Petersburg Pilot -

Marine mammal expert Kate Wynne presented at Rainforest Festival in Petersburg Sept. 6 on a topic that affects all coastal Alaskan communities: sea lions and harbor seals.

Wynne works with the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and studies pinnipeds, the classification for seals and sea lions, as well as other marine mammals like whales.

Most of the Steller sea lions in Alaska, those found north of Cape Suckling, are part of what is called the Western stock, Wynne said. This stock extends across to Russia and even into Japan.

According to Wynne, the Western stock has experienced a dr...