Lawsuit Seeks to Shield Alaska Sea Otter ANCHORAGE, Alaska A
conservation group, alarmed at a decrease in the number of sea
otters in southwest Alaska, filed a lawsuit in federal court on
Tuesday to try to compel the government to designate critical
habitat to help the endangered species recover. The lawsuit,
filed by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity,
argues that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service missed an Aug. 9
deadline for the designation under the Endangered Species Act.
If granted, the designation means that federal agencies must
ensure activities in certain areas do not harm the species. The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service generally is required to
designate critical habitat when a species is listed as
endangered or within a year if it can't be done immediately. The
sea otter was put on the list in August 2005. "Sea otters in
southwest Alaska are in a grave situation with alarming and
ongoing population declines," the lawsuit says. "The absence of
critical habitat permits the degradation