Spectators spot whales on a WhaleSENSE whale watching trip in Juneau, Alaska. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
North Pacific right whale. Credit: Brenda K. Rone
Harbor Seals in Iliamna Lake, Alaska
NOAA Fisheries concluded in 2016 that listing the harbor seals in Iliamna Lake under the Endangered Species Act was not warranted. We subsequently came to the same conclusion on a 2020 petition. All seals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Harbor seals that live in the freshwater environment of Iliamna Lake. Photo: NOAA Fisheries
2020 Petition and 90-day Finding
- 90-day Finding that Listing Harbor Seals in Iliamna Lake Under the Endangered Species Act is Not Warranted, (86 FR 34229, 06/29/2021)
- Center for Biological Diversity Petition to List Iliamna Lake Seal, a Distinct Population Segment of Pacific Harbor Seal Under the Endangered Species Act (PDF, 77 pages), February 2020
2016 Status Review and 2012 Petition
- News Release: Listing the harbor seals in Iliamna Lake, Alaska is not warranted, November 2016
- Finding that Listing Harbor Seals in Iliamna Lake Under the Endangered Species Act is Not Warranted (81 FR 81074, November 2016)
- Center for Biological Diversity Petition to List Iliamna Lake Seal, a Distinct Population Segment of Pacific Harbor Seal Under the Endangered Species Act (PDF, 83 pages), November 2012
Supporting Documents
- Aerial Surveys of Freshwater Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) in Iliamna Lake, Alaska (PDF, 24 pages) 2017 - 2018
- Scientific Evaluation of the Distinctness of Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) in Iliamna Lake, February 2016
- Integrating local traditional knowledge and subsistence use patterns with aerial surveys to improve scientific and local understanding of the Iliamna Lake seals (PDF, 199 pages), North Pacific Research Board Project 1116, 2011-2013
- Iliamna Lake Freshwater Seal Study: Characterizing Local Use Patterns, Local Traditional Knowledge, and Seal Population Ecology (PDF, 1 page), North Pacific Research Board Project 916, 2009-2011
- Freshwater Harbor Seals of Lake Iliamna, Alaska - Do They Pup and Over-Winter in the Lake?, Alaska Marine Science Symposium (poster) (PDF, 1 page), January 2011
- Freshwater Harbor Seals of Lake Iliamna, Alaska: Updated Counts and Research Coordination for 2010, Alaska Marine Science Symposium (poster) (PDF, 1 page), January 2010
- Recent Counts of Freshwater Seals in Alaska's Lake Iliamna, Alaska Marine Science Symposium (poster) (PDF, 1 page), January 2009
- Lake Iliamna Seals: Selected References (PDF, 1 page)
More Information
Spectators spot whales on a WhaleSENSE whale watching trip in Juneau, Alaska. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
North Pacific right whale. Credit: Brenda K. Rone
