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gest the establishment of a research program to determine if such harvest levels 

 can be continued indefinitely. If present harvest levels are excessively high, it is 

 recommended that limited quotas be established for villages, and more efficient 

 harvest methods be developed to assure 100 per cent recovery of all whales 

 "struck." 



Beluga whales, which are widespread in many of Alaska's territorial wat- 

 ers, including some rivers, are essentially a resident species. Some belugas 

 are harvested by Eskimos each year for food. The Alaska Department of Fish 

 and Game have been concerned with predation of belugas on downstream 

 migrating salmon. A technique has been developed whereby recordings of killer 

 whale vocalizations are used to drive belugas away from salmon migration 

 routes. Because belugas are basically a resident species, are also an Eskimo 

 subsistence item, and prey on salmon, it is recommended that they continue 

 to be managed by the State of Alaska. 



While the State of Alaska recognizes that the manatee is an endangered 

 species in need of protection, it is also a resident species within several states. 

 As such, these animals should be properly under state jurisdiction, if so de- 

 sired by the states in question. At present the state and federal governments 

 provide complete protection to manatees. Therefore, H.R. 10420 would provide 

 little additional protection for these animals. 



SKA. OTTEES, SEA LIONS, AND LAND-BREEDING HARBOR SEALS 



Certain marine mammal species are essentially resident in Alaska and its 

 territorial waters. These include the sea otter, Steller's sea lion and land-breed- 

 ing harbor seals. These species breed and pup on land or close in-shore, are not 

 migratory, and spend the majority of their time either on land or within state 

 territorial waters. Virtually all hunting of these species in the past has been 

 conducted either on land or in the waters of Alaska. 



These non-migratory species, like most land mammals, are not now and 

 should not in the future be subject to federal control. The rights of the respec- 

 tive states to manage and utilize resident species is a precedent of long standing. 

 This right has been reaffirmed by the "Alaska Statehood Act" and the "Sub- 

 merged Lands Act." 



None of these resident species are endangered, and all are under intensive 

 study and management by the State of Alaska. Sea otters, once severely reduced 

 in numbers have continued to increase under state jurisdiction and recent ex- 

 tensive transplants have reintroduced sea otters into much of their previous 

 range. Certain populations of sea otter, primarily in the western-Aleutian Is- 

 lands, have exceeded the optimum carrying capacity of their habitat and are 

 presently subjected to high rates of natural mortality. These populations are 

 capable of sustaining a limited annual harvest, for transplants, scientific use, or 

 sale of products, and such a reduction in their numbers is frequently desirable. 



Land-breeding harbor seals and sea lions, both the subject of former predator 

 control programs, are now protected by seasons and limits. Commercial harvest 

 of these species is regulated on a day to day basis by biologists at the various 

 harvest locations. Both species are abundant and regional harvest levels are 

 below the rate of natural recruitment to the populations. 



NORTHERN FUR SEALS 



Fur seals are managed by the federal government under "The Fur Seal Act." 

 While the State of Alaska is not directly involved in the management of this 

 species, it has a definite interest in the continuation of this wise and successful 

 management program. 



House Bill 10420 and the other related bills imply that an examination of 

 the present fur seal program may show that harvesting should be curtailed or 

 stopped on the basis of public opposition alone. This program has been reviewed 

 continually by groups both inside and out.side the federal government. These 

 reviews have considered the humaneness of hars-est methods, and the effects 

 of these harvests on the fur seal population. We believe the present program is 

 an excellent example of successftil and intensive species management, based upon 

 the application of sound biological information. Through this program the Pri- 

 bilof seal herd has increased from approximately 200,000 animals during the 

 early 1900's to its present optimum level of 1.3 million. It now sustains an aver- 

 age annual hars-est of 50.000 seals. 



House Bill 10420 offers, at best, a questionable future for the preservation of 

 fur seals as a species. Termination of "The Fur Seal Act" could cause the United 



