endangered species

Portland's Gulf of Maine Research Institute has designed a trawl net that aims to target species that can still be profitable while avoiding cod.

Fishermen Team Up With Scientists To Make A More Selective Net

4:32pm December 13, 2016

by Fred Bever

A trawling experiment in the Gulf of Maine aims to scoop up abundant and profitable flatfish, while bypassing the once plentiful but now depleted cod population. So far, the results are promising.

Pangolin, The 'Artichoke With Legs,' Earns Top Trade Protection

3:45pm September 28, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

World leaders at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species agreed to ban all commercial trade in pangolins, small and endangered mammals that also resemble aardvarks.

Science

Most Humpback Whales Taken Off Endangered Species List

2:11pm September 07, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The National Marine Fisheries Service says nine of the 14 distinct populations of humpback whales have recovered enough that they no longer need to be considered endangered.

After a 77 percent population decline, the Grauer's gorilla is now on the critically endangered species list.

World's Largest Ape Listed As Critically Endangered; Pandas Upgraded To 'Vulnerable'

7:43pm September 04, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Giant panda populations have risen, thanks to forest protections. But populations of Grauer's gorilla total only around 3,800 individuals — a 77 percent reduction — according to a recent survey.

A rhino wakes up after its horn was trimmed at John Hume's Rhino Ranch in Klerksdorp, South Africa, on Feb. 3. South Africa's highest court is preparing to decide whether to uphold the country's domestic ban on trading rhino horn. John Hume is a private r

If South Africa Lifts The Ban On Trading Rhino Horns, Will Rhinos Benefit?

6:38am August 06, 2016

by Peter Granitz

South Africa may lift a ban on the domestic trade of rhino horn. Rhino farmers say the moratorium hasn't stopped poaching, while critics say ending the ban amounts to an OK of illegal smuggling.

Tuna are arranged prior to the first auction of the year at Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo in January.

Should Pacific Bluefin Tuna Be Listed As An Endangered Species?

11:42am June 29, 2016

by Alastair Bland

Environmental groups have asked the U.S. to give the prized fish protection under the Endangered Species Act. Some scientists and activists say the chances are slim but the action is long overdue.

Scientists in California are turning to big data to help save the red-legged frog, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Using Algorithms To Catch The Sounds Of Endangered Frogs

5:16pm May 29, 2016

by Sam Harnett

Scientists are turning to big data to try to save California's state amphibian. They're using software to comb through hours of recordings to find the red-legged frogs that remain.

Biologists hoping to bring endangered whooping cranes back from the brink started an experimental flock in 1967 at the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md.

To Make A Wild Comeback, Cranes Need More Than Flying Lessons

6:26pm March 02, 2016

by Christopher Joyce

The 15-year project wasn't a flight of fancy. Biologists used a plane to successfully teach many young, captive-bred whooping cranes to migrate cross-country. But the birds aren't reproducing well.

Green when young, and about the size of an adult human's hand when full-grown, Dryococelus australis is more commonly known as the Lord Howe Island stick insect, or the tree lobster.

Love Giant Insects? Meet The Tree Lobster, Back From The Brink

2:33pm February 11, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The 8-inch insect nearly went extinct when hungry rats overran its island. But Melbourne scientists found a few in 2001 and started a thriving colony. Now the San Diego Zoo is hatching them, too.

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Bull trout are running out of time in Montana as their traditional waters heat up, biologists say. By moving more than 100 fish to higher elevations, fisheries scientists hope to save the species by seeding a new population in waters that will stay cooler

Scientists Try Radical Move To Save Bull Trout From A Warming Climate

7:46pm October 08, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Bull trout are dwindling in Montana as their home waters warm and invasive fish devour them. Scooping up threatened fish and moving them higher up the mountain could backfire. Is the risk worth it?

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