Unalaska, AK – The National Marine Fisheries Service has extended the comment period on the interim final rule on Steller sea lion protection by 45 days. Members of the public now have until February 28 to comment on the new regulation that severely curtails fishing for Atka mackerel and Pacific cod in Area 543. NMFS public information officer Julie Speegle said they extended the period because most of the original comment period fell during the holiday season, which limited the public's ability to respond. She says the comments will be used to develop a final rule, which may or may not differ from the current interim rule.

"We felt that we just need some additional comments from the public. It's a pretty controversial measure, and we wanted to allow the public some additional input before we developed a final rule," Speegle said.

The extended comment period is not related in any way to the lawsuits filed against the agency by the state of Alaska and by private fishing companies.
Comments can be submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov.