16 Letter from the Edi 1 7 Seas of Trouble 21 Island Habitats: A

UPDATEEndangeredincluding a Reprint Species of theTechnical latest USFWSBulletin March/April 1998 School of Natural Resources and Environment Vol. 15 No. 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 16 Letter from the Editor 17 Seas of Trouble Tundi Agardy 21 Island Habitats: A Stronghold of Carnivore Biodiversity in Agriculturally Modified Environments Kirk Johnson 25 SSPQ Profile: De Brazza's Monkey Curtis Eng 27 News from Zoos 28 Recent Publications Insert: JanuaryIFebruary 1998 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Bulletin --UPDATE Letterfiom the Editor A forum for information exchange on endangered species issues MarcWApril 1998 Vol. 15 No. 2 M. Elsbeth McPhee ............................Editor Andrew Hayes ..................Editorial Assistant As a journal focused on the conservation of endangered and Michael Browning ...........Editorial Assistant threatened species, we need to broaden our scope to include marine Gideon Lachman .......Web Page Coordinator John Brosnan ........Subscription Coordinator issues. This includes both publishing quality articles that highlight this Terry Roof ...........................Faculty Advisor area of research and attracting readers for whom marine conservation Advisorv Board is a priority. Richard Block Thanks to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, we are able to Indianapolis Zoo Susan Haig dojust that-begining this summer, Endangered Species UPDATESwill National Biological Service, include a new section entitled Marine Matters. Recently, the Pew Oregon State University Norman Myers Foundation conducted a survey investigating attitudes toward marine International Consultant in issues and conservation. Two main points were highlighted: (1) people Environment and Development Patrick O'Brien are deeply concerned about our oceans and seas, and (2) there is not Chevron Ecological Services enough information available for decision makers and general public Hal Salwasser U.S. Forest Service, on these topics. Toward that end, the UPDATE is developing Marine Boone and Crockett Club Matters as a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas focused Imtructiom for Authors: The Endangered Species specifically on marine issues. To jumpstart Marine Matters, this issue UPDATE welcomes articles, editorial comments, and announcementsrelated to species protectlon. features an overview article by Tundi Agardy, Senior Director for For further infomation contact the editor. Marine Programs at Conservation International. Subscription Informahon: The Endangered Since 1983, the Endangered Species UPDATE has been providing Species UPDATE is published six times per year, scientists, policymakers, educators, and business people with quality plus occasional special issues, by the School of Natural Resourc~sand Environment at The up-to-date information on endangered species issues. Over the years, University of Michigan. Annual rates are $28 for the UPDATE has changed and expanded to meet the growing needs of regular subscriptions, and $23 for students and senior citizens (add $5 for postage outside the US). our audience. It is time again for such a change. Send check or money order Myable to The We hope the instillation of Marine Matters will stimulate active University of Michigan) to: Endangered Species UPDATE dialogue on marine conservation issues. Therefore, we not only look School of Natural Resources forward to receiving your comments on the new section, but also your and Environment The University of Michigan paper submissions on your work and expertise. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1 115 (734) 763-3243 E-mail: [email protected] http:llwww.umich.edu/-esupdate Cover: Scottish fishing boats. Photograph by Tundi Agardy. The views expressed in the Endangered Species Editor UPDATE may not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or The University of Michigan. Ihe Endangered Species UPDATE was made possible in part by the Boone and Cmkea Club, Chevron Corporation, U.S. FWS Division of Endangered Species Region 3, and Walt Disney World Company. / - @ '$49- u .