10/16/2026
From WABE News: “The federal administration has reinterpreted the definition of ‘take,’ limiting it to instances of intentional killing of an endangered species,” claiming the changes will “correct past overreach.”
What it really spells out is the accelerated demise of critically endangered species—including the North Atlantic right whale.
The memo about this change from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service specifically referenced right whales, saying, "A vessel that inadvertently strikes a whale has not taken it, because the vessel’s course was not set against the whale."
Whether the vessel that strikes the whale aims for the creature or not, "incidental takes" remain one of the primary causes of death, and this change removes any incentive to reduce the frequency and severity of vessel strikes. For an already vulnerable species, with less than 380 whales left on the planet, such a change could mean extinction.
“Right whales don't have two years or four years or six years” to wait for a new president or Congress to restore their protections,” said Delcianna Winders, director of the Animal Law and Policy Institute at Vermont Law and Graduate School. “This is going to impact them immediately.”
And not just North Atlantic right whales—iconic Georgia species like loggerhead sea turtles, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and eastern hellbender salamanders (just to name a few) will also feel the impact.
Read more from WABE News 👇
Three iconic Georgia species may be at risk as the Trump administration weakens the regulatory framework that has kept them afloat.
