The shy and beleaguered Atlantic humpback dolphin is gaining Endangered Species Act protections, marking a U.S. environmental commitment that will require international teamwork to succeed.
Urged on by a September 2021 petition filed by multiple conservation groups and boosted by the support of several African countries, NOAA Fisheries announced Tuesday the listing of the Atlantic humpback as an endangered species.
announced Tuesday
“Continued declines in abundance are expected given the ongoing and projected increase of identified range-wide threats, specifically fisheries bycatch and coastal development, suggesting that the species will continue to decline in the absence of interventions,” NOAA Fisheries stated.
Researchers now estimate fewer than 3,000 Atlantic humpback dolphins inhabit the warm, shallow coastal waters off several West African countries.
