NMFS Announces 12-Month Finding on Ribbon Seal Petition

Summary

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has completed a 12-month review of a petition to list the ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata) as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and has determined that listing is not warranted at this time due to a gradual decline in population abundance primarily caused by reduced sea ice.