Public Input Sought on Recovery Plan for Endangered Cook Inlet Belugas
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Alaska Dispatch] By Megan Edge - May 15, 2015
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking for public input on a new plan the agency hopes could eventually take Cook Inlet beluga whales off the endangered species list.
The new plan addresses 10 potential threats to the species' population. Natural disasters, oil spills and mass strandings are considered “threats of high relative concern,” NOAA said.
The plan recommends more than two dozen "implementation actions" to assist in the belugas' recovery, which include continued monitoring of the whales, creation of a "Cook Inlet Beluga Recovery Coordinator" position and assessing the impacts of things like disease and habitat changes on the belugas.
“The draft plan also sets the criteria that would need to be met to reclassify...
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