-. L. G ,printed on recycled paper 16 EndangeredSpecies UPDATE Vol. 15 No. 2 1998 Seas of Trouble Tundi Agardy Abstract Coastal ecosystems and the great biological diversity they support are threatened the world over. Being the downstream recipients of degrading impacts caused by poor land use practices, and simultaneously coming under increasing pressure to supply natural resources and space to accom- modate human needs, the global ocean is afected both directly and indirectly. Multiple and cumulative threats have already undemzined the functioning of many marine systems; unless we change our attitudes towards and use of the seas, a marine biodiversity crisis is inevitable. In the nearly four decades since Eretmochelys imbricata), the threat tems, we are slowly coming to real- Rachel Carson wrote The Sea Around of unsustainable harvest is still acute ize that marine biodiversity is indeed Us, the world's marine ecosystems in many parts of the world. being lost at alarming rates as ge- have undergone a silent, slow, and Environmental groups have netically unique populations of ma- largely unnoticed transformation. seized upon the ability of these rine organisms are extirpated Once thought to be so vast as to be charming species to capture public through overharvest. Even for cos- largely immutable and so rich in attention, and have designated many mopolitan species, this reduction resources as to be inexhaustible, the of them flagships symbolizing the in genetic diversity is damaging, global ocean is now recognized to be plight of entire marine ecosystems. even if largely invisible. in a state of crisis brought about by In addition to sharing some natural Our drive to exploit the living multiple chronic threats. While there history traits that make them vulner- resources of the ocean stems from an is reason for hope, the ubiquitous able to over-exploitation, they also increasing reliance on fish protein to nature of marine degradation is cer- share a reliance on a series of dispar- feed ourselves and our livestock,just tainly cause for concern among con- ate intact habitats to survive. One as poor agricultural practices deplete servationists, even terrestrial ones. couldn't designate a better choice for our potential to meet this demand If there is now a growing aware- an umbrella species than the leather- from terrestrial sources. The over- ness about the state of the oceans, it back sea turtle (Dermochelys exploitation, however, stems not is largely thanks to public concern coriacea), for instance, because the merely from need but from the trag- about the highly endangered, and animal requires tropical beaches, edy of the global commons - that is, charismatic, great whales, sea turtles coastal migration corridors, and the the inability of governments to ad- and pinnipeds. These flagship spe- nutrient rich waters of temperate and equately regulate use of common cies share some common traits that subpolar continental shelves for sur- property resources. Commercial make them vulnerable to over-ex- vival. So as far as flagships go, fishing operations, particularly the ploitation: slow growth rates, low leatherbacks, humpback whales, large scale industrial and factory reproductive rates, andlor extremely blue whales, and the like are a trawler fisheries, have been singled low survivorship of offspring. De- good choice for illustrating marine out as the villains in non-sustain- spite this inherent vulnerability, har- issues-but if and only if the public able harvesting, but the truth is vesting occurred at such high levels is urged to look beyond the plight that even artisanal fishing can be that populations crashed, and are only of individual endangered species devastating to marine populations beginning to recover. For some spe- and consider the ecosystems that given the sometimes high levels of cies like the northern right whale support these species. fishing effort. (Eubalaena glacialis), recovery has Over-exploitation affects many In effect, the exploitation prob- been impeded by environmental fac- organisms beyond the highly touted lem is a function of three factors: 1) tors, even though whaling has totally flagship species. Though the list of how much fish or fishery resource ceased. For other endangered spe- marine endangered and threatened we remove from the ecosystem (the cies, like the green and hawksbill sea species pales in comparison to that over-exploitation problem in its nar- turtles (Chelonia mydas and for terrestrial and freshwater sys- rowest definition) and how this re- Vol. 15 No. 2 1998 Endangeredspecb UPDATE 17 Fishing boats docked in Seattle, Washington. Photograph by Tundi Agardy. moval affects the target stock; 2) dentally-caught and wasted species To be fully aware of the extent of how we harvest those resources and constitute a higher percentage of the fisheries crisis, we must appraise its attendant effects on food webs catch than the targeted fish - in some how much and in what manner we and habitats; and 3) which fish we cases, nearly 30 times more by remove fish from the seas. We must take, keeping in mind the important weight. Even worse, many of these also consider which fish species are roles that certain species play in sup- incidentally caught species are al- being taken and how their removal porting or stabilizing biotic commu- ready endangered-and this indirect affects ecosystem health and pro- nities. When we look at these three threat is sometimes the most impor- ductivity. By concentrating our har-

Load more