The potential use of alternative gear instead of gill 

 nets to catch halibut and other fish in the area in and near 

 the sea otter range was discussed as part of the Commission- 

 sponsored Workshop on Measures to Address Marine Mammal/ 

 Fisheries Interactions in California, held 26-28 March 1986 

 in San Francisco. Workshop participants identified a number 

 of types of alternative gear that could possibly be used, 

 including Danish seines and pair trawls. Participants 

 recommended that a feasibility study be undertaken and, if 

 successful, an engineering/assistance program be carried out 

 to determine the possible utility of converting small gill 

 net vessels to alternative types of gear. This Workshop is 

 discussed in greater detail in Chapter VI of this Report. 



Sea Otter Amendment to the Endangered Species Act and the 

 Translocation Decision-Making Process 



In a Federal Register notice published on 27 June 1984, 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service announced its intention to 

 prepare an environmental impact statement on a proposal to 

 translocate a portion of the California sea otter population 

 to a site within the species' historic range off the Pacific 

 coast of the United States. This action is called for in the 

 Southern Sea Otter Recovery Plan and has been recommended by 

 the Marine Mammal Commission on several occasions. As 

 described in the Federal Register notice, the proposal would 

 involve the issuance of experimental population regulations 

 under the Endangered Species Act, permits under both the 

 Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, 

 and compliance with a number of Federal and State laws. 

 Details of the Fish and Wildlife Service's translocation 

 proposal are set forth in previous Annual Reports. 



As part of the environmental impact statement prepara- 

 tion process, the Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a 

 formal scoping process and held public meetings on 2 3 and 

 24 July 1984 in Santa Barbara and Monterey, California, 

 respectively. In addition, the Service established an 

 Interagency Project Review Team, as recommended by the 

 Council on Environmental Quality, to participate in the 

 scoping process and otherwise assist the Service in preparing 

 the environmental impact statement. The Review Team was 

 composed of representatives from the California Department of 

 Fish and Game, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Marine 

 Mammal Commission, the Minerals Management Service, and other 

 interested Federal and State agencies. Public meetings of 

 the Review Team were held on 4 June, 6 August, and 4 October 

 1984. Non-governmental participants in these meetings 

 included representatives of environmental groups, the oil and 

 gas industry, and sport and commercial fishing organizations. 

 The meetings were used to discuss a variety of issues related 

 to translocation, including topics that should be addressed 



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