210 



injury to any one part of the Bering Sea ecosystem will almost 

 certainly impact the entire ecosystem. 



In this mutually dependent relationship, removal of one 

 component part necessarily effects all the other parts. 

 Therefore, one theory that may help to explain the current 

 problems in the Bering Sea points to the fantastic growth in 

 the Bering Sea pollock fishery as being responsible for the 

 recent marine mammal, marine bird and fish population 

 declines. According to Dr. Golovkin, "[p]ollock presently 

 constitute about 52% of the diet of Pribilof seabirds, about 

 85% of the total fish biomass of the region, and about 85% of 

 the summer diet of fur seals." 68 Moreover, Golovkin calculates 

 that the total combined consumption of pollock by birds and 

 fur seals in the Pribilof region theoretically exceeds the 

 average total biomass of edible pollock in the same region. 69 



Lacking a single, definitive explanation for the marked 

 decline of these populations and in light of their 

 demonstrated inter-reliance, the existing crisis can only be 

 the result of, and result in, ecosystem-wide impacts. 

 Therefore, in the face of causal uncertainty, all potential 

 causes must be examined, and if needed, addressed through an 

 ecosystem-wide approach. 



*id. at 12. 



[19653-000I/DA940590.060] -40- 



