere in their range.
“If we can complete a full grid survey, we will be able to estimate population size and density,” Pattanarangsan said. The idea is to collar some of the cats to gain more knowledge of their feeding ecology, habitat use and breeding behavior. Genetic studies, too, may be needed to better understand the overall health of this population.
That the flat-headed cat isn’t extinct in Thailand is clearly positive news, but it also raises the stakes on protecting this forest, as no other reports or sightings have been made elsewhere in Thailand. “We believe this may be the last remaining population in Thailand, which puts it at considerable risk,” Pattanarangsan said...
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/year-end-good-news-as-flat-headed-cats-reappea...
cover image
Sean Mowbray | 26 Dec 2025
"... Diminutive, shy and nocturnal, flat-headed cats are notoriously challenging to study. This rediscovered population is no exception. Access to the swampy forest in which it dwells requires battling through chest-high waters and tangles of mangroves.
These traits, and the terrain, no doubt helped the small cat elude the camera traps of researchers studying other species such as otters in the same area in recent years, according to Rattapan Pattanarangsan, Panthera’s conservation program manager for Thailand. Anecdotal reports had come from southern Thailand that fishers occasionally trapped flat-headed cats over the past decade, Pattanarangsan told Mongabay by phone.
On top of the difficulties in spotting or snapping images of these cats, they don’t have distinctive markings like other species, such as clouded leopards or tigers, complicating identification of individual cats. That means estimating the population or density is challenging. So far, surveys have been confined mostly to the forest edge, but the number of detections already suggests there could be a higher concentration of cats within the forest compared to elsewhere in their range.
“If we can complete a full grid survey, we will be able to estimate population size and density,” Pattanarangsan said. The idea is to collar some of the cats to gain more knowledge of their feeding ecology, habitat use and breeding behavior. Genetic studies, too, may be needed to better understand the overall health of this population.
That the flat-headed cat isn’t extinct in Thailand is clearly positive news, but it also raises the stakes on protecting this forest, as no other reports or sightings have been made elsewhere in Thailand. “We believe this may be the last remaining population in Thailand, which puts it at considerable risk,” Pattanarangsan said...
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/year-end-good-news-as-flat-headed-cats-reappea...
3margd
Declared extinct in 2025: A look back at some of the species we lost
cover image
Shreya Dasgupta | 26 Dec 2025
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/declared-extinct-in-2025-a-look-...
cover image
Shreya Dasgupta | 26 Dec 2025
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/declared-extinct-in-2025-a-look-...
4margd
Declared extinct in 2025: A look back at some of the species we lost
cover image
Shreya Dasgupta | 26 Dec 2025
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/declared-extinct-in-2025-a-look-...
cover image
Shreya Dasgupta | 26 Dec 2025
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/declared-extinct-in-2025-a-look-...
5John5918
Africa’s great elephant divide: countries struggle with too many elephants – or too few (Guardian)
In countries such as South Sudan, the great herds have all but disappeared. But further south, conservation success mean increasing human-wildlife conflict... Too few elephants: South Sudan... this ecosystem hosts the largest land mammal migration left on the planet, dominated by white-eared kob. The migration has endured despite Africa’s longest-running civil war. But other fauna have not fared so well – including the region’s elephants... Too many elephants?: Zimbabwe... Hwange’s dense elephant population is the result of decades of conservation successes, but also an ecosystem out of balance... the herds aren’t migrating enough for the ecosystem to replenish... In late 2024, Zimbabwe and Namibian authorities announced significant new elephant culls...
6margd
>5 John5918: Uh oh, I'll share article that with one of the biologists I know who worked with Zimbabwe on wildlife management. Interesting stories! (Unfortunately, mysogyny precluded my having firsthand experience.)
7John5918
>6 margd:
The conservation landscape in South Sudan is interesting. The article mentions "the largest land mammal migration left on the planet, dominated by white-eared kob". It's estimated that more than 3.5 million animals take part in this annual migration, more than double that of the more well known Maasai Mara-Serengeti migration in Kenya and Tanzania. Despite ongoing violence and instability, African Parks is attempting to manage the national parks on behalf of the government, involving the local communities as much as possible.
The conservation landscape in South Sudan is interesting. The article mentions "the largest land mammal migration left on the planet, dominated by white-eared kob". It's estimated that more than 3.5 million animals take part in this annual migration, more than double that of the more well known Maasai Mara-Serengeti migration in Kenya and Tanzania. Despite ongoing violence and instability, African Parks is attempting to manage the national parks on behalf of the government, involving the local communities as much as possible.
8margd
NASA Is Helping Bring Giant Tortoises Back to the Galápagos
Emily DeMarco | Feb 20, 2026
"... In 2000, scientists made an unexpected discovery. {James Gibbs, the Galápagos Conservancy’s Vice President of Science and Conservation and a co-principal investigator of the project} and other researchers found unusual tortoises on northern Isabela Island’s Wolf Volcano, the tallest peak in the Galápagos, that did not look like any other known living tortoises. About a decade later, DNA extracted from bones of the extinct Floreana tortoises — found in caves on the island and in museum collections — confirmed the tortoises carried Floreana ancestry, launching a breeding program that has since produced hundreds of offspring expected to return to the island. Researchers believe that whalers likely moved tortoises between the islands more than a century earlier.
