Arctic Lifeline Restored for Vulnerable Ice Seals

A U.S. appeals court has reinstated protections for nearly 160 million acres of Arctic waters, securing critical habitat for bearded and ringed seals off Alaska’s coast.

“This is a great victory for these ice-dependent seals,” said Marlee Goska, Alaska staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s just common sense that you can’t protect imperilled animals without protecting the places they live.”

The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturns a 2024 decision and restores habitat protections originally established under the Endangered Species Act. The vast protected area includes dynamic sea-ice ecosystems that are essential for breeding, feeding, and survival, as both seal species depend on ice to raise their young. Bearded seals nurse pups on pack ice, while ringed seals build snow caves on top of it—habitats increasingly threatened by climate change. Studies show species with protected habitats are more than twice as likely to recover, making this decision a significant step for Arctic conservation, even as scientists emphasise the need for continued action to safeguard these rapidly changing ecosystems.