Comments being accepted through Jan. 23 on status of tufted puffins, Steller sea lions

Published 12:01 am Friday, January 16, 2015

OLYMPIA — State wildlife managers are seeking public comment on the protective status for tufted puffins and Steller sea lions.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has recommended listing tufted puffins on the state’s endangered species list and removing Steller sea lions from the state’s threatened species list.

The public can submit written comments through Jan. 23.

A public hearing also is scheduled at the Feb. 6-7 meeting of the state Fish and Wildlife Commission. The location of the meeting had not been published as of Wednesday.

Action in March

The commission, a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for Fish and Wildlife, expected to take action on the department’s recommendations at its March 20-21 meeting, which will be in Moses Lake.

For meeting locations and times, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission.

A 90-day comment period on the recommendations closed in mid-December.

The new comment period will be conducted under the State Environmental Policy Act, which provides a way to identify possible environmental impacts that may result from governmental decisions.

Tufted puffins

Tufted puffins are native seabirds once considered common in the San Juan Islands, Strait of Juan de Fuca and along the Pacific coast.

In recent decades, however, 39 of the 44 breeding sites used historically by tufted puffins in the state either have been abandoned or have seen significant declines in use, Fish and Wildlife said on its website at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-tuftedpuffin.

The Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge near the mouth of Discovery Bay is one breeding site for the birds.

The federal government is considering extending protection to tufted puffins under the Endangered Species Act, but that process is not expected to begin until 2016 or 2017, state officials said.

In Washington, the state “endangered” designation is given to a native species that is seriously threatened with extinction throughout all or a major portion of its range.

If the tufted puffin is approved for listing, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife will develop a plan outlining actions necessary for the species’ recovery in the state.

Steller sea lions

Steller sea lions are the larger of the two sea lion species found in the state and have been protected by the state as a threatened species since 1993, Fish and Wildlife said.

The species initially received federal protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1990, and the National Marine Fisheries Service delisted the eastern population ranging from southeast Alaska to northern California in December 2013.

The population in that area has steadily grown to about 70,000 sea lions in 2010, up from 18,000 in 1979, state officials said.

Reflecting the growth of the overall west coast population, more than 1,500 Steller sea lions have been counted in the state during aerial surveys in recent years, compared with about 300 sea lions spotted during surveys in the early 1990s, Fish and Wildlife said.

Small but increasing numbers of Steller sea lion pups have been born in the state since 1992, with a total of 60 counted in 2014, the department said on its website at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-Stellarsealions.

Although Steller sea lions have been delisted federally, the species still receives protection under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

If delisted in Washington state, the Steller sea lion would also continue to be classified as protected wildlife in the state.

How to comment

Written comments on the reports and recommendations can be submitted through Jan. 23 online at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-SEPAcomment, by email to SEPAdesk2@dfw.wa.gov, faxed to 360-902-2946 or mailed to Lisa Wood, SEPA/NEPA Coordinator, WDFW Regulatory Services Section, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501-1091.