Trump officials move to dismantle key protection for US endangered species

Bowhead whales in shallow water in the Sea of Okhotsk. Bowhead whales in shallow water in the Sea of Okhotsk. Trump administration Trump officials move to dismantle key protection for US endangered species Fish and Wildlife Service memo calls for change in what it means to ‘take’ an endangered species

Prefer the Guardian on Google More than 1,600 critically imperiled species protected under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) face losing further federal protections following a new reinterpretation of the 1973 law by the Donald Trump administration .

A September 14 memo distributed to Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) field offices by FWS director Brian Nesvik calls for a reinterpretation of what it means to “take” an endangered species. Under the ESA , “take” is defined as “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct”.