... “It's difficult for the tortoises because they get introduced from captivity into this environment,” Gibbs said. “They don’t know where food is. They don’t know where water is. They don’t know where to nest. If you can place them where conditions are already right, you give them a much better chance.”
... That’s where NASA satellite data comes in. NASA Earth observations allow scientists to map environmental conditions across the islands and track how vegetation, moisture, and temperature shift over time — clues to where tortoises can find food and water.
Using those records, Gibbs and Giorgos Mountrakis, the project’s principal investigator, and their team built a decision tool that combines satellite measurements of habitat and climate conditions with millions of field observations of tortoise locations across the archipelago to guide where, and when, to release the animals ..."
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/nasa-is-helping-bring-giant-tortoises-back-to-the...
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margd: Rescues in our area go to great lengths to return rehabilitated turtles to exact location where they were found.
Emily DeMarco | Feb 20, 2026
"... In 2000, scientists made an unexpected discovery. {James Gibbs, the Galápagos Conservancy’s Vice President of Science and Conservation and a co-principal investigator of the project} and other researchers found unusual tortoises on northern Isabela Island’s Wolf Volcano, the tallest peak in the Galápagos, that did not look like any other known living tortoises. About a decade later, DNA extracted from bones of the extinct Floreana tortoises — found in caves on the island and in museum collections — confirmed the tortoises carried Floreana ancestry, launching a breeding program that has since produced hundreds of offspring expected to return to the island. Researchers believe that whalers likely moved tortoises between the islands more than a century earlier.
... “It's difficult for the tortoises because they get introduced from captivity into this environment,” Gibbs said. “They don’t know where food is. They don’t know where water is. They don’t know where to nest. If you can place them where conditions are already right, you give them a much better chance.”
... That’s where NASA satellite data comes in. NASA Earth observations allow scientists to map environmental conditions across the islands and track how vegetation, moisture, and temperature shift over time — clues to where tortoises can find food and water.
Using those records, Gibbs and Giorgos Mountrakis, the project’s principal investigator, and their team built a decision tool that combines satellite measurements of habitat and climate conditions with millions of field observations of tortoise locations across the archipelago to guide where, and when, to release the animals ..."
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/nasa-is-helping-bring-giant-tortoises-back-to-the...
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margd: Rescues in our area go to great lengths to return rehabilitated turtles to exact location where they were found.
9margd
The North Atlantic Right Whale calves along FL coasts, then works its way north close to shore. Canada has managed to reduce vessel strike: https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/navigation-marine-conditions/prote... . Sure hope NOAA likewise continues to protect this species of whale, an iconic part of early US economy.
Defenders Raises Alarm Over Administration’s Proposal to Amend Rule Protecting North Atlantic Right Whales From Deadly Vessel Strikes
Defenders of Wildlife | February 12, 2026
"... Trump administration’s stated intent to target “deregulatory-focused action” at the 2008 regulation protecting this critically endangered species {North Atlantic right whale} from deadly vessel strikes. Vessel strikes, together with fishing gear entanglements, are killing right whales faster than they can reproduce.
... The 2008 vessel speed rule requires seasonal slowdowns for vessels in U.S. waters along the East Coast. The rule sets speed limits for vessels 65 feet and longer in areas where right whales and vessel traffic overlap seasonally. Economic data analysis has found only minor direct costs—between roughly $28 million to $40 million annually, 58–70% of which is borne by the container ship sector—with no detectable impact on the volume or economic activity at ports.
With a population of roughly 384 individuals and only 70 breeding females, the North Atlantic right whale is at serious risk of extinction if additional conservation measures to reduce entanglements and vessel strikes are not implemented quickly ..."
https://defenders.org/newsroom/defenders-raises-alarm-over-administrations-propo...
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NOAA eyes ‘deregulatory’ rule for North Atlantic right whale
By Michael Doyle | 02/12/2026 02:01 PM EST
The Trump administration is promising a “deregulatory-focused” update to the NOAA rule aimed at reducing the likelihood that boats will hit endangered North Atlantic right whales.
NOAA Fisheries on Tuesday submitted to a key White House office plans for initiating revisions to the existing rule that protects the whales from vessel strikes.
While details remain under wraps, the submission to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs revives a multiyear effort that collapsed at the end of the Biden administration. Once OIRA gives a green light, NOAA Fisheries will start through what’s called an advance notice of proposed rulemaking.
“This deregulatory-focused action will seek information from industry experts, coastal communities, and other relevant stakeholders on ways to reduce unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens while ensuring responsible conservation practices for endangered North Atlantic right whales,” Rachel Hager, a spokesperson with NOAA Fisheries, said ..."
https://www.eenews.net/articles/noaa-eyes-deregulatory-rule-for-north-atlantic-r...
