Atka mackerel and Pacific cod fisheries in far western Alaska should close so that endangered sea lions can get enough to eat, according to scientists at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
A report by the federal agency said current fishing practices do not appear to be affecting endangered whales but that is not the case with Steller sea lions, whose numbers have declined dramatically.
About 45,000 sea lions lived on the western Aleutian Islands in 2008, compared with perhaps 250,000 in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were listed as endangered in 1997 under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Fishermen harvest more than 1.8 million tonnes of fish from the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska each year. Most of the world's sea lions live along Alaska's vast coastline.
In the 800-page draft biological opinion, NMFS scientists recommend closing the Atka mackerel and Pacific cod fisheries in the western Aleutians. These two species are the most prominent food source for western Alaska sea lions.
The report also suggested less stringent measures for the central Aleutians, including fishery closures in the vicinity of sea lion rookeries and areas where the marine mammals rest.
The Bering Sea pollock fishery — the largest fishery by volume in the US — will remain unchanged under the plan.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is expected to review the draft biological opinion at a special meeting to be held in Anchorage in mid-August.
The public comment period closes 27 August. The recommendations could go into effect at the start of next year.
[Source: AP]
