A line in the North Pacific divides the Steller sea lion population into eastern and western "distinct population segments."This just in from the National Marine Fisheries Service:
April 18, 2012
NOAA proposes removing eastern Steller sea lions from endangered species list; agency seeks public comment
JUNEAU — NOAA is proposing to remove the eastern Steller sea lion, currently deemed "threatened," from the list of endangered wildlife, after a status review by its biologists found the species is recovering sufficiently.
"This proposal reflects the continued recovery of the eastern population of Steller sea lions and the strong conservation partnership among NOAA Fisheries, the states, the fishing industry, and other stakeholders," said NOAA's Fisheries Service Alaska Regional Administrator Jim Balsiger.
More here.
3 comments:
i guess all the eastern sealions that swam west are now swimming back east!so be prepared for the western sealions to be labled indangered.give us a break!!
Tim Smith said... all the empirical evidence to date points to only one cause for the rebound of the Eastern SSLs... and that is that the fishery down there isn't under the purview of CDQ management like on the Norton Sound. Only an idiot wouldn't be able to arrive at that conclusion!
Tim
I actually agree with you on much of what you say but there are many reasons why your CDQ/rebound of the sea lion theory doesn't fly.
1 No trawlers in southeast, meaning less competition for food.
2.No SSL bycatch mortality, remember the 100 dead animals in a codend during the shelikof strait joint ventures.
3. No trawl/processor reps on the NPFMC from southeast inflating quotas and generally giving away the farm.
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