Endangered Species Conservation
NOAA Fisheries is responsible for the protection, conservation, and recovery of more than 160 endangered and threatened marine and anadromous species under the Endangered Species Act. The goal of the ESA is to conserve these species and the ecosystems they depend on.
To implement the ESA, we rely on the best available science. We work with international federal, tribal, state, and local agencies, as well as nongovernmental organizations and private citizens.
Success Stories
Enacted in 1973, the ESA continues to be a powerful and effective tool for conserving species and their habitats. Less than 1 percent of the species listed under the ESA have gone extinct. Others have been recovered to the point where they no longer need protections under the ESA.
Learn about some of our success stories
Featured News
NOAA Fisheries, in collaboration with Blue Ocean Mariculture, is conducting a multi-year pilot study to evaluate observational methods and tools for studying Hawaiian monk seal behavior. Courtesy of Blue Ocean Mariculture
Researchers retrieve a passive acoustic recorder. Courtesy: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Annsli Hilton performs surgery on a smalltooth sawfish to insert an acoustic tag to track the animal’s movement. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Reni Poston-Hymel (ESA Permit #22078, Everglades National Park Permit #0007)
Bearded Seal. Credit: John Jansen/NOAA Fisheries
Notices & Rules
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NOAA Fisheries and U.S. FWS share responsibility for administering the ESA
Generally, NOAA Fisheries manages marine species and anadromous species (fish that are born in freshwater, spend most of their lives in saltwater, and return to freshwater to spawn) including whales, corals, sea turtles, and salmon. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages land and freshwater species such as polar bears, sea otters, and manatees.
Both U.S. species and foreign species are protected under the ESA
The Endangered Species Act requires listing of species regardless of where they are found. Endangered foreign species include the vaquita porpoise, Mediterranean monk seal, and Southern right whale.
Listing Species Under the ESA
Before an animal or plant species can receive ESA protections, it must first be added to the federal lists of threatened and endangered wildlife and plants. Once NOAA Fisheries determines that a species warrants listing, it adds the species to its lists at 50 CFR 223.102 (threatened species) and 50 CFR 224.101 (endangered species). All plant and animal species, except pest insects, are eligible for listing.
Monitoring Species Status
The conservation status of all species listed under the ESA must be reviewed at least once every 5 years. The review evaluates whether the endangered or threatened classification is still appropriate for the species. These 5-year reviews consider recent recovery progress and the level and impact of ongoing and new or future threats. They also incorporate any new information about the species.
Designating Critical Habitat
One of the main purposes of the ESA is to provide a means for conserving the ecosystems that threatened and endangered species depend upon for survival and recovery. Specific areas and areas that contain features that are essential for the conservation of an ESA-listed species may be designated as “critical habitat.” Once critical habitat is designated, federal agencies consult with NOAA Fisheries to ensure their actions are not likely to destroy or adversely modify the critical habitat. Critical habitat does not affect land ownership or set up a refuge or closed area, and it does not restrict private citizens’ use of the area. Critical habitat also does not mandate government or public access to private lands.
Recovering Endangered and Threatened Species
Recovery is the process of restoring listed species and their ecosystems to the point where they no longer require ESA protections. To guide efforts to bring these species back to health, we develop recovery plans that outline the path and activities required to restore and secure self-sustaining wild populations. We collaborate with federal, state, and local governments, as well as tribal nations and interested nongovernmental stakeholders, to create these plans.
Our Partners
Conservation groups; academia; tribal nations; and federal, state, and local governments have all made important contributions to the recovery of many endangered and threatened species. We partner with these organizations in many ways to minimize harmful effects on listed species and work toward their recovery.
ESA Regulations, Policies, and Guidance
We have issued regulations, national policies, and guidance to promote efficiency and consistency in implementing the ESA to conserve and recover marine species.
Recovery of Endangered and Threatened Species
Learn how NOAA Fisheries works with partners to protect and recover endangered and threatened marine species.
Multimedia
Researchers retrieve a passive acoustic recorder. Courtesy: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Coral nurseries are one tool NOAA uses to restore reefs, which are vital habitats for many managed seafood species. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
A loggerhead sea turtle swimming in a deep blue open ocean. Credit: Adobe Stock
Species in the Spotlight
Of all the species NOAA Fisheries protects under the Endangered Species Act, we have identified 10 for which immediate, targeted actions can stabilize the population and prevent extinction.
For some, their numbers are so low that they need to be bred in captivity; others are facing human threats that must be addressed to prevent their extinction. We launched the "Species in the Spotlight" initiative in 2015 to bring greater attention and marshal resources to save these highly at-risk species:
- Atlantic salmon Gulf of Maine distinct population segment (DPS)
- Central California Coast coho salmon evolutionarily significant unit (ESU)
- Cook Inlet beluga whale DPS
- Hawaiian monk seal
- North Atlantic right whale
- Pacific leatherback sea turtle
- Rice's whale
- Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon ESU
- Southern resident killer whale DPS
- White abalone
Learn more about what we have accomplished so far
We chose these 10 species because they are all endangered, their populations are declining, and they are considered a recovery priority #1C.
A recovery priority #1C species is one whose extinction is almost certain in the immediate future because of rapid population decline or habitat destruction, and its survival conflicts with construction, development, or economic activity.
In most cases, we understand the limiting factors and threats to these species, and we know that the necessary management actions have a high probability of success.
In some cases, we are prioritizing research to better understand the threats so we can fine-tune our actions for the maximum effect.
We know we can’t do this alone. A major component of the Species in the Spotlight initiative is to expand partnerships and motivate individuals to work with us to get these species on the road to recovery.
For each species, we developed priority action plans that outline what we need to do to prevent extinction.
Actions we and are partners are focusing on include:
- Protecting and restoring habitat
- Encouraging community stewardship and citizen science
- Reducing human-caused threats such as entanglement in fishing gear, habitat destruction, vessel strikes, and noise pollution
- Breeding species in captivity
- Cooperating with other nations
Watch these videos to find out more about these species and what we're doing to save them