Recreational and commercial boaters are often the first to spot and report entangled whales off the West Coast, and The Nature Conservancy and NOAA Fisheries have developed a new online training course to prepare them for such an event.
The Task Force recommendations supplement and complement NOAA Fisheries’ 2008 Recovery Plan for Southern Residents with thoughtful and effective actions that address the three main threats to the whales.
California sea lions documented as repeatedly preying on threatened salmon and steelhead near Willamette Falls on the Willamette River can be removed and euthanized.
Winding side channels and other habitat improvements can help recover salmon, making them less vulnerable to flooding or other extreme conditions associated with climate change.
NOAA’s California Veterans Corps program, providing post-9/11 veterans with opportunities to protect fisheries resources, is now engaged in restoring abalone along the California coast.
