35 



measures", and H.R. 6804, a similar bill "to require the Secretary of the Interior 

 to make a comprehensive study of the polar bear, seal, walrus, and cetaceans 

 for the purpose of developing adequate conservation measures". 



We recommend the enactment of H.R. 690, if amended as suggested herein. 



H.R. 690 would direct the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with the 

 States, to conduct a comprehensive four-year study of the polar bear and the 

 walrus for the purpose of developing measures adequate to assure conservation 

 of these species on the high seas. A final report of the study, together with rec- 

 ommendations for further action, would be made through the President to the 

 Congress no later than January 1, 1976. The factors to be studied would include 

 distribution, migration, and current populations, as well as the effects of hunt- 

 ing, disease and food shortages. To fund these studies, there would be authorized 

 an annual appropriation of $100,000 for fiscal years 1972-1975. 



H.R. 6804 would provide similar authority for studies of seals and cetaceans, 

 in addition to the polar bear and walrus, and require that such studies consider 

 the need for "humane treatment in all cases". nr^ntw 



As the Committee is aware. Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970 (84 Stat. 2090) 

 transferred to the Department of Commerce "all functions vested by law in the 

 Bureau of Commercial Fisheries . . . together with all functions vested by law 

 in the Secretary of the Interior which are administered through that Bureau or 

 are primarily related to the Bureau". Thus, our Bureau of Sport Fisheries and 

 Wildlife has retained primary Federal responsibility for the polar bear, walrus 

 and sea otter. For reasons discussed in our report on H.R. 10420, including the 

 consolidation of program authorities anticipated by this Administration's pro- 

 posal for establishment of a Department of Natural Resources, we recommend 

 against assignment to this Department of responsibility for those species of 

 marine mammals, other than polar bear and walrus, identified by H.R. 6804. 



Pursuant to the general authority for wildlife research contained in the Fish 

 and Wildlife Act of 1956 (70 Stat. 1119; 16 U.S.C. 742a et seq.), this Department, 

 in cooperation with interested States and other Federal agencies, has already 

 undertaken studies of the polar bear, walrus, and sea otter not unlike those 

 contemplated by H.R. 690. Within limits prescribed by the availability of funds, 

 personnel of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife have sought to obtain 

 information about the polar bear, walrus and sea otter that could help to assure 

 their preservation within an increasingly hostile environment. 



Cooperative wildlife research units in Oregon, Alaska and Arizona have 

 initiated studies of the sea otter, which include an evaluation of attempts to 

 introduce sea otters along the Oregon coast, the ecology and behavior of sea 

 otters in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and an investigation of the effects upon 

 sea otters of natural and imposed stresses at the nuclear test site, Amchitka, 

 Alaska. Current research on the walrus is confined to surveys in the Bering Sea, 

 where aerial reconnaisance has revealed certain patterns of distribution, and 

 that ice conditions influence abundance. The growing scarcity of the ribbon seal 

 and previous experience with walrus depletion indicate that additional research 

 will be needed as the basis for conservation in international waters. 



In recognition of the need for reliable information upon which to base a man- 

 agement program, the Department published in 1959 a preliminary study con- 

 cerning the status of the polar bear. In 1965, the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and 

 Wildlife convened the first international meeting devoted to conservation of this 

 great white Arctic bear. Current studies by a Bureau biologist, working in con- 

 junction with a colleague from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and 

 wildlife biologists representing Canada, Denmark, Norway and the Soviet Union, 

 have resulted in an accurate assessment of the Arctic harvest. A reliable esti- 

 mate of the regional population remains diflScult to obtain, however, due to 

 sparse distribution of the individual animals, shortness of the season for field 

 work, and the frequency of violent weather. 



Enactment of H.R. 690 would provide specific authority to extend the scope 

 of those studies now being conducted and a realistic deadline for their comple- 

 tion. The knowledge gained prior to submission of a final report in 1976 should 

 enable this Department, and the Congress, to implement a sound program for 

 the conservation and management of these species. Because it is difficult to esti- 

 mate in advance the annual cost of such studies, and because the extent of re- 

 search required may not be known until completion of preliminary studies, we 

 suggest deletion of the limit on annual appropriations contained in section 2 of 

 H R 690 



We recommend, further, that H.R. 690 be amended to vest in the Secretary- 

 authority to regulate the taking by American nationals of polar bear and walrus 



