The National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed creating critical habitat sites to protect humpback whales in waters off Alaska.
The proposed habitats cover 175,182 square nautical miles of the traditional feeding areas of three of the 14 major humpback whale distinct population segments. Three groups in Alaska waters are threatened, with some numbering 2,000 whales or less.
On December 3rd, Alaska Wildlife Alliance testified at the Anchorage public hearing regarding NOAA’s proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the Central America, Mexico, and Western North Pacific Distinct Population Segments of Humpback Whales.
Critical habitat designations limit the effects of climate change, direct harvest of prey in commercial fisheries, ocean noise, and pollution created by federal agencies or federal actions. A critical habitat does not establish a sanctuary or preserve, nor does it affect recreational activities or private lands. Protecting these whale feeding areas may help them regain their footing.
Doug Vincent-Lang, Alaska Department of Fish and Game commissioner, is against the proposal to increase whale protections.
Help protect Alaska's Humpback whales, click here to submit your public comment online! Comments must be submitted by January 31, 2020.
Alaska Wildlife Alliance Testimony
My name is Nicole Schmitt and I am the Executive Director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, a statewide nonprofit organization advocating for healthy ecosystems which are scientifically and ethically managed. I am commenting today on behalf of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance and its membership in support of the critical habitat designation for the Endangered Species Act-listed humpback whales.
For both the Mexico Distinct Population Segment (only 2,806 individuals left) and the endangered Western North Pacific Distinct Population Segment (only 1,066 whales left) entanglements and ship strikes have been identified as a threat to their continued existence. According to the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Program, in 2018 there were 29 reports of stranded or distressed humpback whales in Alaska[1]. Almost half of those showed signs of human interaction - 9 were entangled in fishing gear or marine debris, and 5 had signs of vessel strikes. This is an alarmingly high statistic for a state where wildlife viewing comprises a significant economic revenue stream. The 2019 Economic Development in Alaska: Outdoor Recreation Impacts and Opportunities report demonstrated that in 2017 wildlife viewing had a significant financial benefit to Alaska’s economy, accounting for over 28,000 jobs, $2.7 billion in business revenues, and $1.5 billion towards Alaska’s GSP. Thus, protecting habitat critical to humpback whale survival and recovery is an economically sound decision for Alaska.
Furthermore, in a 2019 article titled “Nature’s Solution to Climate Change”[2], the authors explain that great whales, like humpbacks, are key to helping curb the effects of climate change. Phytoplankton traps carbon dioxide more effectively than trees, and the whales eat the phytoplankton, trapping the carbon in the whales’ bodies, which sink to the ocean floor when they die. A large whale can trap up to 33 tons of carbon over its lifetime, as much as 30,000 trees. The value of one great whale was estimated by determining today’s value of the carbon sequestered by a whale over its lifetime, as well as today’s value of the whale’s other economic contributions over its lifetime, such as fishery enhancement and ecotourism. The assessment determined the value of an average great whale at over $2 million. The report stated that “Healthy whale populations imply healthy marine life including fish, seabirds, and an overall vibrant system that recycles nutrients between oceans and land, improving life in both places.”
Despite the fear-mongering and hyperbole that Alaska’s economy will crash anytime there is a proposed Endangered Species Act-listing or critical habitat designation, Alaska and the Endangered Species Act can and do co-exist. Currently, there are 39 species or Distinct Population Segmentss of fish and wildlife listed as threatened or endangered in Alaska, and 9 of those species already have designated critical habitat, including other whales such as the North Pacific right whale and Cook Inlet beluga whale.
In summary, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance supports designating critical habitat in Alaska for humpback whales because it makes sense, economically and ecologically.
***
[1] 2018 Alaska Region Marine Mammal Stranding Summary by Kate Savage, January 28, 2019: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/webdam/download/87665659
[2] Nature’s Solution to Climate Change by Ralph Chami et al., September 2019: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2019/12/natures-solution-to-climate-change-chami.htm
