translocate a minimum of 20 otters at a time and to hold the 

 otters at San Nicolas before release. 



Continuation of Translocation Efforts ; The revision of 

 the Southern Sea Otter Translocation Plan was finalized on 27 

 September 1988. Between 1 September and 31 December 1988, an 

 additional 61 sea otters were captured along the central 

 California coast between Point Buchon and Santa Cruz. Of 

 these, 32 were transported to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. One 

 animal died at the Aquarium, probably due to stress, and the 

 remaining 31 were flown to San Nicolas Island and released 

 immediately. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service is continuing the trans- 

 location program and is expected to prepare and issue progress 

 reports quarterly, as it did in 1988. 



Update of the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Plan 



As noted earlier, the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Plan 

 was adopted by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1982. Some 

 of the research and management actions recommended by the 

 Plan have been fully implemented, while others have been 

 partially implemented or not implemented at all. There is a 

 need, therefore, to review and update the Plan. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service recognizes the need to 

 review and to update or revise the Plan as necessary. As a 

 first step in this regard, the Service, by letter of 27 May 

 1988, advised the Commission that it was considering re-estab- 

 lishing the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Team to assist in 

 evaluating and updating the Plan. It asked the Commission to 

 suggest possible candidates to serve on the Recovery Team. 



The Commission considered the Service's request and, by 

 letter of 17 June 1988, advised the Service that it agreed it 

 would be desirable to review efforts to implement the Southern 

 Sea Otter Recovery Plan and to determine what should be done 

 to update and improve implementation of the Plan. The 

 Commission questioned, however, whether re-establishment of 

 the Recovery Team was the best way to accomplish this. The 

 Commission noted that care must be taken not to compromise 

 either the understandings that led to Public Law 99-625 or 

 the agreements and programs subsequently developed to implement 

 the Southern Sea Otter Translocation Plan. The Commission 

 suggested that it might be more effective to conduct an in-house 

 review of the Plan, in consultation with the Commission and 

 the California Department of Fish and Game, update the Plan 

 accordingly, and then convene a series of meetings with 

 representatives of other Federal agencies, State agencies, 

 and private and public interest groups to agree on who should 

 be taking the identified steps to implement the revised Plan. 



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