The U.S. government is debating the renewal of the Endangered Species Act, and critics cite the low number of “recovered” species as proof that the Act doesn’t work. But researchers say that the recovery of the short-nosed sturgeon, which lives in rivers on the Atlantic Coast, demonstrates the effectiveness of the law. In New York’s Hudson River, numbers of the long-lived fish have quadrupled since the population was last studied in the 1970′s. Because of their listing under the Endangered Species Act, short-nosed sturgeon have been protected for 40 years from fishing and habitat loss, which the scientists say contributed to their recovery.
Source: M.B. Bain et al. (2007) Recovery of a US Endangered Fish. PLoS ONE 2(1):e168.
Eve is a freelance writer and editor based in Vancouver, BC. She has worked for High Country News, Conservation magazine, Environmental Practice, Island Press, and several political clients. She has a Master's degree in Environmen...
