[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1699-E1700]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

COMMEMORATING SEA OTTER AWARENESS WEEK

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HON. SAM FARR

of california

in the house of representatives

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Mr. FARR.- Madam Speaker, I rise today as I do every year, to call
attention to the 8th Annual Sea Otter Awareness Week, September 26-
October 2, 2010, sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife. This week-long
event provides the opportunity to educate the broader public on sea
otters, their natural history, the integral role they play in the near-
shore marine ecosystem, and the conservation issues they are facing.
In the early 1700's, before wide-scale hunting began, sea otters
ranged across the North Pacific rim from Japan to Baja California. The
worldwide population estimates for that time range from the hundreds of
thousands to more than one million. Before the hunting began, there
were approximately 16,000-20,000 along California's coast. But killing
these animals for their fur all but decimated the population until they
were thought to be extinct off the coast of California by the early
1900's.
However, in the 1930's a small population of less than 100 animals
was discovered in a remote cove on a coastal ranch in Big Sur, on the
Central Coast of California. Since that time, groups such as Defenders
of Wildlife, Friends of the Sea Otter and Ocean Conservancy have raised
public awareness and helped protect this important species under the
Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. The
presence of the California sea otter has become an icon of the state's
coastal environment and culture, and these charismatic animals bring
significant tourism revenue to Californian coastal communities.
Still, sea otter populations remain threatened. This year's three
year population average, counted by the U.S. Geological Survey, totals
only 2,711 animals, a 3.6 percent drop in overall population, and 11
percent drop in otter pups since 2009. This is the second year in a row
that the population has been in decline. The annual survey saw a
decrease in otter numbers throughout their range, and particularly in
areas where much of their reproduction occurs. These latest numbers are
of great concern and researchers have begun to identify indirect
hazards for sea otters such as non-point source pollution, pathogens,
and entrapment in fisheries gear that are causing their population
growth to reverse. Data also suggests that breeding-age females are
dying in higher than usual numbers from multiple causes, including
infectious disease, toxin-exposure, heart failure, malnutrition, and
shark attacks.
Each day, research is uncovering additional causes of sea otter
population declines. A recent study reveals that mycrocystin, a toxic
algae that forms in reservoirs, lakes and stagnant freshwater ponds, is
responsible for the deaths of at least 21 sea otters in the Monterey
Bay area and researchers state that this is the first ever
documentation of a freshwater algal bloom being transmitted to upper-
level marine mammals. Such realizations support the need for continued
research and preventive measures to respond to these issues, while
continuing to ward against the direct killings and takings that still
occur.
Sea otters are integrally important to the ecosystem in which they
live. For this reason, the decline of southern sea otters off of the
California coast not only impacts the species itself, but it affects
other marine populations and the surrounding ecosystem. The demise of
sea otters allows their prey, sea urchins, to proliferate unchecked
leading to the alarming overgrazing of kelp beds--one of the oceans
nursery grounds for many marine animals. Research shows that the
absence of sea otters has a direct link to the sharp decline of kelp
along portions of California's coast. Further, the sea otter is
effective at monitoring toxins and diseases in the marine environment,
which can affect the health of humans and other wildlife.
California took the first step toward addressing these emerging
concerns by signing Assembly Bill 2485 into law. This bill establishes
a state fund for sea otter conservation where Californians have the
option of donating a portion of their tax returns to sea otter
conservation. I want to emphasize that this means that Californians
voluntarily pay a little more on their tax return to help protect these
animals.

[[Page E1700]]

Even during these trouble economic times, more than $228,903 has been
raised already this year.
However, this is a federally protected species and California cannot
go it alone. In addition to continuing to work with my colleagues to
secure Federal funds to support a continued and complete recovery of
the population, I am proud that H.R. 556, The Southern Sea Otter
Recovery and Research Act, was passed by the House of Representatives
in July of 2009. This tremendous success was buoyed by the support and
devotion of many people. In the other house, Senator Barbara Boxer has
introduced a companion bill, S. 1748, which passed out of the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation on June 9 by unanimous
consent. The Committee hopes to move the bill later this year as a part
of their omnibus public lands legislative package. We are just a few
steps away from at last making the act into law and bringing needed
resources to this threatened species.
Madam Speaker, I applaud the many accomplishments of Defenders of
Wildlife, who carry out the important mission to preserve our nation's
wildlife and habitat. I also applaud the other nonprofit environmental
organizations, working with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, researchers,
fishermen, state and federal agencies, schools, and many other
institutions and individuals, who devote tremendous effort to protect
and recover the southern California sea otter. Sea Otter Awareness Week
is just one of their many activities geared towards honoring and saving
this species, and I am proud to be associated with this vital work.

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