New federal rule protects southern resident orcas down coast

BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) — A new federal rule expands protected habitat for the endangered southern resident orcas down the West Coast. The Center for Biological Diversity pushed for the protections, which designate 15,910 square miles of habitat for wildlife. The new protections expand those in the Salish Sea and along the coasts of Washington and Oregon, down to California’s Point Sur. More foraging areas, river mouths and migratory routes are protected now, which are added to current protected areas. The rule follows a 2019 court-ordered agreement achieved after the center sued the Trump administration for failing to issue habitat protections required by the Endangered Species Act.