Bull Trout - Rohan Moorjani

Bull Trout:

Salvelinus confluentus, or more commonly known as the bull trout, is an aquatic animal part of the Salmonidae family and is native to North American areas like Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Montana and Western Canada. They are commonly found in high mountainous areas where there are glaciers and snowfields present. While growing up, bull trout feed on zooplankton but once fully grown, they feast on other fish. In areas like coastal Washington, they are known to feed heavily off of Salmon eggs. Resident bull trout can grow up to 10 inches long but migratory bull fish can reach sizes of up to 35 inches and 32 pounds. Unlike the other fish in the Salmonidae family, bull trout need specifically cold waters to survive so they tend to stay in waters below 62 degrees (F).

The geographical range for bull trout in North America: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Montana & Western Canada

Bull trout are known to have more specific habitat requirements thank other fish in the Salmonidae family, including needing the four C’s: cold, clean, complex and connected habitats. The need a cold and clean environment that is suitable for reproduction and rearing. By complex, they need streams with riffles, undercut banks and deep pools. Lastly, bull trout need to have connected habitats between rivers, lakes and oceans so that they can attend to annual spawning and feeding migration.

Their population got so low that, in 1999, bull trout was listed, “as threatened throughout their range in the coterminous United States” (FWS) under the Endangered Species Act. One of the main reasons why bull trout has become listed as an endangered species is because of habitat degradation and fragmentation. Many migratory corridors have become blocked and the poor water quality has made it difficult for fish to reproduce. The introduction of non-native species, like brown, lake and brook trout have caused bull trout populations to decline. Many of the remaining populations are small, isolated and prone to extinction. Another major contributing factor to bull trout extinction is climate change. Because bull trout need cold water to thrive, warm spots throughout the waters are causing the populations to become even more isolated from one another. Climate change is also interfering with other “stressors, such as habitat loss and fragmentation, invasions of non-native fish, disease and other threats” (FWS).

As listed on the recovery plan for bull trout, the ESA plans to take the following actions to help the bull trout populations survive:

1. Conserve bull trout so that they are geographically widespread across representative habitats and demographically stable in six recovery units;
2. Effectively manage and ameliorate the primary threats in each of six recovery units at the core area scale such that bull trout are not likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future;
3. Build upon the numerous and ongoing conservation actions implemented on behalf of bull trout since their listing in 1999, and improve our understanding of how various threat factors potentially affect the species;
4. Use that information to work cooperatively with our partners to design, fund, prioritize, and implement effective conservation actions in those areas that offer the greatest long-term benefit to sustain bull trout and where recovery can be achieved;
5. Apply adaptive management principles to implementing the bull trout recovery program to incorporate new information.

If you would like to personally take action in helping save the bull trout populations, you can take the time and write a letter to your local senator. In the letter you can include points on why the bull trout needs to be conserved. Various national forests, like the Boise National Forest and the Sawtooth National Forest, use the bull trout as a management indicator species. Additionally, bull trout require cold water and low amounts of slit, which road building and logging negatively impact. Lastly, bull trout need to migrate throughout river systems but sometimes they run into dams, which prevent them from passing through. By writing to your local government representative and including a concrete argument, you can help bull trout become delisted from the Endangered Species Act. 

Work Cited: 

http://www.fws.gov/pacific/bulltrout/

http://nrmsc.usgs.gov/files/norock/products/LakeTrout_03_Info08.pdf

http://www.fws.gov/pacific/news/1997/btfacts.htm

http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=162004

The Red Panda

The Other Pandas

By: Ramin Nazeri

BIO227Fall2015

I thought pandas were black and white!

Red Pandas, although often called "Lesser Pandas" deserve no less attention. Even though they share their name with the more famous giant panda, they actually are not closely related at all. The red panda falls under the family Ailuridae which is not the same as, but is similar to the weasel, skunk and raccoon. Red pandas are mostly active from dusk till dawn, and eat mainly bamboo. It is an omnivorous animal, and it eats eggs, insects, and small birds as well. Red pandas are about the size of a large house cat, so you can already image how funny it looks like with its swaying strides due to its shorter front legs.They can reproduce at around 18 months, usually to a litter of 1-4 deaf and blind cubs that the mother recognizes by scent. Mothers protect and nurture their cubs for about a year, when they are almost full adults and can begin to hunt on their own. The male red pandas do not really help out with the young.






Well they sound great! Where can I find a Red Panda?


