夏威夷偽虎鯨現今在野外只有不到170隻，17日美國國家海洋漁業局提案，建議依據聯邦瀕危物種法將偽虎鯨列入瀕危名單。這項提案，也可說是回應保育團體自然資源保護委員會(NRDC)2009年10月提出的請願。
「鯨魚的生存受到威脅，包括食物來源逐漸流失、遭漁線勾住的風險、毒素在體內累積的速度已超過負荷等等。保護他們就像保護非凡的夏威夷群島海洋環境一樣，將是條漫長的路。」NRDC海洋哺乳動物計畫政策分析師亞斯尼(Michael Jasny)如此表示。
夏威夷偽虎鯨(Pseudorca crassidens)屬於海豚科。雌鯨可長到15英尺，而雄鯨可達20英尺，體重可達1500磅。
偽虎鯨是喜歡開放水域深海的遠洋動物，地球上所有所有熱帶和溫水海域都有牠們的蹤跡，但夏威夷沿海的族群，是唯一居住在臨近陸地的物種。NRDC 指出，「這不僅代表這個族群的特殊，也代表著夏威夷水域對於海洋哺乳動物具有很重要的生物特性。」
美國國家海洋漁業局8月公布一項分析報告，過去25年來，基因獨特數量稀少的夏威夷族群一直在減少，而現在則處於「不論是隨著時間而來的小規模衝擊，或是單一災難事件，這個族群都是處於滅絕的高風險境地。」
偽虎鯨在夏威夷的領域是從夏威夷主群島延伸往外87英里，而其核心區域則在離海岸25英里處。NRDC表示，據研究，夏威夷偽虎鯨會建立長期夥伴關係，有時長達20年。
「但只有46隻夏威夷偽虎鯨具有繁殖力。當可繁殖族群數量小於50隻時，所生的後代很容易有遺傳缺陷。」漁業局在提案書上寫著。
NRDC表示，偽虎鯨的主食是魚和烏賊，屬於生物鏈最高層捕食者，為取信於他們的伙伴，會在牠吃下獵物之前，互相來回傳遞獵物，因而出現獨特的獵食行為。
海洋漁業局指出，該局進行的同儕審查研究，已確定了影響該物種生存的29個威脅，例如，數量少、被魚鉤勾住或遭魚網纏住。
若列入瀕危物種名錄，政府必須確認該族群重要棲息地、確保政府活動不會危及其生存，並要準備復育計畫，讓該物種脫離瀕絕邊緣恢復。
今年1月，包括夏威夷延繩釣漁業界、保育組織、研究人員和政府機構組成的減低傷害團隊，他們達成共識協議出計畫草案，要減少夏威夷的延繩釣漁船對偽虎鯨影響。
草案中的建議包括改善漁具，讓船長和船員受訓以學會替鯨魚除去纏身的漁網，並設立為期一年的北方海域禁捕區。
Fewer than 170 Hawaiian false killer whales remain in the wild and today the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed to list the marine mammal as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The agency made the proposal in response to an October 2009 petition to list the population from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
"The whales are losing their food, getting hooked on fishing lines and accumulating toxins at a rate that threatens their survival," said Michael Jasny, senior policy analyst of NRDC's Marine Mammal Project. "Protecting them will go a long way towards protecting the extraordinary marine environment of the Hawaiian Islands."
Hawaiian false killer whales, Pseudorca crassidens, are large members of the dolphin family. Females can grow up to 15 feet and males can reach 20 feet and weigh up to 1,500 pounds.
They are pelagic animals that tend to prefer deep, open water. They are found in all tropical and warm-temperate oceans of the world, but the Hawaiian inshore population is the only one of the entire species known to make its home near land. "This indicates not only the uniqueness of the population, but also the biological importance of Hawaiian waters as an oasis for marine mammals," the NRDC said today.
An analysis published by the National Marine Fisheries Service in August, concludes that the small and genetically distinct Hawaiian population has declined over the last 25 years and now stands "at a high risk of extinction as a result of either small scale incremental impacts over time or a single catastrophic event."
The range of the Hawaiian false killer whale population range extends 87 miles from the main Hawaiian Islands, with its core in the area from shore to 25 miles out.
Research shows that Hawaiian false killer whales establish long-term bonds within their species, sometimes mating for up to 20 years, says the NRDC.
But only 46 of the Hawaiian false killer whales are capable of breeding, the Fisheries Service said today. "Animals' offspring can be prone to genetic defects when their breeding population size falls to about 50 individuals," the agency said in its listing proposal.
Top predators, feeding off fish and squid, these false killer whales display unique feeding habits that promote trust among members of their pod by passing prey back and forth with fellow hunting partners before consuming the catch, said the NRDC.
The Fisheries Service said its peer-reviewed analysis has identified 29 threats to the species' survival, such as their small numbers as well as hooking and entanglement of false killer whales in fisheries.
Under the endangered species listing, the government would have to identify critical habitat for the population, ensure that government activities do not jeopardize its survival, and prepare a recovery plan to bring the population back from the brink of extinction.
In January, a take reduction team, with members from the Hawaii longline fishing community, conservation organizations, researchers and government agencies, reached consensus agreement on a draft plan intended to reduce false killer whale interactions in the Hawaii-based longline fleet.
Their recommendations included gear modifications, disentanglement training for the captain and crew and the establishment of a year round Northern exclusion zone.
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