NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it will hold in-person public hearings (with teleconference available) at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm in Kodiak, AK on Tuesday, May 2 and in Petersburg, AK on Wednesday, May 10 regarding its proposal to list the sunflower sea star as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The documented range of the species covers the Northeastern Pacific Ocean, from the Aleutian Islands to Baja California.
Comments on the proposed listing are due by Monday, May 15. 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.