Defenders Raises Alarm Over Administration’s Proposal to Amend Rule Protecting North Atlantic Right Whales From Deadly Vessel Strikes
Defenders of Wildlife | February 12, 2026
"... Trump administration’s stated intent to target “deregulatory-focused action” at the 2008 regulation protecting this critically endangered species {North Atlantic right whale} from deadly vessel strikes. Vessel strikes, together with fishing gear entanglements, are killing right whales faster than they can reproduce.
... The 2008 vessel speed rule requires seasonal slowdowns for vessels in U.S. waters along the East Coast. The rule sets speed limits for vessels 65 feet and longer in areas where right whales and vessel traffic overlap seasonally. Economic data analysis has found only minor direct costs—between roughly $28 million to $40 million annually, 58–70% of which is borne by the container ship sector—with no detectable impact on the volume or economic activity at ports.
With a population of roughly 384 individuals and only 70 breeding females, the North Atlantic right whale is at serious risk of extinction if additional conservation measures to reduce entanglements and vessel strikes are not implemented quickly ..."
https://defenders.org/newsroom/defenders-raises-alarm-over-administrations-propo...
-----------------------------------------
NOAA eyes ‘deregulatory’ rule for North Atlantic right whale
By Michael Doyle | 02/12/2026 02:01 PM EST
The Trump administration is promising a “deregulatory-focused” update to the NOAA rule aimed at reducing the likelihood that boats will hit endangered North Atlantic right whales.
NOAA Fisheries on Tuesday submitted to a key White House office plans for initiating revisions to the existing rule that protects the whales from vessel strikes.
While details remain under wraps, the submission to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs revives a multiyear effort that collapsed at the end of the Biden administration. Once OIRA gives a green light, NOAA Fisheries will start through what’s called an advance notice of proposed rulemaking.
“This deregulatory-focused action will seek information from industry experts, coastal communities, and other relevant stakeholders on ways to reduce unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens while ensuring responsible conservation practices for endangered North Atlantic right whales,” Rachel Hager, a spokesperson with NOAA Fisheries, said ..."
https://www.eenews.net/articles/noaa-eyes-deregulatory-rule-for-north-atlantic-r...
10margd
Judge sides with salmon against Trump administration in hydropower ruling
Gabrielle Canon | 26 Feb 2026
Federal judge in Oregon rejects bid to overturn Biden-era agreement to protect endangered fish populations
... In the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, a landmark salmon recovery plan brokered in late 2023, the federal government committed more than $1bn over a decade to support depleted salmon runs and new investments into clean energy projects in the area to replace the hydropower generated by the dams. The plan, however, would be short-lived.
Months after returning to office, Trump withdrew from the agreement, calling it “radical environmentalism”, and the parties quickly returned to court.
But in a strongly worded ruling, issued late on Wednesday, the Oregon US district court judge Michael Simon rebuked the administration’s position and the “disappointing history of government avoidance and manipulation instead of sincere efforts at solving the problem”, and the evidence presented, which he said was created for the lawsuit and contradicted the scientific record ...
... The Columbia River basin, which sprawls across a swath of land the size of Texas, once produced more salmon than any other system in the world. But out of the 16 stocks of salmon and steelhead that once thrived here, seven are listed under the Endangered Species Act and four have already been wiped from existence.
“One of the foundational symbols of the West, a critical recreational, cultural, and economic driver for Western states, and the beating heart and guaranteed resource protected by treaties with several Native American tribes is disappearing from the landscape” Simon wrote of the threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead.
He lamented that the battle for the life of these declining and important species had “not been fought at the end of a hook and line, nor in the woven threads of a fishing net, nor even based on the appetites of sea lions, avian predators, or killer whales. Instead, the greatest battle has been waged in the courts,” he said.
His order generally sustains the status quo, returning reservoir and flow levels to what they were last year with some small increases. ... "
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/26/salmon-dams-trump-admnistration-...
Gabrielle Canon | 26 Feb 2026
Federal judge in Oregon rejects bid to overturn Biden-era agreement to protect endangered fish populations
... In the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, a landmark salmon recovery plan brokered in late 2023, the federal government committed more than $1bn over a decade to support depleted salmon runs and new investments into clean energy projects in the area to replace the hydropower generated by the dams. The plan, however, would be short-lived.
Months after returning to office, Trump withdrew from the agreement, calling it “radical environmentalism”, and the parties quickly returned to court.
But in a strongly worded ruling, issued late on Wednesday, the Oregon US district court judge Michael Simon rebuked the administration’s position and the “disappointing history of government avoidance and manipulation instead of sincere efforts at solving the problem”, and the evidence presented, which he said was created for the lawsuit and contradicted the scientific record ...
