Even from an economic perspective this proposed rule change is horrible. We learn an enormous amount from animals and that knowledge creates enormous economic value.

An example is the horseshoe crab

In 2023, the US Fish and Wildlife Service halted the harvesting of horseshoe crabs in the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina, from March 15 to July 15 to aid their reproduction.[87] This decision was influenced by the importance of horseshoe crab eggs as a food source for migratory birds, the ongoing use of horseshoe crabs for bait, and the use of their blood in medical products.[87] The ban supports the conservation goals of the refuge, spanning 66,000 acres (26,700 hectares) of marshes, beaches, and islands near Charleston.[87]

This estimates the value of horseshoe crabs to the medical research industry at $100M per year (they have special blue blood). And as our technology improves we are always learning more from animals, so we don’t know which animals will give us our next billion dollar industry. The cost of extinction to future generations is literally infinite.