Assembly requests NMFS meeting

The borough assembly approved a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service on Monday that requests the organization hold a public hearing in Petersburg to allow community members to express their concerns or support of a recently proposed critical habitat designation.

NMFS published a proposed rule to designate critical habitat for Mexico, Central America and Western North Pacific district population segments of humpback whales under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, according Angela Somma, of NMFS's Endangered Species Division. Waters in Southeast Alaska are being proposed as designate...