Decline emphasizes need to list the knot under the
Endangered Species Act and implement stronger protections at key U.S.
stopover.
Scientists released a report announcing that a decrease of at least 5,000 Red Knots was
observed at key wintering grounds in Tierra del Fuego, Chile from the
previous year. Scientists reported population counts of wintering knots
in other locations declined as well. The estimated current total
population for the migratory shorebird is now unlikely to be more than
25,000.
The decline in Red Knot numbers elevates the importance of
implementing stronger protections at Delaware Bay, a key U.S. stopover
where migrating knots depend on an abundant supply of horseshoe crab
eggs to fuel the final leg of their migration to breeding grounds in
the Canadian Arctic.
The scientists’ report concludes that despite horseshoe crab
harvest restrictions put in place by the Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission over the past decade “there is still no evidence
of recovery of the horseshoe crab population, either in numbers of
spawning females or in all sub-adult age groups including juveniles.”
Restrictions to date have only been enough to stop the population from
declining further, are insufficient to recover the population and will
continue to be insufficient unless the harvest is greatly reduced.
WASHINGTON – Conservation groups are calling on the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS) to take immediate steps to list the Red Knot
under the Endangered Species Act. A listing would initiate the
development of a recovery plan and require federal agencies whose
actions affect Red Knot to consult with the FWS. A listing would also
require the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, housed under
the National Marine Fisheries Service, to consult with the FWS on the
regulations it establishes for the horseshoe crab fishery. The
following are statements from groups pursuing an endangered species
listing:
“This year’s huge decline in wintering red knots provides clear
evidence that the status quo is not working. Unless action is taken
now, Red Knots may be on an irreversible slide to extinction,” said Bob Irvin, senior vice president for conservation programs at Defenders of Wildlife.
“The U.S. has a responsibility to the global community to protect this
migratory shorebird, which stops along our coast to rest and feed
while making one of the longest migrations in nature, from the tip of
South America to the Arctic.”
“The bad news demands we redouble our efforts to rebuild the horseshoe crab population of Delaware Bay,” said Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society.
“A listing of the Red Knot under the ESA will allow for management of
the horseshoe crab population to be directed toward recovery of the
shorebird populations, and not simply the local fishing interests. We
urge the USFWS to make this a priority.”
“Until recently, the Delaware Bay resplendent with spawning
horseshoe crabs and over a million shorebirds was the land of plenty –
our Serengeti,” said Eric Stiles, vice president for Conservation and Stewardship for New Jersey Audubon Society.
“The Red Knot is one of the shorebirds whose very existence is
teetering on the brink of survival. Unlike special interest naysayers,
we have full faith in the Endangered Species Act. Only through listing
will the robin-sized, chestnut colored shorebird be enjoyed by future
generations.”
“The decline of the shorebirds and the horseshoe crabs that sustain
them is not speculation; it is a proven reality documented by science
and history. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Counsel, among those
charged with protecting the species, has ignored the science and the
harm in order to assuage their political allies. In the absence of
strong and earnest action from the ASMFC, we need strong action from
our states. While New Jersey has taken that strong action to protect
the crabs and the birds, Delaware's actions leave a lot to be desired
when the politics heats up,” said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper.
“The Rufa Red Knot, which once darkened the skies during their
migration, now stands on the very knife-edge of extinction. The states
along the east coast, with the exception of New Jersey, dithered for
decades and now the only way to save this subspecies is for the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service to place it on the Endangered Species List.
With this new report, it is clear that if the federal government
doesn’t act soon, the next generation of Americans will never see this
amazing long-distance migrant. People who want to see this bird in the
wild best make plans in the near future because the way things are
going, it will be gone sooner rather than later,” said Darin Schroeder, vice president for Conservation Advocacy for ABC.
“A population decline this large and this rapid is almost unequalled in our lifetime,” said Greg Butcher, director of Bird Conservation for National Audubon Society.
“Surely such a bird requires the immediate protection of the
Endangered Species Act and needs to be a top conservation priority for
all of us.”
"It's simple, to halt this decline and imminent extinction, we must
list the red knot now and view all shorebird protection through the
same lens," said Margaret O'Gorman, executive director for Conserve Wildlife Foundation.