The one-year deadline for a decision on a relisting proposal passed, and NMFS failed to act. With the sea lions' fate mired in agency inertia, the months ticked on. CMC kept up the pressure, firing off a firm letter giving notice of our intent to sue. As a result, NMFS ended months of delay and announced the reclassification. In recent decades, however, plummeting populations of some animals have sounded an alarm.
Economic concerns are clear.
Alaska's groundfish catch has accounted for approximately 11 percent of all groundfish harvests worldwide and for 31.5 percent of the total finfish harvest from the 200-mile limit of U.S. waters. Ecological issues are murkier. Some species are in a tailspin, others are stable or booming, and scientists are not entirely sure why. After addressing such questions, workshop participants will develop recommendations on management strategies for the entire Bering Sea ecosystem, and we will carry those findings forward into the policy arena. Through the three-year Alaska Seas Campaign, we will strive to solve problems before they become crises.