Steller Sea Lion and Northern Fur Seal Research. Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement: Volume 1. Executive Summary, Chapters 1-9

摘要

This executive summary provides an overview of the findings contained in the Steller Sea Lion (SSL), 'Eumetopias jubatus', and Northern Fur Seal (NFS), 'Callorhinus ursinus', Research Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). This PEIS evaluates the effects of the type and range of SSL and NFS research activities (i.e., the alternative actions) that may be exercised in current and future grants. This PEIS assesses the direct and indirect effects of various levels of funding and different research techniques on SSL's and NFS's throughout the entire range of these species in United States (U.S.) waters and on the high seas, which includes parts of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California. The effects of research on these species as well as other components of the marine ecosystem and human environment are presented. The PEIS assesses the contribution of research activities to the cumulative effects on these species and resources, including effects from past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future events and activities that are external to the research activities. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) also acknowledges that other views of science exist than are contained in this review, including Alaska Native traditional knowledge. NMFS is committed to working with Alaska Native communities and strives to incorporate Native traditional knowledge into environmental documents.