WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service today to protect the cusk fish under the Endangered Species Act. The cusk is a long-lived bottom-dwelling marine fish that lives in the North Atlantic Ocean and is primarily threatened by habitat loss and by being accidentally caught in fishing nets aimed at other species.

“These poor fish have been overlooked and neglected as their population has taken a nosedive,” said David Derrick, a staff attorney at the Center. “It’ll take the Endangered Species Act’s strong protections to stop the overfishing and habitat degradation putting the cusk’s existence at risk. We owe it to the cusk and the ocean ecosystem to make that effort.”

Cusk live in the North Atlantic, primarily off the coast of Maine and Massachusetts in the United States, and into the waters of eastern Canada and Northern Europe. They rely on seafloor areas at depths of 500 to 1,500 feet with features such as rocks, ledges and coral reefs for shelter and feeding.

Surveys show that the cusk’s population has declined by 75%-95% in several areas over the past few decades. Groundfish fisheries targeting other species can ensnare cusk as bycatch, and fishing gear that touches the ocean floor can damage their habitat.

Climate change is also warming water temperatures in cusk habitat, which scientists believe will shrink their range. The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the world’s oceans.

Cusk live up to 39 years but reach sexual maturity slowly, at around 5 to 10 years for females, making recovery difficult. The fish are also sedentary and solitary, which adds to the challenge of re-populating an area.

“It’s hard to know everything about cusk, since they live in secluded corners of the seafloor,” Derrick said. “But everything we do know says they’re in trouble if we don’t act now.”