31 



I would be glad to put this in the record if you like, Mr. Chair- 

 man. 



Senator Kerry. Without objection, we will put it in the record. 

 [The information referred to follows:] 



[Kodiak Daily Mirror, June 14, 1993] 



Sea Otter Revival Spurs Efforts To Renew Trade in Pelts 



(By Ian Mader — Associated Press Writer) 



Juneau, Alaska cAP*) — The remarkable comeback of Alaska's sea otters and a fed- 

 eral court ruling may spark a revival of trade in otter pelts not seen since the ani- 

 mals were hunted to near extinction a century, ago. 



Alaska Natives, the only people allowed to hunt otters under federal law, have 

 been harvesting growing numbers in Southeast Alaska. They are trying to develop 

 worldwide markets for otter products — from blankets to sex organs. 



The spurt in hunting follows a federal court decision that broadly defined the sea- 

 otter products Natives can make and sell. Federal law still bans the sale of raw 

 pelts. They must be altered into handicrafts for sale, but what constitutes alteration 

 remains unclear. 



Conservationists and tour-boat operators say too many otters are being killed. 

 Some accuse a handful of Natives of violating the law's intent by trying to export 

 pelts that have been minimally altered. 



The state Department of Fish and Game, commercial fishermen and Natives say 

 the growing otter population poses a nuisance in Southeast. The otters, estimated 

 up to 10,000 in the region, compete with fishermen for abalone, sea urchins and 

 other shellfish. 



They're out there multiplying as fast as rabbits," said Embert James, a Tlingit 

 Indian and commercial fisherman from Ketchikan. 



"First we had white fishermen taking all our seafood, now we have the sea otters, 

 who are even more dangerous. Gee, when they eat two-thirds of their weight in sea- 

 food a day, that's a lot of sea-food." 



Southeast's sea urchin population was reduced by about two thirds in the past 

 year, and Fish and Game biologists attribute most of the decrease to otters. 



Doug Woody, a state fisheries biologist, said Fish and Game will close the sea ur- 

 chin fishery in Sitka Sound next year because of the effect of sea otters. 



Tony DeGange, a sea otter expert with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said 

 about 750 otters have been reported killed by Native hunters so far this year. In 

 recent years, hunts have averaged about 200. Most of the hunting is being done out 

 of Sitka, Hoonah and Ketchikan. 



No state or federal agency can regulate the Native hunts unless the statewide 

 population of sea otters is threatened. The Fish and Wildlife Service tags and keeps 

 data on harvested otters. It has taken no position yet on whether the hunts need 

 to be limited. 



James said he and his brothers have spent up to $150,000 on phone calls and 

 travel to Asia and Europe to market otter products. 



"We just have to get the product samples there to let them look at," he said. "We 

 could make coats out of them, we could make shawls, we could make dancing blan- 

 kets." 



Tlingit William Pfeifer of Ketchikan helped set up Alaska Native Fur Products in 

 December to sell sea-otter products to tourists from cruise ships. 



"I think that we can develop an industry that the Natives can benefit from, both 

 economically and culturally," Pfeifer said. 



Natives from Southeast villages hope to come up with a management plan that 

 determines the harvest level at which the otter population can be sustained, he said. 

 Fish and Wildlife also is doing a count of sea otters in Southeast and planning a 

 management plan of its own. 



DeGange held meetings in Southeast villages earlier this year to explain to Na- 

 tives their hunting rights, the court decision, and the threat the otter surge is pos- 

 ing to seafood harvests. 



T guess Fish and Wildlife was kind of implying to us to go out and harvest these 

 animals," Pfeifer said. "My concern is that the Natives don't get set up in this whole 

 thing. My role has been to keep track of the legality of this." 



DeGange said he did not urge Natives to do large-scale bunging, and has recently 

 sent letters asking them to limit their hunts until after the agency completes its 

 census this sununer. 



"We asked hunters to cool their heels, to be conservative," he said. 



