3.10 Marine Species
Te NC Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) is responsible for the stewardship of the state’s marine and estuarine fsheries resources. NCDMF jurisdiction encompasses all coastal waters and extends to three miles ofshore. Te agency actively participates in federal and regional management of migratory species by providing technical guidance, assisting with coastwide or regional fshery management issues, and working cooperatively with other state and federal agencies. 3.10.4 Conservation Concerns NOAA Fisheries grants at-risk marine mammal species a variety of protection levels under the ESA and the MMPA. Among these are endangered status, threatened status, and depleted status. Under the MMPA, a species is designated as depleted when it falls below its optimum sustainable population. Once a species has been designated as depleted, a conservation plan is developed to guide research and management actions to restore the health of the species. Some federally protected species, such as sea turtles, receive signifcant attention when nesting on our beaches, but the majority of their lives are spent at sea. Tere is great need to continue cooperative eforts among regulatory and management agencies to expand our understanding of and protection for those species. Designation as a Federal Species of Concern (FSC) carries no legal protection status under ESA. Only those species that are being actively considered a Candidate species for listing are protected under the ESA. Similar levels of federal and state listings such as MMPA Depleted or the state Signifcantly Rare (SR) designation indicate conservation concern for marine species (NCNHP). Musick et al. (2000) identifed marine, estuarine, and diadromous fsh stocks at risk of extinction in North America. While the North Carolina coast is not an identifed “hotspot” for species at risk, our coastal waters fall within the potential range of 17 species listed in the publication, 7 of which do not carry any listing status. Table 3.30 provides a list of marine species for which there are other listing status desig- nations and those which are considered “at risk” species whose current or historical range includes North Carolina coastal or ofshore waters. Some of the species discussed above may also be found in estuarine or inland waters (e.g., Diamondback Terrapin, West Indian Manatee, anadromous fsh) or on North Carolina beaches (e.g., sea turtles). Others not directly mentioned above may also use marine or estuarine environments (e.g., beach-nesting birds). For those typically marine species that are also associated with coastal estuaries and beaches or that travel into inland waters, we
157
2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online