New York, New Jersey, and Delaware are facing federal lawsuits after being accused of violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing commercial fisheries to kill Atlantic sturgeon without the proper permits.
What's happening?
According to The Seattle Times, the lawsuits were filed by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Hudson Riverkeeper, two nonprofit environmental organizations in the northeast United States. The groups are accusing the states of putting the prehistoric fish in unnecessary danger since fishing operations are inadvertently catching sturgeon while fishing for other species in the area.
Atlantic sturgeon in the Hudson and Delaware Rivers have been classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 2012, but they're facing more threats than ever before.
In fact, Delaware Riverkeeper leader Maya van Rossum said during a news conference that Atlantic sturgeon in the rivers could be "wiped from the face of the Earth," per the Times.
Since the late 1800s, overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution have pushed the sturgeon to the brink of extinction, with the population in the Delaware River declining by an estimated 99%, per a U.S. Geological Survey study.
Rossum told the Times that fewer than 250 spawning adults remain in the river, though it once thrived with nearly 200,000 females.
"Despite the endangered species listing, our Hudson River sturgeon population has not seen improvement," Tracy Brown, president of Hudson Riverkeeper, told the Times. "It is, quite frankly, disgraceful that so little progress has been made toward recovery."
Why is the disappearing sturgeon important?
Atlantic sturgeon are crucial to the economic and cultural stability of fishing communities. If they're wiped out, many people could lose their livelihoods and be forced to find other work. In addition, sturgeon are bottom-feeders that eat smaller species, such as crustaceans and mollusks, helping to keep the food web balanced, per the Chesapeake Bay Program.
If commercial fisheries keep catching the sturgeon unintentionally, it could disrupt the economy and the ecosystems in the Hudson and Delaware Rivers.
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What's being done to protect the sturgeon?
According to the Times, the organizations that filed the lawsuits are urging the states to adhere to the Endangered Species Act so the sturgeon populations can make a comeback.
Across the pond in Sweden, conservation efforts have brought Atlantic sturgeon back to the Göta Älv after the species disappeared in the late 19th century because of pollution and overfishing.
As individuals, we can help by ensuring our seafood is sustainably sourced, eating more plant-based foods — which helps to reduce harmful agricultural pollution — and getting involved with local conservation efforts to benefit other species.
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