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NorthCoast's Regional Information Site

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   Endangered spp in USA

Management & research page @ NOAA

  SARA has ‘concerns’ for our more stable population in BC 

  Many scientist believe its decline only symptom of

‘Megafaunal collapse’

in our waters caused by commercial whaling after WW2

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Contrast our previous attitude of kill’em all with our present concern—we now send our young people to remote AK islands to study sea lions & in BC

Interesting Coat patterns left

California Seal (below)--- at time we only notices it asleep by the island – in retrospect it was a California seal (longer snout etc) ---- many more have been seen all the way into AK as they expand range into ‘empty’ Alaska (here is a science paper documenting sightings etc)

Until 1970 treated as vermin

Here is an extended quote from SARA

Horrific

“The most intensive culling occurred at Virgin and Pearl Rocks in the Sea Otter Group. In an attempt to protect the Rivers Inlet salmon fishery, federal fishery officers visited these two rookeries annually during mid-June (1923-1939) and shot as many breeding animals as possible before landing and clubbing pups, most of which were too young to escape into the water. A total of about 20,000 animals (including 7,000 pups) were killed.”

“Always” looking heaven-ward as if in contemplation

(or so it seems)

AK State site describes the 70% decline

Another w 2004 Symposium results

An outline of the different ‘explanations’ for decline

 3 Rookeries – Scott Island Group; Cape St James (QCIs) and Danger Rocks (Banks Is. in Hecate)

Excellent Marine Mammal site biology and numerous papers online – bottom page

 Previous look at Sea lions on this site 

BC industrial whaling book reviewed on this site