Mammal Species Protected Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) - Office of Protected Resources

Marine Mammal Species Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

List of Mammal Species under NMFS' Jurisdiction
(E = "endangered"; T = "threatened"; F = "foreign"; n/a = not applicable*)

Species	Year Listed	Status	Critical Habitat *	Recovery Plan *
Marine Mammals (21 listed "species") Manatees and sea otters are also listed under the ESA, but fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
*Cetaceans*
blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)	1970	E	n/a	final
bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)	1970	E	n/a	no
Chinese River dolphin / baiji (Lipotes vexillifer)	1989	E (F)	n/a	n/a
fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)	1970	E	n/a	draft
gray whale (1 listed DPS) (Eschrichtius robustus)
Western North Pacific	1970	E	n/a	no
Gulf of California harbor porpoise / vaquita (Phocoena sinus)	1985	E (F)	n/a	n/a
humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)	1970	E	n/a	final
Indus River dolphin (Platanista minor)	1991	E (F)	n/a	n/a
killer whale (1 listed DPS) (Orcinus orca)
Southern Resident	2005	E	final	final
North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) original listing as "northern right whale" -	2008 1970	E E	final	final
North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) original listing as "northern right whale" -	2008 1970	E E	final	final
sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis)	1970	E	n/a	no
Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis)	1970	E (F)	n/a	n/a
sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)	1970	E	n/a	draft
*Pinnipeds*
Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis)	1979	E	n/a	no
Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi)	1985	T (F)	n/a	n/a
Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi)	1976	E	final	final
Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)	1970	E (F)	n/a	n/a
Saimaa seal (Phoca hispida saimensis)	1993	E (F)	n/a	n/a
Steller sea lion (2 listed DPSs) (Eumetopias jubatus)
Eastern	1990	T	final	final
Western original listing -	1997 1990	E T	final	final

* NOTE: Critical habitat and recovery plans are not required for foreign species; critical habitat is also not required for species listed prior to the 1978 ESA amendments that added critical habitat provisions.

Endangered and Threatened Marine Species