In mid-November federal fishery scientists will unveil a draft biological opinion on proposed changes to rules for fishing fleets in parts of the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea.
When Western Alaska stocks of Steller sea lions were listed as a threatened species in 1990, fleets were barred from dropping their nets and hooks from three to up to 20 miles from haulouts, rookeries or other critical habitat for sea lions. By law, managers were required to craft a plan to aid in the animals' recovery.
The draft opinion will incorporate all new research from the past five years, said Doug DeMaster, director of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Juneau.
"Overall, the numbers from 2000 to 2008 show there is not a strong trend, and in fact, there is the appearance of a sea lion increase. We're waiting for the 2009 census data to make sure we're interpreting that apparent increase correctly," DeMaster said. Based on 2004-2005 data, Alaska has about 45,000 western Steller sea lions.
"Juvenile survival appears to be sufficiently high, as well as adult survival," he added. "The factor that seems to be problematic right now is the reproductive rate of adult females at the age of sexual maturity. So it's the reproductive side of the equation that seems to be preventing recovery."
Scientists also are factoring in the role killer whales play in preventing sea lion recovery.
"Most of us have thought for a long time that killer whales and predation is an important source of sea lion mortality," DeMaster said.
That theory gained more credence this month when a tagging study by Oregon State University and Alaska Sea Life Center researchers indicated that four out of five sea lions suffered sudden, traumatic deaths, most likely from killer whales.
Markus Horning, the team leader, admitted that identifying the actual predators is a bit of guesswork, but said only a couple of species are known to prey on sea lions and are common where the five tags went off. He said that "if the proportion of sea lions killed by predation in this study was applied to population models, more than half of the female Steller sea lions would be consumed by predators before they have a chance to reproduce."
Horning called the study a "wake-up call" for managers to begin looking more closely at the role of predation.
The draft biological opinion will be presented to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in December. Any new fishing rules would go into effect in 2010.
Fish bits
Lots of good fish stories get lost in the daily news shuffle. Here's a sampler from last week:
• Alaska salmon ranks as a "super green" seafood on the popular Monterey Bay Aquarium list of best consumer choices. Alaska line-caught cod also made the list. The aquarium has distributed 32 million wallet-size Seafood Watch lists over 10 years.
• Russia's salmon haul this year was the biggest in 100 years, topping 1.2 billion pounds. Blame that for the price slash by half for pink salmon roe from Alaska.
• Researchers at Duke University have unlocked the secret of barnacle "glue." Amazingly, the glue binds together exactly the same way as human blood does when it clots. The scientists hope more research might lead to a non-toxic solution for marine fouling, where barnacles create drag by sticking to boat hulls.
Fish funds
American Seafoods Co. is accepting applications for its Alaska community grants. In early December the company's advisory board will donate $30,000 total to projects that address such issues as hunger relief, housing, education, research and cultural activities. Deadline to apply is Nov. 16. Applications are online at www.americanseafoods.com. Questions? Contact kim.lynch@americanseafoods.com or 206-256-2659.
Laine Welch is a Kodiak-based fisheries journalist. Her Fish Radio programs can be heard on stations around the state. Her information column appears every other Sunday. This material is protected by copyright. For information on reprinting or placing on your Web site or newsletter, contact msfish@alaska.com.
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