Lawsuit: Alaska sea otters need critical habitat (AP/CNN)

[eppur_se_muova]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A conservation group, alarmed at a decrease in the number of sea otters in southwest Alaska, filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday to try to compel the government to designate critical habitat to help the endangered species recover.

The lawsuit, filed by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity, argues that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service missed an August 9 deadline for the designation under the Endangered Species Act. If granted, the designation means that federal agencies must ensure activities in certain areas do not harm the species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service generally is required to designate critical habitat when a species is listed as endangered or within a year if it can't be done immediately. The sea otter was put on the list in August 2005.

"Sea otters in southwest Alaska are in a grave situation with alarming and ongoing population declines," the lawsuit says. "The absence of critical habitat permits the degradation, modification, and destruction of habitat essential to the Alaska sea otter's survival and recovery."

Douglas Burn, a wildlife biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife in Anchorage, said while he can't comment on the lawsuit the agency is not ignoring the issue. He said a team of experts is helping develop a recovery plan for the sea otter and has discussed the role of critical habitat.
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/12/20/sea.otters.ap/index.html

Bu**sh** administration deliberately asleep at the wheel, again.