NOAA Fisheries News Releases
NEWS RELEASE
February 22, 2011
Julie Speegle, 907-586-7032 w., 907-321-7032 c.
NOAA to hold public hearings on proposed listings of ringed and bearded seals
Bearded seal. Photo: Michael Cameron, NOAA Fisheries National Marine Mammal Laboratory
Juneau, AK — NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service wants your input on the agency’s proposals to list some ringed and bearded seals as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
On December 10, 2010, NOAA published proposed rules to list as threatened under the ESA four subspecies of ringed seals found in the Arctic Ocean, Bering, Okhotsk, and Baltic seas, and Lake Ladoga (Russia); and two distinct population segments of bearded seals found in the Beaufort, Chukchi, East Siberian, and Okhotsk seas. The original 60-day public comment period was extended an additional 45-days, and will end March 25, 2011.
NOAA’s Fisheries Service has received requests for public hearings on this issue. In response, the agency is announcing that public hearings will be held at three locations in Alaska to provide additional opportunities and formats to receive public input.
- Anchorage, AK: March 7, 2011; 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Egan Center (Lower Level)
- Barrow, AK: March 22, 2011; 7-9:30 p.m., Iñupiat Heritage Center
- Nome, AK: Date and time to be announced
Telephone access to the Barrow hearing will be available at the North Slope Borough Teleconferencing Centers in Kaktovik, Wainwright, Point Lay, Point Hope, Nuiqsut, Atqasuk, and Anaktuvuk Pass.
A brief opening presentation on the proposed rules will be provided before accepting public testimony.
Written comments on the proposed rules are being accepted until March 25, 2011.
Submit comments—which should be identified by "RIN 0648-XZ58" for bearded seals and “RIN 0648-XZ59” for ringed seals—to Kaja Brix, Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources, Alaska Region, NMFS, ATTN: Ellen Sebastian, by any one of the following methods:
- Electronic submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal website at: http://www.regulations.gov
- Mail: P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668
- Fax: 907-586-7557
- Hand-deliver to the Federal Building: 709 West 9th Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK
The proposed rules, status review reports, and other materials relating to the proposed rules can be found at: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/protectedresources/seals/ice.htm.
NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Visit us at http://www.noaa.gov or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/usnoaagov.
To learn more about NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, visit alaskafisheries.noaa.gov or: www.afsc.noaa.gov.
