Species Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

	ESA Fact Sheet
	How Does the ESA Define "Species"? The term "species" under the ESA includes species, subspecies, and, for vertebrates only, "distinct population segments (DPSs)". Pacific salmon are listed as "evolutionarily significant units (ESUs)", which are essentially equivalent to DPSs for the purpose of the ESA.

Overview
NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) share responsibility for implementing the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

There are approximately 2,015 species listed under the ESA. Of these species, approximately 1,400 are found in part or entirely in the U.S. and its waters; the remainder are foreign species.

Generally, USFWS manages land and freshwater species, while NMFS manages marine and "anadromous" species. NMFS has jurisdiction over 87 listed species (see links below).

The ESA requires NMFS to designate critical habitat and to develop and implement recovery plans for threatened and endangered species.

For more information on the ESA, see our ESA Fact Sheet [pdf] and the special edition of the Fish and Wildlife Service's Endangered Species Bulletin Highlights Marine and Anadromous Species [pdf].

Endangered and Threatened Marine Species

• Overview / How Does the ESA Define "Species"?
• Marine Mammals
• Marine Turtles
• Marine & Anadromous Fish
• Marine Invertebrates & Plants
• Candidate Species
• Marine Species Proposed for Listing
• Delisted Marine Species
• Printer-Friendly Species List [pdf]

Updated: July 2, 2012