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Community Report: Steller Sea Lion Distribution And Counts In The Bering Strait
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2021
[PDF-764.01 KB]
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Description:Steller sea lions, a marine resource utilized for subsistence purposes by Alaska Natives and a top predator in the Bering Sea ecosystem, are extending their seasonal use in the Bering Strait region and expanding their range northward. These shifts are happening at the same time ecosystem-wide changes are ongoing in the northern Bering Sea since 2017, as a result of recent unprecedented low sea ice coverage. The lack of sea ice has reduced sea ice algae growth and reduced the annually replenished cold briny water that served as a thermal barrier separating the previously-distinct southern and northern ecosystems of the Bering Sea. Massive northward shifts of large, predatory, commercially viable fish populations (e.g., Alaska pollock, Pacific cod) from the southern Bering Sea are currently dominating the Bering Strait region and are re-configuring the marine food web of the northern Bering Sea.
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Rights Information:CC0 Public Domain
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Compliance:Submitted
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