May 21, 2025
(press release)
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Greenbelt, MD —
Cuatro grupos conservacionistas presentaron ayer una demanda para proteger adecuadamente a animales exóticos, incluidas una especie de ballena conocida como el rorcual de Rice y las tortugas lora, de ser lastimadas o fallecer por las perforaciones y exploraciones de combustibles fósiles en el Golfo de México.
Earthjustice presentó una demanda en nombre del Sierra Club, el Centro para la Diversidad Biológica, Amigos de la Tierra y la Red de Restauración de Turtle Island.
La demanda presentada hoy contra el Servicio Nacional de Pesca Marina afirma que el dictamen biológico recién publicado, requerido por la Ley de Especies en Peligro de Extinción, es inadecuado. El Servicio de Pesca debió completar este nuevo dictamen biológico después de que un tribunal federal declarara ilegal el dictamen biológico anterior.
Según la ley, antes de que el Departamento del Interior pueda arrendar áreas del Golfo a empresas de perforación de petróleo y gas o autorizar actividades de perforación, el Servicio de Pesca debe evaluar primero el riesgo de daños a especies amenazadas y en peligro de extinción, como el rorcual de Rice. El Servicio de Pesca también debe exigir medidas de mitigación para evitar o minimizar los daños a las especies marinas protegidas.
“A pesar de la decisión judicial previa, el Servicio de Pesca sigue ignorando los riesgos que el petróleo y el gas en altamar representan para el medio ambiente y las especies en peligro del Golfo”, declaró Chris Eaton, abogado sénior de Earthjustice. “La ley exige que las especies marinas reciban protección y este dictamen biológico no la contempla”.
El dictamen biológico publicado esta semana permite un daño asombroso a las especies del Golfo. El Golfo alberga alrededor del año al rorcual de Rice, una especie con menos de 100 ejemplares restantes en el planeta. Igualmente, el Golfo es hogar de cinco de las siete especies de tortugas marinas del mundo: tortugas bobas, tortugas laúd, tortugas carey, tortugas lora y tortugas verdes.
En el nuevo dictamen biológico, el Servicio de Pesca admite que, por sí solos, los choques con embarcaciones causarán la muerte de nueve rorcuales de Rice y lesiones graves a tres más en los próximos 45 años. Sin embargo, en lugar de exigir medidas concretas para proteger a las ballenas, el dictamen biológico se basa en vagas promesas.
También pone en riesgo a las tortugas marinas del Golfo. El Servicio de Pesca estima que estas actividades matarán o causarán graves daños a cientos de tortugas marinas cada año debido a colisiones con embarcaciones, explosivos, explosiones con cañones de aire comprimido, desechos marinos y derrames de petróleo.
Incluso estas cifras subestiman el daño que las actividades de petróleo y gas representan para estas especies y el ecosistema del Golfo en general. Dicho dictamen descarta la posibilidad de otro derrame de petróleo catastrófico como el desastre de la plataforma Deepwater Horizon de BP en 2010, que causó la muerte o daños graves a más de 100 mil animales protegidos por la Ley de Especies en Peligro de Extinción.
