Never-before-seen ocean conditions combined with increasing and excessive fishing pressure have put these forage fish populations in a crisis situation. With about 90 percent of sea lion pups estimated to die this year before weaning age and complete range-wide reproductive failures in brown pelicans only removed from the Endangered Species List a few years ago more must be done to ensure there is adequate forage fish to support a healthy and abundant food web in the Pacific Ocean. Similarly, California brown pelicans have been abandoning their nests due to the lack of forage fish. Approximately three times as many sea lions washed ashore in 2015 compared to 2013, when the severity of strandings emerged as an issue of great concern. They were spending more time away from their pups foraging, farther from shore, and the nursing sea lion pups were in turn, starving to death. Their mothers were not finding enough forage fish to eat. Many died and many others were found underweight, dehydrated, and starving.
This year, an unprecedented number of California sea lion pups were found stranded on beaches.
Immediate action is needed to prevent future overfishing and to help these forage fish populations rebuild to healthy and abundant levels. Pacific sardine and Northern anchovy populations are at historically low levels and are some of the most important forage fish in the California Current ocean ecosystem. Sea lions, whales, pelicans, and many other species rely on these same forage fish for a large part of their diet. Stelle: We the undersigned 36,820 residents of the United States (including 9,150 residents of California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho) are greatly concerned that management of the commercial forage fish fisheries off California, Oregon and Washington is leaving ocean wildlife without enough fish to eat. Stelle Administrator, Northwest Region NOAA Fisheries 7600 Sand Point Way, NE, Bldg 1 Seattle, WA RE: Agenda Items H.1, Pacific Sardine Distribution Workshop and H.3, Anchovy General Status Review Dear Ms. Eileen Sobeck Assistant Administrator NOAA Fisheries 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD Mr. Dorothy Lowman, Chair Pacific Fishery Management Council 7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 101 Portland, OR Ms. 1 Agenda Item H.3.b Public Comment Full Version Electronic Only November 2015 OctoMs.
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