The State of California recognized the problems being caused 

 by this indiscriminate by-catch and, beginning in 1982, enacted a 

 series of regulations prohibiting the use of gill and trammel 

 nets in areas where birds, sea otters, and other marine mammals 

 were likely to be entangled. These prohibitions have reduced the 

 incidental take of sea otters and the results of recent sea otter 

 surveys, as shown in the table below, indicate that the 

 population has begun to increase again. 



Sea Otter Population Counts 

 by the Fish and Wildlife Service and 

 the California Department of Fish and Game 1982-1987 



Total 



1346 

 1338 



1251 

 1226 



1984 Spring 



1181 



123 



1304 



* = Surveys conducted since implementation of State 

 bans on use of entanglement nets beginning in 

 January 1985. 



Sea Otter Amendment to the Endangered Species Act and the 

 Translocation Decision Process 



To promote protection and recovery of the California sea 

 otter population while minimizing adverse effects on commercial 

 and recreational fisheries, the Commission, as noted earlier, 

 recommended in December 1980 that the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 adopt and implement a management strategy recognizing the 



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