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Article: An accounting of the sources of Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus, mortality.(Illustration)
- Article from:
- Marine Fisheries Review
- Article date:
- September 22, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 U.S. Department of Commerce. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
Recent studies have shown that Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus, mitochondrial DNA is different across the sea lion's range, suggesting that at least two stocks exist, an eastern one (California through southeastern Alaska), and a western one (Prince William Sound and areas west) (Bickham et al., 1996; Loughlin, 1997). The western stock is declining at about 5% per year, and total population numbers have dropped by over 80% since the late 1960's (Loughlin et al., 1992; Loughlin, 1997; Sease and Loughlin, 1999). The magnitude and continuous nature of the decline resulted in this stock being listed as endangered in 1997 by the National Marine ...