Comment from Candice Bowcock

All plants and animals, including the spotted seal have medicinal, agricultural, ecological, commercial, and aesthetic/recreational value. Endangered Species Act was created for many of those reasons and must be protected for future generations. The decline of animals and plants is not a natural process; biologists have concluded that today's threats to wildlife are mostly caused by habitat degradation, environmental pollution, the introduction of exotic organisms, and exploitation. All of these are a direct result from human activities. Since 1620, more than 500 species, subspecies, and a variety of plants and animals have become extinct. Plants, animals, humans, and all other living things are part of the biosphere, which is a combination of ecosystems and the removal of a single species can set off a chain reaction, in turn affecting many other species along the way. Whether or not an animal, such as the spotted seal has a direct benefit to humans, one day it could be a direct aid to all of us. About a quarter of all of the prescriptions given in a year in the United States contain chemicals discovered in plants and animals and if these organisms had become extinct before their chemistries were discovered, their secrets would have been gone forever. Every creature after adapting for millions of years to a constantly changing environment has an intrinsic value. Humans would be at a loss for diversity in nature which would result to a diminished quality of human life. Thorough investigation has been done by experts and it has been determined that the population of the spotted seals is going to significantly decline due to global warming and the seals being dependent on icecaps that are slowing melting. This proposed rule has my complete support and I believe that the spotted seal should be placed on the threatened species list due to the steady decrease in the southern distinct population segments directly related to human actions (http://www.adfg.state