These pandas are endemic to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, where it is protected under national laws that definitely need some revision. They are most commonly found in specific refugee animals for a variety of species. Their habitat range is mostly considered to be disjunct, rather than continuous. Unfortunately, the red panda has become locally extinct in the Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Gansu, and Shaanxi. There have been a few accounts of red panda sightings across Southwest Tibet and nearby areas, but they have not been confirmed. Most likely, a red panda will reside in a mountainous old forest environment like conifer or deciduous forests that have underlying bamboo, most often in moderate climates within these areas.

When and how did they become a listed endangered species?

With fewer than 10,000 animals left, red pandas have been under threat for a long time. Since 1965, red panda numbers have been steadily declining up to a 40% loss in total population. In combination with their declining numbers to to many different factors, their status as a k-selected species is no help to bring their numbers back. In addition, they have a high death rate in the wild, so their decline is natural as well as man made. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in the 1970s was the first legislature for protection of red pandas.




How could an animal this cute even become endangered?



Red Pandas seem like they would be able to live contently with their sedentary lifestyle, but they have been under attack dating back to the 13th century in China. Unfortunately, there is more than one factor that is causing declines in red panda populations. Habitat destruction and fragmentation are caused by commercial and agricultural deforestation. Red pandas are also sometimes hunted for their gorgeous pelts, which are worn for good luck by newly-weds in China due to old traditions. They are also held at mercy of domestic livestock, whose trampling of bamboo destroys the red panda's main food source. Their cute looks are no help in this situation, as red pandas are often taken from their habitats and sold as pets on the black market where they can fetch exorbitant prices. Their dangerously low populations in certain areas are detrimental to their recovery, as it leaves their species with low genetic diversity and the peril of inbreeding.





But I don't want them to go extinct! 

Recovery Plan Good! There are many people who think the same way as you. Red pandas need human intervention to bring their populations back up to stable numbers. In order for the red panda to come back from its endangered position, it needs as much help as it can get. Although it is protected under national laws in many of the regions that it is found, it needs to be regulated in a more organized fashion. The red panda's habitat needs to be treated with the importance that it deserves. The refugee areas and zoos that many red pandas live in are only temporary treatment areas for the mammals. Red pandas need specified zones in the wild that will be considered habitat sanctuaries. They cannot continue to live in fragmented zones where populations will never grow. The pandas in the refugees and zoos need to be consolidated into certain areas so that their populations can naturally grow and flourish in the wild. In fact, at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, there has been a  successfully carried out ex-situ conservation program for red pandas.Two red pandas were bred  in captivity and released into the wild. One of the radio-collared pandas released into the Singhalila National Park mated in the wild and gave birth to offspring of her own. The animals need to be together in the wild, and then protected against their man-made threats. Population decline has been carried out for a long time, so biologists need to prepare for long-term conservation of the red pandas.



What if I'm not a biologist?

As with all endangered animals, you can write a letter to a senator, agency or government body to act for these animals. You can spread awareness about the red panda's battle with extinction with friends and family, and even pledge to never buy a pelt or be an accessory to a pelt being purchased. You can even help promote the stance of the US Humane Society against wearing fur. Together, we can stop the destruction of red pandas, and take their species off of endangered species lists.

Works Cited

"Conservation of Red Pandas." World Wildlife Fund. World Wide Fund For Nature, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.

Devin. "Endangered Species: The Red Panda." Ian Somerhalder Foundation. Ian Somerhalder Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.



"Lesser Panda." CITIES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.



"Red Panda Ailurus Fulgens." National Geographic. National Geographic Partners, LLC, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.



Pictures

https://www.eduplace.com/kids/mw/wr/1/wr1_02_6_7.html
http://illuzone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Red-Panda-7.jpg
http://www.westheimphoto.com/lightbox/gallery/StockPhotosAsiaMelLonghurst/CHNml355.jpg
https://www.bhmpics.com/walls/red_panda_eating_bamboo-normal.jpg

http://seveninchesofyourtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Yawning-Red-Panda.jpg










#BIO227Fall2015









 

Blue Whales

By Brenden Napier

What is the Blue Whale?

The blue whale, or Balaenoptera musculus, is an enormous marine mammal in the baleen whale family. It feeds strictly on a small marine invertebrate called krill which it filters out of the water by the thousands using its filtering system called a baleen. These whales can reach up to 33 meters long and weigh over 150,000 kilograms, the length equivalent to a traditional basketball court and the weight equivalent of well over 2,000 people. Blue whales are identified by their large slender shape, often double that of humpback whales, and their splotchy grey markings that often look blue through the water. Three subspecies have been identified located in the northern hemisphere, antarctic, and Indian ocean.

