"The western population of Steller's Sea Lion
(SSL) has been in decline for several decades and is now considered
endangered. There are several possible factors causing this decline. One
of these factors is commercial fishing in habitat critical to the SSL,
thought to cause a harmful reduction in SSL prey availability....
To determine if
other factors might be important in the decline of the western SSL
population, NOAA has been directed to conduct research focused on two of
the other hypothesized factors, namely impacts of ocean climate regime
shifts, and changes in predator/prey relationships."
-- FROM Announcement of opportunity for Steller's sea lion research
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