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Decimated by overfishing, sardine numbers in
U.S. waters have dropped by about 90 percent in less than a
decade, estimates the council, which regulates fishing within
200 miles of the California, Oregon and Washington coasts.
The decline has harmed predators that feed on sardines,
contributing to mass starvation of sea lions, which have washed
ashore by the thousand in southern California.
It has also led to starvation deaths of brown pelicans and other
fish-eating birds, said Ben Enticknap of Portland-based
environmental advocacy group Oceana, which is urging regulators
to adopt a long-term plan for boosting sardine populations.
The council is due to meet on Sunday, and not everyone wants the
limits on fishing that Enticknap would like to see.
Ed Johnstone of the Quinault Indian Nation in Washington state
has submitted testimony to council members asserting his tribe's
treaty-backed rights, and stating its plans to fish for 1,000
metric tons of sardines in the upcoming fishing season, which
begins on July 1.
Regulators estimate that fewer than 150,000 metric tons of the
fish are present in U.S. waters, down from 840,000 metric tons
as recently as 2007.
Restrictions could also pose challenges for fishermen, said
Kerry Griffin, a staff officer with the Pacific Fishery
Management Council.
"Most sardine fishermen also fish for other species such as
mackerel, anchovy, or squid. But not having sardines available
as one of their staples could be difficult," Griffin said.
It is also not clear if the globe's other major sources of
sardines, off the west coasts of South America and southern
Africa, will be able to meet global demand in the absence of a
U.S. harvest, Griffin said.
(Reporting by Courtney Sherwood; Editing by Daniel Wallis and
Sandra Maler)
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