Where do they reside and how does their location change?

Three geographic populations have been identified in the northern Atlantic, northern pacific, and southern hemisphere. The north Atlantic population which I will be focusing on ranges from the equator all the way up to the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Greenland. Blue whales are known for being a nomadic species that rarely stays in the same vicinity for more than 10 days. These animals can be seen in coastal waters, but the majority of these individuals tend to be found offshore. Their populations are distributed according to food availability and migratory patterns. They make pole movements during spring to capitalize on the plankton found in the poles and in the fall they tend to make tropic movements to limit expended energy while fasting.

When did blue whales become a listed endangered species and how are they listed?

Beginning in 1939, protective action began to take place starting with portions of the Southern Hemisphere. The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling gave populations in the North Atlantic protection in 1955 and that protection was extended to the Antarctic in 1965 and the North Pacific in 1966. Iceland unfortunately did not formally recognize this protection until 1960. They are listed under the Endangered Species Act as well as the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The IUCN Red List recognizes the Antarctic population as endangered, the North Pacific Stock as low risk, and the North Atlantic Stock as vulnerable.

Why did the whales become endangered in the first place?

Different populations have slightly different reasons for being listed, however the dominant cause of endangerment by far is over hunting. They were hunted for their abundant source of baleen, blubber and meat. In the late 19th to mid 20th centuries, an estimated 11,000 individuals were killed due to whaling out of a then estimated 15,000 existing whales. Other somewhat negligible causes of endangerment consist of vessel strikes, whose injuries can be found in 9 percent of all whales seen in the St. Lawrence Gulf area, chemical pollution of habitat, as well as fishing gear entrapment.

How do we plan on recovering this species?

 Recovering these endangered populations of Blue Whales requires many things to happen. In order for the whales to be delisted or downlisted, first scientists must determine the stock structure of blue whale populations occurring in U.S. waters as well as around the world and estimate the size of these stocks. Then they must monitor trends in abundance by conducting annual independent photo-identification surveys. Scientists must identify essential habitat to the animals and protect this habitat. Once these preliminary things happen, scientists can begin to reduce or eliminate altogether human effects on the animals like ship collisions and fishing gear entanglement. Scientists' next priority is to maximize the information gathered from dead, stranded, and entangled blue whale. Then they must coordinate state, federal, and international efforts to implement recovery action and establish a criteria for deciding whether to delist or downlist blue whales.


What can you do?

To further protect these whales from extinction, advocates can take a stand to set a speed limit in shipping lanes that coincide with blue whale migratory paths. For example, 15 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka lies one of the worlds most bustling shipping lanes. We can advocate for a set speed limit of 10 knots to reduce the severity of major injuries that occur to blue whales.

Works Cited

"Graphic: How to skin a blue whale and prepare it for display in a museum." National Post. N.p., 

     n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. <http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ 

     graphic-how-to-skin-a-blue-whale-and-prepare-it-for-display-in-a-museum>. 

"Hunting Blue Whales." Blue Whale Endangered. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. 
     <http://endangeredbluewhale.blogspot.com/2012/12/human-impacts-history-of-man-and-blue.htm       l>. 
National Geographic Article About Whale Conservation. National Geographic Kids. N.p., n.d. Web.        2 Dec. 2015. <http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/content/dam/kids/photos/animals/Mammals/A-       G/blue-whale-map.GIF>.


 

Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra Lutris Nereis)

By: Patrick Muller

The Southern Sea otter is a member of the weasel family and also the smallest marine mammal in North America. They can grow up to 4 feet and be 50 pounds for females and 70 pounds for males. The range of the Southern Sea Otter stretches from San Mateo County in the North down to around Santa Barbara in the South. Southern Sea Otters make their homes in kelp forests where they will use the kelp by draping it over their bodies to keep from floating away. Next, Sea Otters in general are a very important keystone species. Sea Otters live in kelp forests and sea urchins eat kelp. Sea Otters eat sea urchins. Without Sea Otters sea urchins would take over the kelp forest and ruin the habitat for many different species. Sea Otters play a huge role in our ecosystem and we need them to continue to do so and that is why their conservation is so important.

