Meetings will address proposed Arctic ringed seal protections in Bering, Chukchi, Beaufort Seas
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] Jauary 13, 2015
NMFS has planned five public hearings across Alaska to discuss a proposed rule that would establish a critical habitat for Arctic ringed seals in the northern Bering, Chuckchi and Beaufort seas.
According to NMFS the proposal would protect the seals under the Endangered Species Act. Sea ice conditions in the designated areas are essential for ringed seal pupping, nursing, basking and molting NMFS said. Primary prey species to support ringed seals also occur within the proposed critical habitat area.
The primary effect of critical habitat is that federal agencies are required to ensure that the actions they authorize, fund, or carry are not likely to destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. The proposed critical habitat designation would not include any regulatory restrictions on human activities. Designation of critical habitat would not affect subsistence harvest of ringed seals by Alaska Natives...
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