En 2023, el Servicio de Pesca añadió al rorcual de Rice en una lista de especies en peligro de extinción , denominada “Especies en la Mira”. Este listado identificó 10 especies que, según científicos gubernamentales, requieren “acciones inmediatas y específicas” para “estabilizar la población y prevenir la extinción”. El Servicio de Pesca también concluyó (en el dictamen biológico previo y en otras publicaciones) que la pérdida de una sola hembra reproductora podría colapsar la población. Asimismo, más de 100 científicos advirtieron que, a menos que Estados Unidos tome más medidas para proteger a las ballenas, podríamos presenciar la primera extinción de una gran especie de ballena causada por el hombre.An Open Letter to the Biden Administration We, the undersigned, are marine scientists united in our concern for the Gulf of Mexico whale, also known as Rice’s whale, the only baleen whale known to be resident to the Gulf and one of the most endangered marine mammal species on the planet. Early last year, in an effort led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scientists confirmed that the whale constitutes a unique species, one that has diverged from other baleen whales through long isolation in the Gulf.1 A mature Gulf of Mexico whale extends about 40 feet in length and is sleek in form; it has a spectacular vocal repertoire, making a long call that has not been heard in other species.2 This cetacean is also critically endangered.3 The agency currently estimates that the entire species has a population of only 51 individuals.4 With so few whales in limited habitat, the species is highly vulnerable to effects from human activities. Continued oil and gas development in the Gulf represents a clear, existential threat to the whale’s survival and recovery. The government’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill estimates that nearly 20 percent of Gulf of Mexico whales were killed, with additional animals suffering reproductive failure and disease.5 The species is also subject to chronic exposure to noise from seismic oil and gas exploration, which dominates the acoustic environment through much of the northern Gulf.6 Airgun surveys have far-reaching effects on baleen whales, including the masking of biologically important sounds and the disruption of activities vital to feeding and reproduction over large ocean areas.7,8,9 Vessel collisions are another significant threat to the species. At night, Gulf of Mexico whales come to rest within the upper 15 meters of the water column, leaving them acutely vulnerable to ship strikes.10 One stranded whale, a lactating female, was found with injuries consistent with blunt force trauma; another, a free-swimming individual, has been observed with spinal deformities consistent with a collision injury.1 A number of shipping routes traverse the whales’ habitat along the northern Gulf, and the collision risk is likely to increase with new offshore oil and gas development. With abundance so low, the loss of even a single whale threatens the survival of the species. Gulf of Mexico whales can recover. They continue to produce calves, and our experience with other baleen whales shows that populations can rebound as conditions improve. But Gulf of Mexico whales are on the edge of extinction, and measures are urgently needed to reduce mortality and serious injury as well as to alleviate human stressors. Aquaculture, offshore wind farms, and other new development should always be sited outside of their known habitat, which is limited to a strip of water running along the continental shelf break from the eastern through the central and western Gulf. Vessels transiting through the whales’ habitat should be required to slow down and take other measures to reduce the risk of a fatal collision. In the case of oil and gas development, protecting the species means excluding leasing and other activities from the whale’s habitat; prohibiting seismic airgun surveys to prevent exposure of the whales and their habitat to what has become the dominant source of noise in the northern Gulf;6 and disallowing drilling in areas both inside and outside of the whale’s habitat, such as in the Mississippi Canyon, that pose a catastrophic risk to the species. Habitat in the eastern, central, and western Gulf must be protected. Your Administration is presently considering a new five- year program for offshore oil and gas leasing, as well as a new regulation and related permits and authorizations for seismic surveys in the Gulf of Mexico. Continuing with seismic exploration or drilling in the northern Gulf is antithetical to basic principles of conservation and would jeopardize the species’ survival and recovery. The Gulf of Mexico whale is a unique part of the Gulf’s natural history and the only large whale species resident year-round in the waters of the United States. Yet few on-water measures have been established to protect it. Unless significant conservation actions are taken, the United States is likely to cause the first anthropogenic extinction of a great whale species.11,12 On this, the fiftieth anniversary