US agency acted reasonably to protect seals, court rules

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – An appeals court panel has ruled that a federal agency acted reasonably in proposing to list certain populations of bearded seals threatened by the sea ice loss.

The decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco reverses a lower court ruling that found the decision by the National Marine Fisheries Service was improper.

At issue was whether the fisheries service can protect species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act when it determines that a currently non-endangered species will lose habitat due to climate change in c...