Pacific Walrus (Odobenus Rosmaurs Divergens) As a Threatened Or Endangered Species Under the Endangered Species Act

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Pacific Walrus (Odobenus Rosmaurs Divergens) As a Threatened Or Endangered Species Under the Endangered Species Act BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF INTERIOR PETITION TO LIST THE PACIFIC WALRUS (ODOBENUS ROSMAURS DIVERGENS) AS A THREATENED OR ENDANGERED SPECIES UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT © BILL HICKEY, USFWS CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY FEBRUARY 7, 2008 Notice of Petition____________________________________________________ Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington. D.C. 20240 Tom Melius, Regional Director U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Regional Office 1011 East Tudor Road Anchorage, Alaska 99503 PETITIONER The Center for Biological Diversity 1095 Market Street, Suite 511 San Francisco, CA 94103 ph: (415) 436-9682 ext 301 fax: (415) 436-9683 __________________________ Date: this 7th day of February, 2008 Shaye Wolf, Ph.D. Kassie Siegel Brendan Cummings Center for Biological Diversity Pursuant to Section 4(b) of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), 16 U.S.C. §1533(b), Section 553(3) of the Administrative Procedures Act, 5 U.S.C. § 553(e), and 50 C.F.R. § 424.14(a), the Center for Biological Diversity hereby petitions the Secretary of the Interior, through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”), to list the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) as a threatened or endangered species and to designate critical habitat to ensure its survival and recovery. The Center for Biological Diversity works through science, law, and policy to secure a future for all species, great or small, hovering on the brink of extinction. The Center has over 40,000 members throughout Alaska and the United States. The Center and its members are concerned with the conservation of endangered species, including the Pacific walrus, and the effective implementation of the ESA. USFWS has jurisdiction over this petition. This petition sets in motion a specific process, placing definite response requirements on USFWS. Specifically, USFWS must issue an initial finding as Page ii - Petition to List the Pacific Walrus as a Threatened or Endangered Species to whether the petition “presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.” 16 U.S.C. §1533(b)(3)(A). USFWS must make this initial finding “[t]o the maximum extent practicable, within 90 days after receiving the petition.” Id. Petitioners need not demonstrate that listing is warranted, rather, Petitioners must only present information demonstrating that such listing may be warranted. While Petitioner believes that the best available science demonstrates that listing the Pacific walrus as endangered is in fact warranted, there can be no reasonable dispute that the available information indicates that listing the species as either threatened or endangered may be warranted. As such, USFWS must promptly make a positive initial finding on the petition an commence a status review as required by 16 U.S.C. § 1533(b)(3)(B). The term “species” is defined broadly under the ESA to include “any subspecies of fish or wildlife or plants and any distinct population segment of any species of vertebrate fish or wildlife which interbreeds when mature.” 16 U.S.C. § 1532 (16). A Distinct Population Segment (“DPS”) of a vertebrate species can be protected as a “species” under the ESA even though it has not formally been described as a separate “species” or “subspecies” in the scientific literature. A species may be composed of several DPSs, some or all of which warrant listing under the ESA. As described in this petition, the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) is a currently recognized subspecies of the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) and therefore meets the definition of a “species” eligible for listing under the ESA. In the event USFWS does not recognize the taxonomic validity of the Pacific walrus as described in this petition, we request that USFWS evaluate whether the walrus of the Bering and Chukchi Sea that are the subject of this petition constitute a DPS of the full walrus species and/or represent a significant portion of the range of the full walrus species and are therefore eligible for listing on such basis. Page iii - Petition to List the Pacific Walrus as a Threatened or Endangered Species Table of Contents Natural History and Biology of the Pacific Walrus...................................................5 I. SPECIES DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................5 II. TAXONOMY ................................................................................................................6 III. DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION...............................................................................7 IV. HABITAT REQUIREMENTS .......................................................................................10 V. REPRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR ...................................................13 VI. DIET AND FORAGING BEHAVIOR............................................................................14 VII. ECOLOGICAL ROLE OF THE PACIFIC WALRUS ......................................................17 VIII. SOCIAL BEHAVIOR................................................................................................18 IX. SOURCES OF NATURAL MORTALITY ......................................................................18 X. DEMOGRAPHIC RATES .............................................................................................19 Abundance and Population Trends of the Pacific Walrus.......................................20 The Pacific Walrus Warrants Listing Under the ESA.............................................25 I. CRITERIA FOR LISTING SPECIES AS ENDANGERED OR THREATENED........................25 II. THE PACIFIC WALRUS QUALIFIES FOR LISTING UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT...............................................................................................................................26 A. The Present or Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment of Habitat or...... 26 Range .................................................................................................................................... 26 1. Global Climate Change................................................................................................ 26 a. The Climate System, Greenhouse Gas Concentrations, the Greenhouse Effect, and Global Warming........................................................................................................ 27 b. The Arctic is Warming Much Faster than Other Regions ........................................ 31 c. Climate and Environmental Changes Observed to Date........................................... 33 d. Observed Impacts to the Pacific Walrus from Global Warming .............................. 48 e. Projected Climate and Environmental Changes........................................................ 50 f. Future Threats to the Pacific Walrus from Global Warming .................................... 58 B. Overutilization for Commercial, Recreational, Scientific, or Educational Purposes....... 63 C. Disease or Predation......................................................................................................... 64 D. Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms............................................................. 64 1. Regulatory Mechanisms Addressing Greenhouse Gas Pollution and Global Warming Are Inadequate.............................................................................................................. 64 a. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ............................ 65 b. The Kyoto Protocol................................................................................................... 65 c. United States Climate Initiatives are Ineffective ...................................................... 67 2. Regulatory Mechanisms Addressing Other Threats to the Pacific Walrus Are Inadequate..................................................................................................................... 70 E. Other Natural and Anthropogenic Factors ....................................................................... 72 1. Ocean Acidification ...................................................................................................... 72 2. Oil and Gas Exploration and Development .................................................................. 73 a. Existing and Projected Oil and Gas Exploration and Development ......................... 73 Page iv - Petition to List the Pacific Walrus as a Threatened or Endangered Species b. Impacts of Oil Pollution on Pacific Walruses........................................................... 78 c. Impacts of Noise Pollution on the Pacific walrus ..................................................... 80 3. Contaminants ............................................................................................................... 81 4. Commercial fisheries ................................................................................................... 82 Critical Habitat.........................................................................................................83 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................83 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................84 Page v - Petition to List the Pacific Walrus as a Threatened or Endangered Species Introduction The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
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