Protecting Marine Life

By Craig Collins

It’s been a rough century for the white abalone. Sometime in the early 20th century the large sea snail, one of seven species inhabiting California’s coastal waters, was discovered by fishermen to be the most tender. By the 1970s the population had been decimated, and by the beginning of the 21st century only a few hundred remained, living so far from each other that their natural means of reproducing – releasing clouds of sperm and eggs and letting currents do the rest – couldn’t possibly generate enough offspring for the species to survive. In 2001, the white abalone became the first marine invertebrate to be listed as a federal endangered species.

But things may be looking up: In the fall of 2019, the number of white in captivity and introduced in clusters to their ancestral home. It was the first release of captive-bred white abalone into the wild. Partners such as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Paua Marine Research Group, The Bay Foundation and many others made this historic release and continued efforts possible.

Getting to that point wasn’t easy, and it took lots of dedicated people. According to Donna Wieting, NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources (OPR) Director, learning how to breed white abalone in captivity took years, and involved a consortium of more than a dozen partners from both the public and private sectors, most notably the University of California Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. “We’ve been able to work not only with academic institutions, laboratories, and aquaria but also our com- mercial aquaculture facilities, to help raise these animals in labs,” Wieting said. “We hadn’t been very good at it until the last few years, when there’s really been a concentrated effort. Now we’re able to spawn thousands more than we used to.”

The white abalone story is just one of many to tell about the work of the OPR, which is responsible for conserving, protecting and recovering 165 species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and protecting and managing all marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The success of white abalone recovery efforts would not have been possible in such a short time without the leadership of OPR. In 2015 OPR launched an initiative, Species in the Spotlight, to focus action and public attention on nine of the most critically endangered species – some, such as the Hawaiian monk seal or Cook Inlet beluga whale, that have captured more public attention than the white abalone, but are no more important to the marine ecosystem. “The white abalone isn’t necessarily the most charismatic endangered species,” said Wieting, “but their story is a great example of focused efforts and strong partnerships.”

OPR works to protect marine species from decline and extinction, and evaluate human activities that might affect them to ensure future generations may enjoy them. Through its regulatory role, OPR works with other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the military and the Department of Energy to minimize the impact of human activities on marine wildlife and their habitat.

In addition, OPR promotes the health and conservation of species: the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, established in 1992, is an effort to closely monitor the health of marine mammals, who occupy high levels of the marine food web and are important indicators of ocean health. With more than 100 organizational partners, NOAA funds or conducts health assessment studies on wild marine mammal populations; investigates unusual deaths (such as ship strikes that have killed critically endangered North Atlantic right whales in U.S. and Canadian waters); mounts efforts to disentangle marine mammals caught in fishing gear or marine debris; and responds to reports of live and dead stranded marine mammals to learn more about how to reduce threats to listed species. “We run the program, because it’s a Federal responsibility authorized under the Marine Mammal Protection Act,” said Wieting, “But the program is only as successful as the network of dedicated members who respond day and night to marine mammals in distress, educate the public and raise awareness of how to be good ocean stewards, and collect essential data for conservation and management efforts.”

Another important aspect of OPR’s work is to raise awareness about the importance of marine species to the nation’s economy and environment – an outreach and education effort aimed at both current and future generations. For example, the office recently launched a partnership with Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital to develop the Endangered Species Patch program. Under the program, Girl Scouts explore the history and importance of the Endangered Species Act, connect with local organizations to learn about species needing protecting, and get involved in local projects focusing on environmental stewardship.

By June of 2020, more than 370 Girl Scouts had earned their Endangered Species Patch. It’s a small step toward wider recognition of these protected marine resources – but small steps are what enabled NOAA and its partners to put thou- sands of new white abalone off the coast of California. “It took a long time for most of these species to get where they are,” said Wieting, “and it takes a really, really long time to get them to a point where they can be taken off the threatened or endangered list. A lot of what we’re about is inching them closer to that point.”