Unalaska, AK – A team of NOAA scientists have just completed an aerial survey and boat survey of Alaska's Steller sea lion population. They completed counts of adults and juveniles through Southeast, Prince William Sound, Kodiak, and parts of the Aleutians.

Lowell Fritz, a NMFS scientist, says that it's too early to glean much from their data, but the NMFS scientists have noticed that survivability of Steller sea lions in the Eastern Aleutians has been increasing, even if the sea lions haven't been having a lot of pups. He says there's still concern about the population in the Western Aleutians.

NMFS alternates between counting adults and juveniles and counting pups. This year, the aerial survey lasted from June 7 to July 13, and the boat survey lasted from July 14 to July 29. The data collected in these summer surveys is used to help form NOAA's Steller sea lion biological opinion, which the North Pacific Fishery Management Council considers when establishing fisheries quota.

The Steller sea lion biological opinion is expected to be released next week, and it will be discussed by the council at their mid-August meeting.