year of the nation’s commitment to whales through the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, we urge you to announce robust conservation measures to protect the Gulf of Mexico whale as well as funding for its recovery. October 2022 Peter Corkeron, Ph.D. Senior Scientist and Chair, Kraus Marine Mammal Conservation Program Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life New England Aquarium Francine Kershaw, Ph.D. Senior Scientist Marine Mammals and Oceans Natural Resources Defense Council Matthew Leslie, Ph.D. Adjunct Professor Environmental Studies Department Ursinus College Joe Roman, Ph.D. Fellow Gund Institute for Environment University of Vermont 2 Alexandra Aines, M.E.M. Marine Scientist Oceana S. Elizabeth Alter, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Biology & Chemistry California State University, Monterey Bay Kimberly R. Andrews, Ph.D. Bioinformatic Data Scientist University of Idaho Robin Baird, Ph.D. Research Biologist Cascadia Research Collective Lisa T. Ballance, Ph.D. Director, Marine Mammal Institute Endowed Chair for Marine Mammal Research Professor, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center Jay Barlow, Ph.D. 40 years as a marine mammal scientist NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service (retired) Lance Barrett-Lennard, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist Co-Director, Cetacean Research Program Raincoast Conservation Foundation Simone Baumann-Pickering, Ph.D. Professor and Researcher Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California San Diego Paulette Bloomer, Ph.D. Professor University of Pretoria 3 Gill Braulik, Ph.D. Research Fellow Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St. Andrews Claire Charlton, Ph.D. Principal Scientist Current Environmental Fredrik Christiansen, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Zoophysiology – Department of Biology Aarhus University Phillip J. Clapham, Ph.D. Senior Scientist Seastar Scientific Christopher W. Clark, Ph.D. Founding Director (retired) K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics Senior Scientist, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Graduate Professor, Dept. of Neurobiology & Behavior Cornell University Tim Collins, M.S. Researcher Wildlife Conservation Society Richard Connor, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Courtesy Professor, Florida International University Rochelle Constantine, Ph.D. Professor, Marine Ecology and Conservation Biology Institute of Marine Science University of Auckland Stephen Dawson, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus Marine Science Department University of Otago 4 Asha de Vos, Ph.D. Founding Executive Director Oceanswell Alistair Dove, Ph.D. Vice President of Science and Education Georgia Aquarium Charlotte R. Findlay, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow, Marine Bioacoustics Lab Zoophysiology – Department of Biology Aarhus University Alyson Fleming Ph.D. Research Faculty Forest & Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin Madison Wally Franklin, Ph.D. Adjunct Fellow, Southern Cross University Managing Director and Marine Scientist, Oceana Project Laura Ganley, Ph.D. Associate Scientist New England Aquarium Peter Gill, Ph.D. Director Blue Whale Study Sarah Glitz, Ph.D. Marine Scientist Oceana Pavel Gol’din, Ph.D. Leading Researcher Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology Simon Goldsworthy, Ph.D. Professor University of Adelaide 5 Rebecca Hall Scientific Officer Blue Whale Study Robert Harcourt, Ph.D. Professor Macquarie University Mark Hindell, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor University of Tasmania Ellen Hines, Ph.D. Associate Director and Professor Estuary & Ocean Science Center San Francisco State University Fairul Izmal Jamal Hisne Co-Founder & Vice-Chairperson Marecet Research Organization Sascha Hooker, Ph.D. Professor Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews Lisa A. Hoopes, Ph.D. Director of Research and Conservation Georgia Aquarium Kelsey Howe Assistant Scientist Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life New England Aquarium Erich Hoyt Research Fellow, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Co-chair, IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force Sharon Hsu, M.S. Research Assistant Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life New England Aquarium 6 Miguel Iñiguez, M.Sc. Researcher Fundación Cethus Yulia V. Ivashchenko, Ph.D. Director Seastar Scientific Mark Johnson, Ph.D. Associate Professor Zoophysiology – Department of Biology Aarhus University Kristin Kaschner, Ph.D. Research Associate Department of Biometry and Environmental Systems Analysis Albert-Ludwig-University of Freiburg Eric Keen, Ph.D. Visiting Professor Sewanee: The University of the South Robert D. Kenney, Ph.D. Emeritus Marine Research Scientist & Adjunct Professor in Resident Graduate School of Oceanography University of Rhode Island Jeremy Kiszka, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University Scott D. Kraus, Ph.D. Chair