... The Columbia River basin, which sprawls across a swath of land the size of Texas, once produced more salmon than any other system in the world. But out of the 16 stocks of salmon and steelhead that once thrived here, seven are listed under the Endangered Species Act and four have already been wiped from existence.
“One of the foundational symbols of the West, a critical recreational, cultural, and economic driver for Western states, and the beating heart and guaranteed resource protected by treaties with several Native American tribes is disappearing from the landscape” Simon wrote of the threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead.
He lamented that the battle for the life of these declining and important species had “not been fought at the end of a hook and line, nor in the woven threads of a fishing net, nor even based on the appetites of sea lions, avian predators, or killer whales. Instead, the greatest battle has been waged in the courts,” he said.
His order generally sustains the status quo, returning reservoir and flow levels to what they were last year with some small increases. ... "
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/26/salmon-dams-trump-admnistration-...
11margd
François Leroy et al. 2026. Acceleration hotspots of North American birds’ decline are associated with agriculture. Science, 26 Feb 2026, Vol 391, Issue 6788, pp. 917-921. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads0871
Editor’s summary
Human activities, including dramatic changes to land cover and land use, are known to negatively influence populations of many species. As human populations and technologies have expanded, so has the rate of our influence on ecosystems. Leroy et al. investigated whether this “Great Acceleration” has led to increasing abundance changes in birds, one of the most highly studied taxonomic groups. Using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the authors found that about half of the 261 species analyzed showed significant declines from 1987 to 2021, and a quarter showed accelerating declines. Hotspots of accelerating abundance decline were located in regions with high-intensity agriculture (high cropland area, fertilizer use, or pesticide use). —Bianca Lopez
Conclusions
... we examined the abundance dynamics and acceleration for 261 species over 35 years at the continental scale. Although the hotspots of abundance decline coincide with high and increasing temperatures, the hotspots of accelerated decline coincide with agricultural intensity. ...
Editor’s summary
Human activities, including dramatic changes to land cover and land use, are known to negatively influence populations of many species. As human populations and technologies have expanded, so has the rate of our influence on ecosystems. Leroy et al. investigated whether this “Great Acceleration” has led to increasing abundance changes in birds, one of the most highly studied taxonomic groups. Using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the authors found that about half of the 261 species analyzed showed significant declines from 1987 to 2021, and a quarter showed accelerating declines. Hotspots of accelerating abundance decline were located in regions with high-intensity agriculture (high cropland area, fertilizer use, or pesticide use). —Bianca Lopez
Conclusions
... we examined the abundance dynamics and acceleration for 261 species over 35 years at the continental scale. Although the hotspots of abundance decline coincide with high and increasing temperatures, the hotspots of accelerated decline coincide with agricultural intensity. ...
12margd
Trump Mulls Incidental Polar Bear Kills in Alaska Oil Region (2)
Bobby Magill | March 6, 2026
"The Trump administration is granting the Alaska oil industry’s request to update regulations that could allow the unintentional harassment and killing of polar bears and walruses by drillers off the coast of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, according to a notice published Friday.
Some walruses may die because oil companies’ airplane noise may cause them to stampede, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said in the Federal Register public inspection notice.
FWS is proposing a rule that would permit Beaufort Sea oil and gas operations resulting in “incidental take,” the term the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act use for the unintentional harassment or killing of protected animals. Polar Bears are protected under both laws, but walruses are protected only under the MMPA. The proposal is open to public comment for 30 days ..."
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/trump-plans-would-allow-ala...
--------------------------------------------------
Comment through April 8, 2026 on FWS–R7–ES–2026–0694 at https://www.regulations.gov .
Bobby Magill | March 6, 2026
"The Trump administration is granting the Alaska oil industry’s request to update regulations that could allow the unintentional harassment and killing of polar bears and walruses by drillers off the coast of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, according to a notice published Friday.
Some walruses may die because oil companies’ airplane noise may cause them to stampede, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said in the Federal Register public inspection notice.
FWS is proposing a rule that would permit Beaufort Sea oil and gas operations resulting in “incidental take,” the term the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act use for the unintentional harassment or killing of protected animals. Polar Bears are protected under both laws, but walruses are protected only under the MMPA. The proposal is open to public comment for 30 days ..."
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/trump-plans-would-allow-ala...
--------------------------------------------------
Comment through April 8, 2026 on FWS–R7–ES–2026–0694 at https://www.regulations.gov .
13margd
Right whales are the iconic species that built the eastern US, but face extinction without protection from shipping. After calving in waters off FL they move up the eastern seaboard to Canada and the Atlantic states, across busy shipping lanes. My understanding is that ship captains are supportive (for the most part), and Canada has protective measures in place.
Center for Biological Diversity | 30 March 2026 (Facebook):
"North Atlantic right whales are on the brink of extinction, with only about 380 left on Earth, including roughly 70 breeding females.
Since 2008 a federal rule has contributed to their defense against one of the deadliest threats to their survival: collisions with ships.
