US Seeks 'Threatened' Status for Puget Sound Orcas
Date: 20-Dec-04
Country: USA
"Our recovery efforts are already under way for these killer whales," Bob Lohn, head of the National Marine Fisheries Service's northwest regional office, said in a statement.
The orcas, a pod of 84 that spends several months of the year in the frigid waters of Washington state's Puget Sound, are currently protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Designating the pod as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act will extend protection for the orcas to include the habitat, and not just the whales, Lohn said.
Several pods of orcas can be found along the Northwestern coast of the United States, feeding on salmon and sea lions. Tour boats regularly take visitors out to view the orcas.
After public hearings, the proposed listing of the whales as a threatened population could be finalized a year from now, the agency said.
