529 



its own because of protection granted by the government including restrictions 

 on hunting by the aboriginals. 



The West Indian manatee once occurred throughout the Caribbean. Presently 

 it exists only in relict and fragmented populations. The Florida race is now well 

 protected, but elsewhere it is frequently the hunter's target. The Amazonian 

 manatee has been seriously reduc-ed and is still in a state of decline. The West 

 African manatee declines and is splitting into isolated relict populations. 



The sea otter is the object of considerable controversy in California where the 

 abalone fishermen want to be allowed to kill them. The sea otter eats abalone. 

 Once thought to be extinct in California it was rediscovered and the population 

 has increased. 



The sea lion is not listed in the various rare and endangered lists. 



The polar bear has been reduced to an estimated world population of 10,000. 

 In Russia the bear receives absolute protection. In Canada and the United 

 States the i>olar bear is hunted by the Eskimo for food and for commercial 

 gain and by trophy hunters. Recent estimates are as high as 1250 killed in 

 1968. Expansion of commercial oil and related operations in the Arctic threaten 

 the polar bear's habitat and increase the hunting pressure. The Eskimo kill in- 

 creases because of the increase in the Eskimo population. 



Charles Jonkel of the Canadian Wildlife Ser\ice has reported that the James 

 Bay and southern Hudson Bay bears are abundant and increasing while the 

 high Arctic populations may be declining. The bears do not normally move from 

 one region to another. The bears tend to prefer specific denning areas which 

 can be destroyed by human activities. 



Porpoises and dolphins are not currently listed on rare or endangered lists 

 although they are frequently killed. A reported 250,000 porpoises are destroyed 

 yearly by American tuna fishermen who catch them in their nets. The other 

 major tuna fishery countries, do not report the number killed. 



In North America we have managed to exterminate two species of marine 

 mammal, the sea mink which was last seen on the Coast of Maine about 1860 

 and the Steller's sea cow which was last seen at Bering Island about 1768. The 

 lUCN reports a 1962 unconfirmed sighting of 6 near Cape Navarin. 



The Sierra Club urges these further modifications of H.R. 10420 : 



1. The definition of the term "take" should be amended to e:xclude the phrase, 

 ". . . but such term does not include the taking of marine mammals which occurs 

 as an incident to commercial fishing operations." Inclusion of this phrase opens 

 the door for the abalone fishermen to legalize their vendetta against sea otter. It 

 permits the tuna fishermen to continue to use methods which result in the loss of 

 over 250,000 iX)rpoises per year. 



2. Section 107(a) exempts Indians, Aleuts and Eskimos on the coasts of the 

 North Pacific or Arctic Oceans from the restrictive provisions of this l^islation 

 if the taking of marine mammals is does solely in accordance with customary 

 traditions as an adjunct of the native culture. This blanket exemption does not 

 allow for consideration of the fact that some populations cannot withstand the 

 increasing pressure of hunting by these native groups. The restrictions provided 

 in this legislation should apply to all Indians, Aleuts and Eskimos when the 

 Secretary determines that a population is l>eing hunted to a point beyond which it 

 can replace itself. 



3. The three member Marine Mammal Commission should be required to have 

 as a condition of membership for two of the members, the stipulation that the 

 individual nominated must not have any interest either directly or indirectly in 

 the conmiercial exploitation of marine mammals either at time of nomination 

 or in tlie past The same stipulation should apply to at least five of the nine 

 members of the Committee of Scientific Advisors on Marine Mammals. 



Statement of William E. Towell, Executive Vice President, the American 



Forestry Association 



Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, I am William E. ToweU, 

 Executive Vice President of The American Forestry Association, one of the na- 

 tion's oldest and largest conservation organizations with a concern for all of 

 the world's natural resources. I welcome this invitation to comment briefly on 

 legislation so important to the welfare of ocean mammals throughout the world. 



This legislation under consideration here today goes much deeper than pro- 

 tection of ocean mammals themselves. None of us, I am sure, would favor any- 

 thing except the best possible management, protection and use of these great 



