1987, concurred with the proposed translocation. The California 

 Coastal Commission considered the Fish and Wildlife Service's 

 Coastal Zone Consistency Determination at a public hearing on 

 7 July 1987 and, following the hearing, voted to concur with 

 the Service's determination. 



In accordance with the California Fish and Game Commission 

 determination on 18 August, the California Department of Fish 

 and Game and the Fish and Wildlife Service concluded a Memoran- 

 dum of Understanding concerning their respective roles in 

 implementing the translocation. Among other things, the 

 Memorandum specified that: 



the Fish and Wildlife Service would be responsible for 

 providing funds and personnel necessary to implement, 

 enforce, and carry out the translocation program; 

 if verified sightings of sea otters were made at any 

 location within the designated management zone ("no- 

 otter zone") , the Fish and Wildlife Service would under- 

 take recapture efforts, as soon as weather and sea condi- 

 tions permit, and return those otters either to the 

 mainland sea otter range or to the translocation zone; 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with 

 the California Department of Fish and Game, would evaluate 

 the safety, effectiveness, and cost of possible alternative 

 techniques for limiting population growth, including but 

 not limited to reduction of fecundity and, as part of a 

 long-term management plan, the appropriateness of selec- 

 tive culling, recognizing that studies involving taking 

 or that would jeopardize the continued existence of the 

 California sea otter population could not involve the 

 use of California sea otters; 



the California Department of Fish and Game would be respon- 

 sible for designing and carrying out a research program, 

 using funds provided by the Fish and Wildlife Service, 

 to evaluate the feasibility of humane, non-lethal methods 

 to experimentally maintain the southern boundary of the 

 mainland sea otter range in an area between Point Arguello 

 and Point Concepcion; and 



the California Department of Fish and Game would initiate 

 and/or support State legislation to implement appropriate 

 restrictions on the use of gill and trammel nets in the 

 translocation zone. 



The Memorandum also stipulated that it would not take 

 effect unless and until the Federal Wildlife Permit Office 

 issued a research permit authorizing the studies needed to 

 evaluate the feasibility of non-lethal methods for estab- 

 lishing and maintaining the southern boundary of the mainland 

 California sea otter population at Point Concepcion. 



45 



