Commerce Department Agrees To Designate Critical Habitat For Seals

The transcript discusses efforts to protect bearded and ringed seals in Alaska, which are threatened due to climate change and sea ice loss. Despite being listed as threatened in 2012, the Trump administration had not designated a critical habitat for them, leading to a lawsuit. The administration later pledged to protect the seals' habitat, but also planned to open more land for oil drilling, posing further risks. Legal rulings have upheld endangered species protections, and the administration is required to issue a critical habitat rule by September 2020.

What is the primary reason bearded and ringed seals are considered threatened?

• Predation by polar bears

• Projected sea ice loss

• Overfishing

• Pollution

What legal action did the Center for Biological Diversity take in June?

• Filed a lawsuit against the oil industry

• Sued the Commerce Secretary for not protecting seals' habitat

• Petitioned for more funding for seal research

• Requested a ban on Arctic drilling

According to the Endangered Species Act, what must the government do after listing a species as threatened?

• Ban all human activities in the species' habitat

• Conduct annual population surveys

• Create a designated critical habitat within a year

• Provide financial aid to conservation groups

What recent plan by the administration poses a threat to the seals?

• Expanding tourism in the Arctic

• Building new shipping routes

• Opening federal land for oil and gas drilling

• Increasing fishing quotas

How could protecting the seals' habitat impact their recovery chances?

• It could triple their population

• It would have no significant impact

• It could more than double their recovery chances

• It would only benefit other species