Two types of ice seals joined
polar bears on Friday on the list of species threatened by the loss of
sea ice, which scientists say reached record low levels this year due to climate warming.
Ringed seals, the main prey of polar bears, and
bearded seals in the Arctic Ocean will be listed as threatened under
the Endangered Species Act, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced.
A species is threatened if it's likely to become endangered within
the foreseeable future throughout a significant portion of its range.
The listing of the seals came after federal scientists did an
extensive review of scientific and commercial data. It has no effect on
subsistence hunting by
Alaska Natives.
"They concluded that a significant decrease in sea ice is probable
later this century, and that these changes will likely cause these seal
populations to decline," said Jon Kurland, protected resources director
for
NOAA Fisheries' Alaska region.
Ringed seals are the only seals that thrive in completely ice-covered
Arctic waters. They use stout claws to dig and maintain breathing
holes.
When snow covers those holes, females excavate and make snow caves,
where they give birth to pups that cannot survive in ice-cold water and
are susceptible to freezing until they grow a blubber layer.
Hungry polar bears often catch breeding females or pups by collapsing lairs.
Decreased snowfall, or rain falling on lairs instead of snow, is a threat to seal survival, the agency said.
Bearded seals, named for their thick whiskers, give birth and rear
pups on drifting pack ice over shallow water where prey such as crab is
abundant. When females give birth, they need ice to last long enough in
the spring and early summer to successfully reproduce and molt.
The projected retreat of sea ice from shallow shelves decreases food availability, the listing petition said.
The listing is a major victory in efforts to save the animals because
of the additional protections provided under the Endangered Species
Act, said Shaye Wolf of the Center for Biological Diversity, who wrote
the petition leading to the listing consideration.
"The seals need all the help that they can get," she said by phone from San Francisco.
The development, however, is bittersweet, she said. While the Obama
administration has acknowledged the threat, not enough is being done to
limit greenhouse gas pollution behind the loss of sea ice, she said.
The NOAA Fisheries decision affects four subspecies of
ringed seals
around the world. Arctic Ocean seals off Alaska's coast and seals on
the Okhotsk and Baltic seas were listed as threatened. A subspecies in
Lake Ladoga in northwest Russia was listed as endangered.
The listing covered two subspecies of bearded seals: the Beringia
population, which includes Alaska, and bearded seals in the Sea of
Okhotsk.
Designation of critical habitat for the seals will be considered later.
The agency said the listing decision will not mean any immediate restrictions on human activities.
It does mean that federal agencies that issue permits or pay for
projects that might affect a threatened species must consult with NOAA
Fisheries to make sure activities do not jeopardize the animals.
