A September 14 memo from Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik instructs staff to only enforce ESA prohibitions when an action specifically intends to target an animal, exempting incidental deaths like a ship striking a whale or a tree-felling that kills roosting bats. This follows an earlier 2024 rule change that removed habitat destruction from the ESA's definition of harm, which officials said was meant to reduce costs for landowners.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-22
NOAA has released new agency-wide priorities framed as cutting red tape and boosting fishing communities, following Trump's April executive order on seafood competitiveness. The plan includes opening marine national monuments to commercial fishing, narrowing critical habitat protections, and loosening scientific standards that have guided fisheries management for decades.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-09
A study led by Michigan fisheries scientist Ed Baker analyzed over 40 years of catch-and-recapture data on lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes, concluding that some individuals could be as old as 400 years — far beyond previous estimates of around 150 years. Despite their remarkable lifespans, lake sturgeon populations remain endangered in the region, having been decimated by overfishing and habitat destruction over the past century.
cbc.ca
· 2026-09-09
President Trump has signed an executive order directing the removal of gray wolves from the federal endangered species list. The move follows a similar delisting attempt in 2022 that was ultimately blocked after becoming entangled in court challenges. Conservation groups have already signaled they plan to pursue litigation again once the Department of Interior implements the order.
bbc.com
· 2026-09-06
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