The North Atlantic right whale vessel speed rule requires most vessels 65 feet and longer to slow down to 10 knots (in certain areas, at certain times of year) along the U.S. East Coast, where the whales and heavy vessel traffic overlap.
But now the Trump administration wants to get rid of this crucial rule.
Science shows that when ships slow down, whales survive. For a species already pushed to the brink, taking away speed limits could be devastating.
Tell NOAA Fisheries Service to leave this lifesaving speed limit in place. 🐋➡️ https://bit.ly/4bE0DZR "
https://act.biologicaldiversity.org/6ogYXtgtKkKFDsqgz7C6nw2
Center for Biological Diversity | 30 March 2026 (Facebook):
"North Atlantic right whales are on the brink of extinction, with only about 380 left on Earth, including roughly 70 breeding females.
Since 2008 a federal rule has contributed to their defense against one of the deadliest threats to their survival: collisions with ships.
The North Atlantic right whale vessel speed rule requires most vessels 65 feet and longer to slow down to 10 knots (in certain areas, at certain times of year) along the U.S. East Coast, where the whales and heavy vessel traffic overlap.
But now the Trump administration wants to get rid of this crucial rule.
Science shows that when ships slow down, whales survive. For a species already pushed to the brink, taking away speed limits could be devastating.
Tell NOAA Fisheries Service to leave this lifesaving speed limit in place. 🐋➡️ https://bit.ly/4bE0DZR "
https://act.biologicaldiversity.org/6ogYXtgtKkKFDsqgz7C6nw2
14margd
U.S. could exempt oil industry from protecting Gulf animals, for 'national security'
Chiara Eisner | March 30, 2026
"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing "reasons of national security," has triggered a meeting this week that could exempt the oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico from requirements of the Endangered Species Act, a move that would lift protections for endangered {Rice's whale, which lives its entire life in the Gulf, only 51 left on Earth}, turtles and other animals threatened with extinction.
The news, revealed in court filings last week, astonished environmental lawyers, who were already shocked after the Department of the Interior announced two weeks ago that a meeting to discuss an exemption would take place on March 31.
A gathering of the six-person committee, nicknamed the "God Squad" for its power to make life-or-death decisions about endangered animals, has only happened before after extensive prior consultation with environmental agencies and months of public notice. Just three meetings have happened over the past 50 years and only once did an exemption take effect.
... In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommended oil and gas companies adopt basic measures to protect Gulf species, like discarding trash into the Gulf and suspending their use of loud technology when they spot whales, among other requests. It is unclear whether the committee will vote on Tuesday to let agencies stop enforcing those standards.
... Energy companies, including Chevron, ExxonMobile and Occidental Petroleum, which acquired Anadarko Petroleum Corporation in 2019, spent more than $8 million since October lobbying the government about the Endangered Species Act, permitting reform and, specifically, Rice's whales, lobbying reports reviewed by NPR show..."
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/30/nx-s1-5745926/endangered-species-committee-hegset...
------------------------------------------
Endangered Species Committee Meeting Announcement
A Notice by the Interior Department on 03/16/2026
"... The Endangered Species Committee will meet regarding an Endangered Species Act exemption for Gulf of America Oil and Gas Activities.
... Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, in his capacity as Chairman, has called a meeting of the Endangered Species Committee for Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 9:30 a.m
"... The meeting will be open to the public through livestreaming on
https://youtube.com/live/iC3xyp4GxRE?feature=share.
The meeting will also be recorded and accessible at the DOI.gov/live events page for 60 days after the event ..."
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/16/2026-05242/endangered-speci...
Chiara Eisner | March 30, 2026
"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing "reasons of national security," has triggered a meeting this week that could exempt the oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico from requirements of the Endangered Species Act, a move that would lift protections for endangered {Rice's whale, which lives its entire life in the Gulf, only 51 left on Earth}, turtles and other animals threatened with extinction.
The news, revealed in court filings last week, astonished environmental lawyers, who were already shocked after the Department of the Interior announced two weeks ago that a meeting to discuss an exemption would take place on March 31.
A gathering of the six-person committee, nicknamed the "God Squad" for its power to make life-or-death decisions about endangered animals, has only happened before after extensive prior consultation with environmental agencies and months of public notice. Just three meetings have happened over the past 50 years and only once did an exemption take effect.
... In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommended oil and gas companies adopt basic measures to protect Gulf species, like discarding trash into the Gulf and suspending their use of loud technology when they spot whales, among other requests. It is unclear whether the committee will vote on Tuesday to let agencies stop enforcing those standards.
... Energy companies, including Chevron, ExxonMobile and Occidental Petroleum, which acquired Anadarko Petroleum Corporation in 2019, spent more than $8 million since October lobbying the government about the Endangered Species Act, permitting reform and, specifically, Rice's whales, lobbying reports reviewed by NPR show..."
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/30/nx-s1-5745926/endangered-species-committee-hegset...