North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Russell Leaper Consulting Scientist International Fund for Animal Welfare 7 Carolina Bonin Lewallen, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Marine and Environmental Sciences Department Hampton University Laura May-Collado, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Biology University of Vermont Richard Merrick, Ph.D. Independent Scientist Retired from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Olaf Meynecke, Ph.D. Researcher and Manager, Whales and Climate Griffith University Michael J. Moore, Vet. M.B., Ph.D. Senior Scientist Biology Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Leslie New, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Ursinus College Giuseppe Notabartolo di Sciara, Ph.D. Founder and Vice-President Tethys Research Institute Orla O’Brien, M.S. Associate Scientist New England Aquarium Daniel Palacios, Ph.D. Endowed Associated Professor in Whale Habitats Marine Mammal Institute and Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences Oregon State University E.C.M. Parsons, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Centre for Conservation and Ecology, University of Exeter Affiliate Professor, George Mason University 8 Heidi Pearson, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Marine Biology University of Alaska Southeast Gwenith Penry, Ph.D. Research Associate Institute for Coastal and Marine Research Nelson Mandela University Betzi Perez, M.Sc. President, Panama Panacetacea Benjamin Pitcher, Ph.D. Research Fellow School of Natural Sciences Macquarie University Robert Pitman Marine Ecologist Marine Mammal Institute Oregon State University Stephanie Plön, Ph.D. Associate Professor Stellenbosch University Elena Politi, M.Sc. Member IUCN Joint SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force Margi Prideaux, Ph.D. Policy Director Wild Migration Timothy J. Ragen, Ph.D. Executive Director (retired) Marine Mammal Commission Kristen Rasmussen, M.Sc. Founder and President Panacetacea 9 William J. Rayment, Ph.D. Department of Marine Science University of Otago Vincent Ridoux, Ph.D. Professor of Ecology University of La Rochelle Denise Risch, Ph.D. Lecturer Scottish Association for Marine Science University of the Highlands and Islands Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, Ph.D. Ocean Wise Canada/ Mexico Rosalind M. Rolland, D.V.M. Emeritus Senior Scientist New England Aquarium Naomi Rose, Ph.D. Marine Mammal Scientist Animal Welfare Institute Peter Ross, Ph.D. Senior Scientist Raincoast Conservation Foundation Matthew Savoca, Ph.D. NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Rod Salm, Ph.D. Senior Advisor Emeritus The Nature Conservancy Meike Scheidat, Ph.D. Senior Researcher Wageningen Marine Research 10 Geoff Shester, Ph.D. Senior Scientist Oceana Mark Peter Simmonds, OBE Visiting Research Fellow Veterinary School, University of Bristol Ana Širović, Ph.D. Associate Professor Norwegian University of Science and Technology Liz Slooten, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus University of Otago Brian D. Smith Senior International Adviser Wildlife Conservation Society Craig Smith, Ph.D. Professor of Oceanography University of Hawaii Mark Smith Manager of Conservation, Research, and Animal Welfare Royal Zoological Society of South Australia Renata Sousa-Lima, Ph.D. Associate Professor Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte Michael Stocker Founding Director Ocean Conservation Research Dipani Sutaria, Ph.D Research Fellow James Cook University, and Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Network Barbara Taylor, Ph.D. 28 years as a marine mammal scientist NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service (retired) Coordinator, IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group Red List Assessments 11 Dom Tollit, Ph.D. Principal Scientist SMRU Consulting Canada Peter Tyack, Ph.D. Emeritus Research Scholar, Biology Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Scott Veirs, Ph.D. President Beam Reach Marine Science and Education Val Veirs, Ph.D. Professor of Physics (emeritus) Colorado College Valeria Vergara, Ph.D. Senior Scientist and Co-Director Cetacean Conservation Research Program Raincoast Conservation Foundation Els Vermeulen, Ph.D. Director Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Lindy Weilgart, Ph.D. Senior Ocean Noise Expert & Policy Consultant, OceanCare Adjunct Research Associate, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University Shaye Wolf, Ph.D. Climate Science Director Center for Biological Diversity Bernd Würsig, Ph.D. University Distinguished Professor Emeritus Texas A&M University at Galveston 12 CITATIONS 1. Rosel, P.E., Wilcox, L.A., Yamada, T.K. and Mullin, K.D. (2021). A new species of baleen whale (Balaenoptera) from the Gulf of Mexico, with a review of its geographic distribution. Marine Mammal Science, 2021: 1-34, doi.org/10.1111/mms.12776. 2. Soldevilla, M.S., Ternus, K., Cook, A., Hildebrand, J.A., Frasier, K.E., Martinez, A., and Garrison, L.P. (2022). Acoustic localization, validation, and characterization of Rice’s whale calls. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 151(6): 4264-78. 3. Rosel, P., Corkeron, P., and Soldevilla, M. (2022). Balaenoptera ricei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2022: e.T215823373A208496244. Available at iucnredlist.org/species/215823373/208496244. 4. Hayes, S.A., Josephson, E., Maze-Foley, K., Rosel, P.E., and Turek, J. eds. (2021). U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Stock Assessments 2020, at pp. 160-67. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE-271. 5. DWH NRDA Trustees (2016). Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Final programmatic damage assessment and restoration plan and final programmatic environmental impact statement. Available at www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan. 6. Estabrook, B.J., Ponirakis, D.W., Clark, C.W., and Rice, A.N. (2016). Widespread spatial and temporal extent of anthropogenic noise across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico shelf ecosystem. Endangered Species Research, 30: 267-82. 7. Castellote, M., Clark, C.W., and Lammers, M.O. (2012). Acoustic and behavoural changes by fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in response to shipping and airgun noise. Biological Conservation, 147: 115-22. 8. Cerchio, S., Strindberg, S., Collins, T., Bennett, C., and Rosenbaum, H. (2014). Seismic surveys negatively affect humpback whale singing activity off Northern Angola. PLoS ONE, 9(3): e86464.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0086464. 9. Blackwell, S.B., Nations, C.S., McDonald, T.L., Thode, A.M., Mathias, D., Kim, K.H., Greene, Jr., C.R., and Macrander, A.M. (2015). Effects of airgun sounds on bowhead whale calling rates: Evidence for two behavioral thresholds. PLoS ONE, 10(6): e0125720.doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0125720. 10. Soldevilla, M.S., Hildebrand, J.A., Fraser, K.E., Dias, L.A., Martinez, A., Mullin, K.D., Rosel, P.E., and Garrison, L.P. (2017). Spatial distribution and dive behavior of Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whales: Potential risk of vessel strikes and fisheries interactions. Endangered Species Research, 32: 533-50. 11. Corkeron, P., Roman, J., Kershaw, F., Leslie, M., Kraus, S.D., and Sutaria, D. (2022). Balaenoptera ricei is also the Gulf of Mexico whale. Marine Mammal Science, 38: 847-49. 12. Corkeron, P., and Kraus, S.D. (2018). Baleen whale species on brink of extinction for first time in 300 years. Nature, 554: 169. 13
“La administración Trump está trabajando arduamente para dar vía libre a las empresas contaminadoras sobre nuestras tierras y aguas, mientras que la vida silvestre y los ecosistemas del Golfo en peligro están pagando las consecuencias”, declaró Devorah Ancel, abogada principal de Sierra Club. “Si la administración se sale con la suya, podría ser desastroso para los pocos rorcuales de Rice que quedan en el planeta. Momentos como este nos recuerdan por qué la Ley de Especies en Peligro de Extinción ha sido tan crucial durante las últimas cinco décadas, y veremos a la administración Trump en los tribunales para defenderla”.
“Es evidente que los rorcuales de Rice y estas tortugas marinas necesitan protección de la industria petrolera y gasífera para sobrevivir. Este último intento sigue fracasando estrepitosamente a la hora de ofrecer una imagen realista de lo que evitará la extinción de estos animales del Golfo”, declaró Kristen Monsell, directora legal de océanos del Centro para la Diversidad Biológica. “El Servicio de Pesca ha ignorado la ciencia, la historia y el sentido común a la hora de determinar la capacidad de estas pobres especies para sobrevivir. La extracción de combustibles fósiles no justifica la aniquilación de la valiosa fauna silvestre, crucial para el ecosistema marino”.
“La última opinión biológica de la administración Trump es un nuevo obsequio para que las grandes petroleras destruyan el Golfo de México y erradiquen el rorcual de Rice, en grave peligro de extinción”, declaró Hallie Templeton, directora legal de Amigos de la Tierra. “La orden del tribunal federal en 2024 reafirmó la importancia de la Ley de Especies en Peligro de Extinción durante décadas, actuando como la última línea de defensa entre las especies vulnerables y el daño irreversible causado por actividades industriales como la extracción de petróleo y gas. La demanda lo deja clarísimo: no cederemos y seguiremos haciendo todo lo posible para defender la Ley de Especies en Peligro de Extinción y exigir responsabilidades al gobierno federal”.
“Las ballenas y tortugas marinas en peligro de extinción del Golfo no sobrevivirán al ataque de la administración Trump a nuestras leyes ambientales si no lo detenemos”, declaró Joanie Steinhaus, directora de Océanos de la Red de Restauración de Turtle Island. “No se trata solo de tortugas y ballenas; nuestra propia supervivencia está estrechamente ligada a detener la catástrofe climática causada por los combustibles fósiles y a garantizar ecosistemas oceánicos saludables para las generaciones futuras”.