STATEMENT OF HON. DON YOUNG, A U.S. REPRESENTATIVE 

 FROM ALASKA, AND RANKING MINORITY MEMBER, SUB- 

 COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES MANAGEMENT 



Mr. Young. I thank the Chairman and the ranking member for 

 their kindness for recognizing me. Mr. Chairman, I know this hear- 

 ing is not about fisheries interaction with marine mammals, so I 

 will keep my remarks brief, I know that makes everybody happy. 

 But one of the topics of concern to me today is the effect of the Act 

 on native Alaskans who take marine mammals for subsistence. Our 

 staffs have been working on amendments that will solve some of 

 the problems identified by the native community. However, we 

 must all recognize the bottom line, which is that the right of Alas- 

 kan natives to harvest marine mammals for subsistence should not 

 be taken away by Congress, or taken away by any agency. 



The other issue we will address today is that of public display 

 of marine mammals. My good friend just talked about that. I 

 thought we had resolved this problem in 1988. Unfortunately, the 

 National Marine Fisheries Services has taken 5 years to produce 

 two hundred pages of regulations that only make the problem 

 worse. The zoos and aquariums of this country perform a valuable 

 role in educating the public on marine mammal problems. They as- 

 sist stranded marine mammals and nurse them back to health. 

 They work on protecting endangered species. 



I want to make clear that I intend to support our nation's zoos 

 and aquariums for letting them continue the good work they have 

 done. 



Mr. Chairman, I work very closely with the groups that display 

 these mammals, especially from Alaska who are after the orca 

 whale. I finally won that permit and now after they decided it was 

 unwise to try to capture wild animals, they proceeded to have these 

 animals give birth to new ones within their aquariums. Along 

 comes NMFS, these aren't yours, these are ours. This is govern- 

 ment stupidity at the highest degree. And I hope we can look at 

 these regulations and try to express our dissatisfaction on what 

 they are trying to do with units that do protect the marine mam- 

 mals and provide for the public on an educational basis. This is a 

 classic example that the government cannot do what is correct, I 

 don't think at any one time. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Studds. Are there other members who are compelled to 

 make an opening statement 



Mr. Ortiz. I would just like to include my statement for the 

 record, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Studds. Without objection. Are there others? 



[Statement of Mr. Ortiz follows:] 



Statement of Hon. Solomon P. Ortiz, a U.S. Representative from Texas, and 

 Chairman, Subcommittee on Oceanography, Gulf of Mexico, and the Outer 

 Continental Shelf 



I want to thank the Chairman for holding this hearing today to examine how the 

 Marine Mammal Protection Act can be reauthorized in a manner that can best en- 

 sure the welfare and safety of marine mammals within a regulatory framework that 

 properly represents the legitimate interests of the public display and scientific com- 

 munities. 



Anyone who has had the opportunity to observe a dolphin, sea lion, or manatee 

 in the wild or at a zoo or aquatic park can recognize both their ecological and aes- 

 thetic value. Like many of the other members of this Committee, I believe that we 



