536 



It would seem that in spite of the official stand of the Canadian Government, 

 which supports the baby seal clubbing festival, a majority of Canadians would 

 favour legislation anywhere that would help eliminate the world's bloodiest and 

 most cruel hunt. 



American Society of Mammalogists, 



September 17, 1971. 

 Hon. John D. Dingell, 



Chairman, Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation, U.S. House of 

 Representatives, Longivorth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 



Dear Congressman Dingell : I wish to thank you for your invitation to com- 

 ment on the relative merits of two of the bills relating to marine mammals pend- 

 ing before the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, namely H.R. 7556 

 (Ocean Mammal Protection Act of 1971) and H.R. 10420 (Marine Mammal Pro- 

 tection Act of 1971). The authors and supporters of both bills are to be com- 

 mended for their awareness of the ecological, scientific, and esthetic importance 

 of marine mammals and for their efforts to further insure the protection of these 

 valuable ceatures. 



Comparing the two bills, it is my opinion that H.R. 10420 is the better. H.R. 

 7556 is overly restrictive and narrower in concept. In advocating an absolute 

 ban on the taking of all marine mammals except for use by Indians and Eskimos 

 and scientific purposes, H.R. 7556 ignores the fact t'hat proper management based 

 on thorough biological knowledge of the species and sound ecological principles 

 can provide a harvestable surplus of animals for man's u.se without detriment 

 to the population. The success of this approach has been well demonstrated in 

 the case of certain marine mammals, notably the Alaskan fur seal. Without 

 some economic incentive, it is doubtful if in such cases the federal government 

 would have been willing to invest t'he money for the basic research on the 

 biology and ecology of these species necessary for their wise management nor as 

 vigorously pursued international agreements to regulate the harvesting of the 

 surplus population. On an even broader basis, much basic environmental knowl- 

 edge and preservation of natural areas benefiting game as well as nongame wild- 

 life has come about as a direct result of interest in sport hunting and fishing. 

 This idea is well expressed in the enclosed copy of a resolution passed by the 

 American Society of Mammalogists at its last annual meeting (June 1971) at 

 Vancouver, Canada. Although increased public appreciation of wildlife for its 

 basic ecological importance and esthetic value may eventually replace sportsmen 

 interest in protecting wild species and habitats, sporting activities and economic 

 considerations will probably continue for some time in the future as very im- 

 portant forces for conservation. 



Another drawback of H.R. 7556 would seem to be that in terminating such 

 international agreements as the existing International Convention for the Con- 

 servation of the North Pacific Fur Seals, it would be exposing these species to the 

 type of ruthless exploitation that originally threatened their survival. Judging 

 from conditions in the whale industry, without some economic incentive it is 

 unlikely that some countries with vested economic interest in marine mammals 

 would readily enter into international agreements involving complete protection 

 of all species irregardless of their present status and potential for management. 



In addition to the fatt that it takes a broader and more reasonable approach 

 to the conservation of marine mammal stocks, 1 prefer H.R. 10420 because of its 

 proposal to establish an independent three-man Marine Mammal Commission to 

 oversee the entire program. It appears to me that this administrative setup will 

 provide for valuable input from the scientific community and other interested 

 sectors of our population and remove some of the decision-making functions 

 from mission-oriented agencies. Hopefully, this committee will provide additional 

 support and stimulus for increased research on the basic biology of marine 

 mammal species. At present, we simply do not 'have sufficient in-depth informa- 

 tion on particular species or stocks to assess their status and make intelligent 

 recommendations for management. 



I should like to emphasize that the above remarks represent my personal views. 

 However, at its annual meeting last June. The American Society of Mammalo- 

 gists passed a resolution (copy enclosed) urging that any legislation relating to 

 marine mammals should incorporate the philosophy of rational management 

 where applicable rather than blanket prohibition of utilization. 



Yours sincerely, 



James N. Layne, President. 



