NOAA’s Fisheries Service says changes are needed to the areas where commercial fishermen may fish for groundfish off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands to further promote the recovery of the western population of Steller sea lions, and to be in compliance with the Endangered Species Act.
That’s the conclusion of the draft 2010 Groundfish Biological Opinion, released this week by the agency’s Alaska region. The document addresses possible effects of current management practices for groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska on endangered species, including North Pacific humpback and sperm whales and the western Aleutian Island sub-population of Steller sea lions. Fishers harvest more than 4 billion pounds of fish from the area each year.
Although scientists found that current fishing practices are unlikely to impact the endangered whale populations, such is not the case with Steller sea lions. The greatest concern is in fishery management area 543 in the western Aleutians. From 2000-2008, adult numbers declined 45 percent in this sub-region. Pup production declined 43 percent, making the ratio of pups to adult females on rookeries in this sub-region the lowest in the entire western Steller sea lion population. This continued low birth rate is an indicator of lack of food to sustain the population.
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