http://wallpapercave.com/wp/ozMjCV7.jpg

At one point in time sea otter populations were between hundreds of thousands to around a million before fur trappers killed a large number of them in the 1700’s and 1800’s for their largely sought after fur. Sea Otters stretched all the way from Japan and the Pacific Rim all the way down to Baja California. After the fur trappers killed off most of the Sea Otters all that remained was a group of about 50 individuals near Big Sur. Since the discovery of the Big Sur population the numbers of the otters have been rising and now sit around 3000 individuals Ranging from San Mateo County to Santa Barbara.

http://www.sanctuarysimon.org/regional_images/site_build/special_spp_otter_fig2.gif

           Sea Otters were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1977 for two reasons. The first reason had to do with the small population and limited distribution as they were only found in Big Sur. The second reason had to do with the possibility of an oil spill in the area that could ruin the habitat and wipe out the population. Today, one of the biggest concerns surrounding Sea Otter Conservation is bites from white sharks. White sharks will see otters on the surface and swim up and bite to investigate. When they realize they do not want to eat it they will leave the otter with a bite that is extremely dangerous and in some cases fatal.

            The recovery plan for the Southern Sea Otter was released on February 24, 2003. It included six threats and recommended recovery actions for those threats. The six threats are restriction of range due to management zone, disease, incidental take in fishing gear, oil spills, contaminants, and intentional take. The recovery action for these threats include evaluating the translocation program, analyzing data about disease in sea otters along with stress levels, evaluate sea otter mortality rates and also look at commercial fisheries to see what numbers are like in incidental take, to assess the probability of oil spills and have plans in place if one occurs, and to analyze and to try and protect otters from intentional take.

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/images/2007/06/14/otter3.jpg

         

   We all play a role in helping animals that are endangered. We need to get educated and to help get the word out so other people can be educated as well. There are agencies all over the place trying to educate and help with the conservation of these amazing animals and they all deserve our help to keep Sea Otters on our earth. 

List of References 

http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/030403.pdf

http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=157

http://oceanlink.island.net/biodiversity/otter/otter.html

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animal-guide/marine-mammals/southern-sea-otter

http://www.defenders.org/sea-otter/basic-facts

Pseudorca Crassidens

The False Killer Whale
By Ryo Miller

http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/22/false-killer-whale-grins-while-hunting-3554895/

On November 12, 2012, the National Fish and Wildlife Service deemed the Hawaiian insular population as an endangered species. The false killer whale is an underwater mammal that is known to subside in tropical to temperate waters all around the globe.

http://us.whales.org/species-guide/false-killer-whale

Genealogy and Appearance:

The false killer whale is actually neither a whale nor are they directly related to killer whales.  These creatures are actually part of the dolphin family.  They weigh approximately 1500 pounds when fully grown, and can grow up to 20 feet (15 feet for females).  Their body is mainly dark gray with some small lighter spots around their belly and throat. They have a round head, a row of sharp teeth and a long dorsal-fin.

Species Behavior:

False killer whales are known to be very social, and don’t seem to be afraid of humans or boats. They travel in pods of around 10-60, and even travel with other species such as the bottlenose dolphin.  Their diets consist mainly of fish and cephalopods.

http://earthjustice.org/slideshow/false-killer-whales-wounded-by-longline-fishing-0

Threats:

According to the WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation group) there are only around 60,000 false killer whales left in the wild. Of those 60,000, it is expected that there are less than 123 left in the insular Hawaii population.  Their population in the hawaiian islands has been damaged through long line fishing and lack of food. False killer whales have become smart enough to steal bait or steal caught fish off of these lines, but sometimes they get caught in the line or are injured by hooks.  On top of this, lowering populations of native fish have also aided in the decline of false killer whales.

Measures Being Taken

The published final rule of the action to be taken regarding False Killer Whales has been put into effect by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stating “Regulatory measures include gear requirements, longline prohibited areas, training and certification in marine mammal handling and release, captains' supervision of marine mammal handling and release, and posting of NMFS [national marine fisheries service]-approved placards on longline vessels.”

What you can do

You can donate to certain agencies such as the Pacific Whale Foundation, or Whale and Dolphin Conservation.  The next step is just to educate others and be aware of this issue.

Works Cited:

"False Killer Whale." WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. WDC, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

"False Killer Whale (Pseudorca Crassidens)." Www.nmfs.noaa.gov. NOAA Fisheries, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

"False Killer Whale Take Reduction." NOAA Fisheries. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

"Protecting Hawaii's False Killer Whales." Www.pacificwhale.org. Pacific Whale Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

"Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Commercial Fishing Operations; False Killer Whale Take Reduction Plan." Federal Register. N.p., 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.