151 



oil puts them at odds with oil exploration and transport. 

 Through the years of the sea otter hunt, otters were driven 

 toward extinction for their valuable fur. Through the recent 

 years of recovery, sea otters have faced the risks of human 

 competition for food, the chronic effects of water pollution, 

 incidental take in fisheries, and the potential for oil spills 

 caused by oil transport or development. It is clear that the 

 Southern sea otter is a central player in issues of both a 

 regional and global nature, and it is a litmus species for how 

 well we are governing human interactions with the marine 

 environment. 



Since its enactment in 1972, the MMPA has been one of the 

 sea otter's most important protections. The requirements of 

 the MMPA played a major role in the State of California's 

 effort to protect the otter from staggering losses in the 

 nearshore set gill and trammel net fishery. As the California 

 Department of Fish and Game has stated, these losses "could be 

 the most significant mortality factor contributing to the 

 apparent lack of sea otter population growth in California 

 waters during the past decade." 



The MMPA also has been an important force in 

 reintroducing the Southern sea otter to San Nicolas Island, 

 promoting an observer program for incidental take, and 

 conducting valuable scientific research. To continue this 

 progress, we need a strongly reauthorized MMPA. 



[1058I-OO02/DA931180.0111 -3- S'"'^ 



