As with many declining species, relatively little is known of the mouse's biology.
Studies have found that even declining species can quickly recover if fisheries are managed well.
Another authority, Dr. John Glaister, fisheries adviser to Barrier Reef officials, said some declining species warrant protection.
Only certain rare and declining species, such as the high brown fritillary and the swallowtail, are protected by law.
The geographic ranges of the four declining species shrank by 23 87% from those based on historical records.
As well as the usual predators, every August these declining species have had to fend off another ravenous monster: the hedge-trimmer.
Moreover, fishing regulators, who helped finance the net, consider it an economically and environmentally promising alternative for an industry facing restrictions on more and more declining species.
Even the group from Wrangel Island, which was once on the Soviet Union's "red list" of declining species, has doubled in size in the last 20 years.
We have caused a rise in urban populations of seagulls (mostly herring gulls, a declining species and conservation priority) because we have removed fish from the sea, cleaned up landfill sites and built brilliant artificial nests known as chimney stacks.
A program, organized by the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation in Florida, has the potential to revive the mountain bongo and give hope to scientists trying to save declining species.
Research suggests that a Barrage would also reinvigorate the environment and protect declining species such as the Dunlin, an iconic bird in the Severn which has experienced a catastrophic fall in numbers.