------------------------------------------
Endangered Species Committee Meeting Announcement
A Notice by the Interior Department on 03/16/2026
"... The Endangered Species Committee will meet regarding an Endangered Species Act exemption for Gulf of America Oil and Gas Activities.
... Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, in his capacity as Chairman, has called a meeting of the Endangered Species Committee for Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 9:30 a.m
"... The meeting will be open to the public through livestreaming on
https://youtube.com/live/iC3xyp4GxRE?feature=share.
The meeting will also be recorded and accessible at the DOI.gov/live events page for 60 days after the event ..."
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/16/2026-05242/endangered-speci...
15margd
Scientists uncovered the nutrients bees were missing — Colonies surged 15-fold
A lab-made diet supercharged bee colonies and could help save our food supply.
Date: March 27, 2026
Source: University of Oxford
"Summary: Scientists have developed a breakthrough “superfood” for honeybees by engineering yeast to produce the essential nutrients normally found in pollen. In controlled trials, colonies fed this specially designed diet produced up to 15 times more young, showing a dramatic boost in reproduction and overall health. As climate change and modern agriculture reduce the availability of natural pollen, this innovation could offer a practical way to support struggling bee populations ...
Bees Are Starving for the Right Nutrients
A Lab-Made Solution Using Engineered Yeast
Colonies Grew Faster and Stayed Healthier
Scientists Say This Could Be a Game Changer
Cracking the Code of Bee Nutrition
CRISPR and Yeast Make It Scalable
Why This Matters for Food and Farming
A Potential Breakthrough for Beekeepers
What Happens Next"
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260327000518.htm
---------------------------------------------
Elynor Moore, Raquel T. de Sousa, Stella Felsinger, Jonathan A. Arnesen, Jane D. Dyekjær, Dudley I. Farman, Rui F. S. Gonçalves, Philip C. Stevenson, Irina Borodina, Geraldine A. Wright. Engineered yeast provides rare but essential pollen sterols for honeybees. Nature, 2025; 646 (8084): 365 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09431-y https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09431-y
A lab-made diet supercharged bee colonies and could help save our food supply.
Date: March 27, 2026
Source: University of Oxford
"Summary: Scientists have developed a breakthrough “superfood” for honeybees by engineering yeast to produce the essential nutrients normally found in pollen. In controlled trials, colonies fed this specially designed diet produced up to 15 times more young, showing a dramatic boost in reproduction and overall health. As climate change and modern agriculture reduce the availability of natural pollen, this innovation could offer a practical way to support struggling bee populations ...
Bees Are Starving for the Right Nutrients
A Lab-Made Solution Using Engineered Yeast
Colonies Grew Faster and Stayed Healthier
Scientists Say This Could Be a Game Changer
Cracking the Code of Bee Nutrition
CRISPR and Yeast Make It Scalable
Why This Matters for Food and Farming
A Potential Breakthrough for Beekeepers
What Happens Next"
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260327000518.htm
---------------------------------------------
Elynor Moore, Raquel T. de Sousa, Stella Felsinger, Jonathan A. Arnesen, Jane D. Dyekjær, Dudley I. Farman, Rui F. S. Gonçalves, Philip C. Stevenson, Irina Borodina, Geraldine A. Wright. Engineered yeast provides rare but essential pollen sterols for honeybees. Nature, 2025; 646 (8084): 365 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09431-y https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09431-y
16margd
>14 margd:
The ‘God Squad’ Waives Environmental Rules for Offshore Drilling
Maxine Joselow | March 31, 2026. Updated 12:48 p.m. ET
"A powerful panel of Trump administration officials voted unanimously on Tuesday to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from measures to protect endangered whales and other imperiled species.
The panel, the Endangered Species Committee, a high-level group that is often called the God Squad because it essentially holds the power to decide whether a species lives or dies, adopted the move during a brief, closed-door meeting at the Interior Department.
Until Tuesday, the God Squad had convened only three times, and never in the past three decades ..."
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/climate/god-squad-whales-gulf.html
The ‘God Squad’ Waives Environmental Rules for Offshore Drilling
Maxine Joselow | March 31, 2026. Updated 12:48 p.m. ET
"A powerful panel of Trump administration officials voted unanimously on Tuesday to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from measures to protect endangered whales and other imperiled species.
The panel, the Endangered Species Committee, a high-level group that is often called the God Squad because it essentially holds the power to decide whether a species lives or dies, adopted the move during a brief, closed-door meeting at the Interior Department.
Until Tuesday, the God Squad had convened only three times, and never in the past three decades ..."
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/climate/god-squad-whales-gulf.html
17margd
Critters hadone win, anyway... for now.
Judge nixes Trump changes to Endangered Species Act regs
Niina H. Farah | 03/30/2026
"The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California rejected four amendments to regulations under ESA Section 7, which requires agencies to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries to understand how an agency action might affect a listed species or its habitat.
The amendments included changing the definition of when an action was an “adverse modification” that required protections for a species to go into effect. Another provision would have required FWS to accept agency mitigation measures, even if they did not include specific plans for how to protect a species affected by a project ..."
https://www.eenews.net/articles/judge-nixes-trump-changes-to-endangered-species-...
