1、1 Marine Mammal Commission, Annual Report to Congress, 2005 (Bethesda, MD: July 15,2006), p. 50 (hereafter cited as “Marine Mammal Commission report”). Population status andtrends are not available for many of these populations. Two Canadian populations are known tobe increasing, recovering under co
2、nservative harvest limits after severe past reductions. Twoother populations in the Western Hudson Bay and the Southern Beaufort Sea are both declining.Order Code RS22582January 25, 2007Polar Bears: Listing Under the Endangered Species ActEugene H. BuckSpecialist in Natural Resources PolicyResources
3、, Science, and Industry DivisionSummaryPolar bears depend on an Arctic sea ice habitat, which some believe is threatenedby climate warming causing an earlier thaw and later freeze of coastal sea ice. The Fishand Wildlife Service has proposed listing polar bears as threatened species under theEndange
4、red Species Act, acknowledging the increasing threats to their existence.Although this listing decision must be solely based on the best available scientific andcommercial information, some are concerned that an ESA listing might have extensiveeconomic impacts, since federal agencies are required un
