Remember Martha: Prevent Extinction
Image Credit: lakecountyhistory.blogspot.com
September 1 is a sad day for many conservationists around the world.
This year marks the 100th year anniversary of Martha, the last passenger pigeon, who lived most of her life in a captive breeding program at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Martha’s case is sad and incredible at the same time, because 100 years ago, the passenger pigeon population in North America was around 5 billion. How did so many die?
With no regulations to keep them in check, commercial hunters dwindled down the passenger pigeon population. Passenger pigeons relied on forests for all aspects of life, from food to a place to sleep. When huge chunks of these forests were cut down, passenger pigeons had a more difficult time surviving.
Martha’s death promoted the realization that humans have a direct and often dangerous involvement in animal species extinction. The extinction of the passenger pigeons brought many regulations that reduced and then wiped out hunting commercially. But have we learned our lesson?
In our oceans, we are having the same problem with species of fish that were once so plentiful.
For example, off the Pacific Coast, the numbers of salmon are down from what used to be as many as 10 billion. While salmon fishing for sport and commercial purposes is highly regulated, salmon are still struggling due to the constantly declining conditions of our rivers and streams.
Just like passenger pigeons, our demands for natural resources are having an impact on the salmon population. Our growing demand for water leaves less water for salmon to swim in every day.
But there is still hope for salmon and all of our ocean’s creatures. If we work hard to keep our oceans and other natural waterways healthy, we can keep our fish populations plentiful for years to come.
