WASHINGTON, September 26, 2016 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service finalized new rules today that restrict the ability of ordinary citizens, scientists and public-interest organizations to obtain Endangered Species Act protections for species on the brink of extinction. The new rules eliminate the ability of the public to submit multispecies petitions and require that 30 days prior to submitting a petition, the petitioner must notify every state where an...

Conservation groups today filed a notice of intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect endangered whales from mile-long drift gillnets and strings of sablefish pots off the West Coast. After two years of record reports of whales entangled in fishing gear off the West Coast — more than 60 in 2015 alone — 40 whales were reportedly entangled as of June 30, putting 2016 on pace to break records again. New information indicates that one humpback whale population that migrates f...

A new study by scientists from the University of Miami has found high concentrations of toxins linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease in the fins and muscles of 10 species of sharks....

SACRAMENTO, Calif., August 25, 2016 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced designation of 1,812,164 acres of protected “critical habitat” throughout the Sierra Nevada mountains for several endangered amphibians: the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, Yosemite toad and northern population of the mountain yellow-legged frog. The vast majority of the critical habitat for these amphibians is on federal public lands in national forests and national parks....

OAKLAND, Calif., August 15, 2016 — The Resource Renewal Institute, Center for Biological Diversity and Western Watersheds Project filed for a preliminary injunction in federal court Friday to block the National Park Service from pursuing a ranching expansion and elk-removal plan until the agency updates the park’s “general management plan” and assesses the environmental impacts of commercial dairy and cattle grazing at Point Reyes National Seashore....

TUCSON, Ariz., July 29, 2016 — In an important development in the effort to save America’s only known jaguar, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Los Angeles regional office has recommended denial of an essential permit for the proposed Rosemont copper mine in southern Arizona. The denial recommendation was forwarded this week to the Corps’ San Francisco office, which has said it will issue a final decision within six months. The massive open pit copper mine would destroy thousands of acres of ...

Olympia, WA, June 10, 2016 – Today the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to maintain killer whales on the state’s Endangered Species List. This vote follows the recommendation of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists who prepared a detailed review of the status of Washington’s southern resident killer whales. Oceana commends the Commission for its decision given the dire situation. Only eighty-three killer whales remain in the southern resident populati...

May 20, 2016 - The Humane Society of the United States applauds a settlement agreement that will effectively end the abuse of animals by Santa Cruz Biotechnology. The agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is the largest civil penalty in the 50-year history of the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act....

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2016 — Biodiversity is essential to maintaining the health of our oceans in the face of climate change and ensuring an adequate supply of the fish that billions of people around the world rely on for protein, particularly in developing countries. That’s the conclusion of important new research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study suggests that maintaining biodiversity by reducing overfishing in reef ecosystems is crucial not onl...

WASHINGTON, April 7th, 2016 — Today the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a proposed rule that would hold organic livestock producers to a high standard of care for rearing food animals. Animal welfare and public health advocates say the move is a good first step toward ensuring that USDA certified organic meat and poultry products live up to the integrity and the intention of the national organic standards....