If you're like me, you had never
heard of the Atlantic humpback
dolphin until recently -- but
unfortunately, it's for a horrible reason. This little known dolphin is
on the very brink of extinction, with just 3,000 left in
the wild. Luckily, the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) is considering listing them as
protected under the Endangered Species Act. But for now,
they are still just considering, in the
midst of a status review. Until these dolphins
are officially protected, we must apply
pressure!
The threats to
Atlantic humpback dolphins are almost entirely
human-induced -- the main one is an issue called
"bycatch." Fisheries use gillnets,
basically vast walls of netting, to catch the fish
species they can sell, but often other species get
trapped and killed, too. Dying as bycatch is horrible --
since they are mammals, these dolphins drown if
they are tangled in nets and cannot surface to breathe.
The synthetic material can also cut into their flesh and
cause wounds and infection.
Luckily, because this and most
other threats to the dolphins are human created, they
can be fixed by humans too. Regulations, measures, and
policies will make a major difference in the
fight for these dolphins' survival. But that's
only if we can get the right protections for these
vulnerable creatures -- and fast. Sign the petition telling the
NMFS to protect Atlantic humpback dolphins before it's
too
late!
