139 



of comparative analysis would lead to ridiculous 

 discussion*. Unlike fishermen, marine mammal harvests of 

 salmon are not controllable through time and area 

 closures. what if the mammal stocks dramatically 

 increase in an area and exceed their share? is the 

 Congrees prepared to authorize widespread culling in 

 order to reduce the population back to a eize which would 

 correspond with its share of the salmon harvest? 



We would recommend that the debate over the MKPA not be 

 distracted by arguments over the proper share of 

 commercial fish quotas for marine mammals. Congress is 

 not yet prepared to treat marine mammals as harshly as it 

 is oommeroial fishermen. Instead, the focus should be on 

 measures to respond to nuisance animals which threaten 

 salmonid and other marine species. These interactions 

 occur, irrespective of general harvest levels by 

 commercial fishermen or the percentage of the fishery 

 biomass consumed by marine mammals. The Ballard Looks is 

 the most pressing situation, but there are other 

 interactions in the West Coast which should be addressed 

 over time as well. 



Question 6: The Commission strongly believes that no 

 support has been given the commercial fishing industry to 

 deter marine mammals. The Commission is a signatory to 

 draft legislation submitted to you under separate cover 

 which authorizes the non-lethal deterrence of marine 

 mammals by commercial and recreational fishermen to 

 protect gear and catch. We believe that the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service should be encouraged to work 

 with fishermen to find better methods of deterring 

 animals from the gear. The authority to non-lethally 

 deter marine mammals does not, however, respond to the 

 problems being caused by habitual offenders. 



Question 7: The question confuses the issue of nuisance 

 animals with the issue of the interactions between 

 commercial and recreational fishermen and robust mammal 

 stocks on the "est Coast. Any task force process should 

 address only vne nuisance animal interactions, such as 

 the Ballard Locks. The problems caused by robust 

 populations must be dealt with more generally, using 

 broader principles of wildlife management. Provisions 

 for the monitoring the interactions between commercial 

 fishermen and marine mammals should be addressed 

 separately as part of the debate over proposed Section 

 118. We have submitted our views, both conceptually and 

 in draft bill language, to you under separate cover. 



Question 8: By our response to the other questions, it 

 is clear that the commission believes that the 



