Agency proposes lifting most humpback whales’ protections

FILE - In this July 9, 2014 file photo, an adult humpback whale breaches in Lynn Canal near Juneau, Alaska. On Monday, April 20, 2015, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries said in a release that it is proposing removing most of the humpback whale population from the Endangered Species Act, announcing that protection and restoration efforts have led to an increase in humpbacks in many areas. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire via AP, file) FILE - In this July 9, 2014 file photo, an adult humpback whale breaches in Lynn Canal near Juneau, Alaska. On Monday, April 20, 2015, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries said in a release that it is proposing removing most of the humpback whale population from the Endangered Species Act, announcing that protection and restoration efforts have led to an increase in humpbacks in many areas. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire via AP, file)

By Associated Press April 20, 2015 2 min read

HONOLULU (AP) – The federal government on Monday proposed removing most of the world’s humpback whale population from the endangered species list, saying they have rebounded after 45 years of protections.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries wants to reclassify humpbacks into 14 distinct populations, and remove 10 of those from the list.

“As we learn more about the species – and realize the populations are largely independent of each other – managing them separately allows us to focus protection on the animals that need it the most,” Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries, said in a statement.

Humpbacks were listed as endangered in 1970, four years after the International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling.

The whales have rebounded in the North Pacific since the listing, which requires federal approval for federally funded or authorized activities that could harm whales or their habitat.