NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Wednesday, May 15 on its proposed listing of the sunflower sea star as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Public hearing requests are due by Wednesday, May 1. The documented range of the species covers the Northeastern Pacific Ocean, from the Aleutian Islands to Baja California.
The proposed listing follows an Aug. 2021 petition by the Center for Biological Diversity to list the species as threatened or endangered, and NMFS’ subsequent 90-day finding that an ESA listing may be warranted.
