Coastal lagoons of the Chukchi Sea are important feeding and 

 resting areas for migrating birds. Marshes on the Seward Peninsula and 

 adjacent to Kotzebue Sound are nesting grounds for numerous water birds 

 and shorebirds. 



The Chukchi Sea provides habitat for marine mammals that tend to 

 follow the edge of the pack ice in its seasonal advance and retreat. 

 Polar bears, walrus, and seals, mainly bearded, ringed, and harbor 

 seals, are abundant along the edge of the ice pack and the coast. 



Most residents of the Chukchi Sea are Eskimos, although Kotzebue 

 and Barrow, the largest population centers, have substantial non-native 

 populations. Nearly all residents of the Chukchi Sea coast depend 

 heavily on marine resources, particularly walrus, seal, and whale, 

 although considerable commerce and industry occur at both Kotzebue and 

 Barrow. Subsistence fisheries are most important in the area south of 

 Cape Lisburne. Residents of the small villages earn some cash income 

 from jobs elsewhere in Alaska, at Air Force stations along the coast, 

 and from some commercial activities at Kotzebue. 



Petroleum Resources 



USGS estimates of recoverable oil and gas resources for the 

 Chukchi Sea have not been released. 



Status of PCS Operations 



The western boundary of the Chukchi Sea has not yet been defined, 

 The United States and Russia will have to negotiate an acceptible 

 international boundary. 



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