A state-sponsored review panel has challenged the federal science used to justify the shutdown of a high-value Aleutian Island fishery to protect endangered Steller sea lions.
The harvest closure, which took effect in January, is estimated to cost some $44 million to $61 million in lost revenue this year to the largely Seattle-based fleets that fish for Atka mackerel and Pacific cod in the western Aleutians, according to a lawsuit filed by seafood companies that seeks to reopen the fishing ground.
The shutdown was prompted by a 2010 federal biological opinion that found the harvest could harm the recovery of a portion of the sea-lion population.
Read the complete story from The Seattle Times.