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LOCATED NEAR THREATENED STELLER SEA LION ROOKERIES. ADDITIONALLY, 

 SCIENTISTS HAVE BECOME CONCERNED ABOUT THE STATUS OF DECLINING 

 HARBOR SEAL POPULATIONS IN SOUTHWEST AND WESTERN ALASKA. 



THE ALEUTIANS EAST BOROUGH AND ITS ALASKA NATIVE FISHERMEN 

 WANT TO BE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN ALL FUTURE EFFORTS TO MITIGATE 

 IMPACTS ON MARINE MAMMAL STOCKS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. ALL TOO OFTEN 

 WE HAVE BEEN BLINDSIDED BY REGULATORY INITIATIVES AIMED AT US 

 BECAUSE WE ARE THE MOST VISIBLE HUMAN PRESENCE IN THE REGION. 



FOR EXAMPLE, THE ALASKA PENINSULA DRIFT GILLENT AND SEINE 

 FLEETS WERE CLASSIFIED AS CATEGORY 1 FISHERIES IN 1988 BASED ON HIGHLY 

 SPECULATIVE INFORMATION THAT THERE WAS A HIGH LEVEL OF MARINE 

 MAMMAL TAKES BY OUR FLEETS. WHAT WE FOUND, HOWEVER, WHEN WE 

 INVITED OBSERVERS ON OUR BOATS, WAS THAT THERE ARE VIRTUALLY NO 

 LETHAL TAKES OF MARINE MAMMALS IN OUR FISHERIES. OUR FLEETS WERE 

 THEN REMOVED FROM THE CATEGORY 1 LIST AND PLACED IN CATEGORY 2. 



IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH MARINE MAMMALS IN OUR REGION, WE 

 WANT TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. WE ACCEPT THE NEED FOR REASONABLE 

 REGULATION OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES IN SO-CALLED "HOT SPOT- 

 SITUATIONS, MEANING FISHERY/MAMMAL INTERACTIONS AT SIGNIFICANT 

 LEVELS WHEN THE SPECIES IS IN DECLINE OR FOR WHICH ITS STATUS IS 

 UNKNOWN. UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT GIVE YOU ANY SPECIFIC LEGISLATIVE 

 RECOMMENDATIONS AT THIS TIME. I AM PART OF THE NEGOTIATING TEAM 

 COMPRISING THE FISHING INDUSTRY, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS AND THE 

 GOVERNMENT TO DEVELOP A PROPOSAL FOR THE CONGRESS. WE HAVE 

 AGREED IN GOOD FAITH TO HOLD OFF PROMOTING ANY SPECIFIC PROPOSAL 