Judge nixes Trump changes to Endangered Species Act regs
Niina H. Farah | 03/30/2026
"The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California rejected four amendments to regulations under ESA Section 7, which requires agencies to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries to understand how an agency action might affect a listed species or its habitat.
The amendments included changing the definition of when an action was an “adverse modification” that required protections for a species to go into effect. Another provision would have required FWS to accept agency mitigation measures, even if they did not include specific plans for how to protect a species affected by a project ..."
https://www.eenews.net/articles/judge-nixes-trump-changes-to-endangered-species-...
18margd
Alt National Park Service · 2h (9 May 2026, Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/AltUSNationalParkService
"The Bureau of Land Management just issued a final decision evicting several hundred bison owned by American Prairie from their federal grazing lands in northern Montana.
The case came down to a fundamental question about what public lands are actually for. Cattle ranchers and Western Republican leaders argued that federal grazing lands should be reserved for animals raised solely for food and the BLM sided with them. American Prairie’s bison, managed for conservation and ecological restoration rather than beef production, don’t qualify under the Taylor Grazing Act.
American Prairie has until September 30 to relocate its herd, but the group says it will appeal. This is the tension playing out across the American West right now. Rewilding and ecological restoration are increasingly viable tools for managing public lands"
https://www.facebook.com/AltUSNationalParkService
"The Bureau of Land Management just issued a final decision evicting several hundred bison owned by American Prairie from their federal grazing lands in northern Montana.
The case came down to a fundamental question about what public lands are actually for. Cattle ranchers and Western Republican leaders argued that federal grazing lands should be reserved for animals raised solely for food and the BLM sided with them. American Prairie’s bison, managed for conservation and ecological restoration rather than beef production, don’t qualify under the Taylor Grazing Act.
American Prairie has until September 30 to relocate its herd, but the group says it will appeal. This is the tension playing out across the American West right now. Rewilding and ecological restoration are increasingly viable tools for managing public lands"
19margd
WFLA Jeff Berardelli is with WFLA News Channel 8.
1h {May 11, 2026, Facebook}
·
Will we be a witness to El Niño history? It’s very possible! Every new model run exceeds our expectation for the “potential” strength of this upcoming El Niño event. The vast majority of models say a “Super” El Niño is coming. While actually curbing our {Florida} Atlantic Hurricane season, you won’t believe how devastating an impact it can have to biodiversity on the Galápagos Islands. The 1982 event wiped out 97% of their penguin 🐧 population! Here’s a look at how El Niño evolves, the warning signs we are already seeing and how/ why the event cripples life on the islands. (Remember the animation contained inside an idealized visual, it’s not exact)
(2:45) https://www.facebook.com/JeffBerardelli
1h {May 11, 2026, Facebook}
·
Will we be a witness to El Niño history? It’s very possible! Every new model run exceeds our expectation for the “potential” strength of this upcoming El Niño event. The vast majority of models say a “Super” El Niño is coming. While actually curbing our {Florida} Atlantic Hurricane season, you won’t believe how devastating an impact it can have to biodiversity on the Galápagos Islands. The 1982 event wiped out 97% of their penguin 🐧 population! Here’s a look at how El Niño evolves, the warning signs we are already seeing and how/ why the event cripples life on the islands. (Remember the animation contained inside an idealized visual, it’s not exact)
(2:45) https://www.facebook.com/JeffBerardelli
20margd
"Commercial extinction"
WildLens Chronicles | May 18 202617h
https://www.facebook.com/wildlenschronicleswlc
The Atlantic Cod Was So Abundant Off Newfoundland That Early Explorers Said You Could Walk Across the Water on Their Backs. In 1992, Canada Closed the Fishery. 30 Years Later, the Cod Have Not Come Back.
The moratorium was supposed to be temporary. It is now in its fourth decade.
Gadus morhua — the Atlantic Cod — was the biological foundation of the North Atlantic fishing economy for 500 years. John Cabot reported in 1497 that the waters off Newfoundland were so thick with cod that they could be caught in baskets lowered over the side of the ship. The Grand Banks of Newfoundland were among the most productive fisheries in human history.
By the late 1980s, decades of industrial trawling — using sonar to locate schools, factory ships to process catches at sea, and fishing effort that increased every year as yields declined — had reduced the northern cod stock to approximately 1% of its historical biomass.
In 1992, the Canadian government closed the northern cod fishery — a moratorium that put 35,000 fishers out of work and was predicted to last 2 years while the stock recovered.
It has been over 30 years. The northern cod stock has not meaningfully recovered.
Why not: the collapse reduced cod to below the threshold for natural recovery dynamics. The predator-prey relationships that allowed the population to rebuild — large adult cod eating juvenile capelin, which compete with juvenile cod — broke down. With too few large cod, capelin and other cod competitors expanded, and now suppress cod recovery. The ecosystem flipped to a new state, and cod cannot return to dominance within it.
