TRENTON, NJ– New Jersey on Monday proposed removing the bald eagle from the endangered species list, citing a recovery since more than four decades ago, when a single breeding pair in a remote county was the only one of its kind in the state.
The turnaround comes from the work of volunteers and state professionals who cared for hatchlings, monitored nests and educated the public, state Environmental Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said in a statement. The proposed rule to delist the bald eagle as endangered also includes the osprey, which was listed as endangered.
The proposal means that the bald eagle, a national symbol of the United States, and the osprey have recovered to the point where the species’ survival is no longer at risk, the department said.
“The delisting of eagles and ospreys is a milestone in the history of conservation in New Jersey,” LaTourette said.
The federal government removed the bald eagle from the endangered species list in 2007. New Jersey kept the bird on its state list due to nest disturbances and habitat threats.
The use of the insecticide DDT and habitat destruction played a major role in the birds’ decline. The chemical had “lasting effects on the food chain” because it was ingested by the fish that the eagles and ospreys ate, causing the shells of the eggs to become too thin. It was banned for general use in 1972.
In 2023, there were 267 breeding pairs of bald eagles in every New Jersey county. More than one pair occurred in southern Cumberland County in the early 1980s, according to the department.
New Jersey began trying to reverse the decline in the early 1980s by bringing in eagles from Canada, along with artificial incubation and breeding efforts, the department said.
Ospreys, also called fish hawks, are usually found along the coastline. They too were hit hard by DDT, with the number of osprey nests dropping to about 50 fifty years ago. In 2023, the state documented a record 800 occupied osprey nests.
The proposed rule is open for public comment until August 2.