The moratorium stopped the fishing. It could not un-flip the ecosystem.
When a fishery collapse causes an ecosystem flip that prevents recovery even after fishing stops — at what point does "sustainable fishing" become a contradiction in terms for that species?
WildLens Chronicles | May 18 202617h
https://www.facebook.com/wildlenschronicleswlc
The Atlantic Cod Was So Abundant Off Newfoundland That Early Explorers Said You Could Walk Across the Water on Their Backs. In 1992, Canada Closed the Fishery. 30 Years Later, the Cod Have Not Come Back.
The moratorium was supposed to be temporary. It is now in its fourth decade.
Gadus morhua — the Atlantic Cod — was the biological foundation of the North Atlantic fishing economy for 500 years. John Cabot reported in 1497 that the waters off Newfoundland were so thick with cod that they could be caught in baskets lowered over the side of the ship. The Grand Banks of Newfoundland were among the most productive fisheries in human history.
By the late 1980s, decades of industrial trawling — using sonar to locate schools, factory ships to process catches at sea, and fishing effort that increased every year as yields declined — had reduced the northern cod stock to approximately 1% of its historical biomass.
In 1992, the Canadian government closed the northern cod fishery — a moratorium that put 35,000 fishers out of work and was predicted to last 2 years while the stock recovered.
It has been over 30 years. The northern cod stock has not meaningfully recovered.
Why not: the collapse reduced cod to below the threshold for natural recovery dynamics. The predator-prey relationships that allowed the population to rebuild — large adult cod eating juvenile capelin, which compete with juvenile cod — broke down. With too few large cod, capelin and other cod competitors expanded, and now suppress cod recovery. The ecosystem flipped to a new state, and cod cannot return to dominance within it.
The moratorium stopped the fishing. It could not un-flip the ecosystem.
When a fishery collapse causes an ecosystem flip that prevents recovery even after fishing stops — at what point does "sustainable fishing" become a contradiction in terms for that species?
21margd
Abandonment of the Copper Redhorse for Montreal’s $2.3B Contrecœur port project is consistent with Canadian development of St Lawrence River for power and navigation, damn the consequences ... e.g., spawning American Eels destroyed by hydroelectric turbines, Sea Lampreys accessing the Upper Lakes via the Welland Canal, Zebra Mussels released in ballast water.
Québec and Ottawa backtrack on protections of threatened fish
Alexandre Shields — Le Devoir News | May 21, 2026
"According to a document obtained by Le Devoir, the CAQ government has decided to 'suspend' the publication of its 'new recovery plans' for the copper redhorse ... a fish that exists only in Quebec ..."
{Paywall} https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/05/21/news/federal-quebec-fish-conservatio...
Québec and Ottawa backtrack on protections of threatened fish
Alexandre Shields — Le Devoir News | May 21, 2026
"According to a document obtained by Le Devoir, the CAQ government has decided to 'suspend' the publication of its 'new recovery plans' for the copper redhorse ... a fish that exists only in Quebec ..."
{Paywall} https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/05/21/news/federal-quebec-fish-conservatio...
22margd
WATCH: Trump signs proclamation opening more protected ocean areas to commercial fishing
Associated Press | Jun 11, 2026
"... Trump has targeted marine protections created in the era of Presidents Obama and Bush that he said stifle the country's ability to compete in the global seafood marketplace.
He moved to reestablish fishing in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off New England in February.
Thursday's move focused on portions of Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. The monuments are protected zones in remote areas of the Pacific ..."
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-signs-proclamation-opening-mor...
Associated Press | Jun 11, 2026
"... Trump has targeted marine protections created in the era of Presidents Obama and Bush that he said stifle the country's ability to compete in the global seafood marketplace.
He moved to reestablish fishing in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off New England in February.
Thursday's move focused on portions of Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. The monuments are protected zones in remote areas of the Pacific ..."
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-signs-proclamation-opening-mor...
23margd
Trump administration repeals rule that allowed bison to graze on public lands
Bobby Bascomb | 17 Jun 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration recently repealed the 2024 Public Lands Rule, which established that conservation should have equal priority with industry when it comes to accessing leases for U.S. public land.
... Interior secretary Doug Burgman said that according to federal grazing laws, public land leases can only be given to animals, “intended for use primarily for their meat, milk, or other animal products.” He added that “considerable evidence” suggests the bison are intended for “for some other purpose, such as conservation.”..."
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/trump-administration-repeals-rul...
Bobby Bascomb | 17 Jun 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration recently repealed the 2024 Public Lands Rule, which established that conservation should have equal priority with industry when it comes to accessing leases for U.S. public land.
... Interior secretary Doug Burgman said that according to federal grazing laws, public land leases can only be given to animals, “intended for use primarily for their meat, milk, or other animal products.” He added that “considerable evidence” suggests the bison are intended for “for some other purpose, such as conservation.”..."
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/trump-administration-repeals-rul...
