Legislature(2017 - 2018)BUTROVICH 205
03/19/2018 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s): Big Game Commercial Services Board, State Assessment Review Board | |
| SJR13 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SJR 13 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SJR 13-URGING CO-MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR SEA OTTERS
3:48:09 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL called the meeting back to order and announced
consideration of SJR 13. At the first hearing on Monday, public
testimony was opened and concluded.
SENATOR COGHILL moved to adopt CSSJR 13( ), version 30-LS1408\U,
as the working document.
CHAIR GIESSEL objected for discussion purposes.
3:48:56 PM
RANDY RUARO, Chief of Staff to Senator Stedman, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, explained two changes between
version J to version U of SJR 13. On page 4, line 3, a new
resolve clause is added to urge the Secretary of the Interior to
waive the requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act to
allow the taking of sea otters in Southeast Alaska. In addition,
on page 4, lines 28 & 29, language "who is enrolled under the
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)" is add to those
Alaska Natives who would be eligible to take sea otters.
CHAIR GIESSEL, finding no further comments, removed her objected
and said CSSJR 13( ), version U, was before the committee.
3:50:11 PM
SENATOR COGHILL moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 1. On page
3, line 2, delete "either" and on page 3, line 3, delete "or to
be enrolled under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act".
CHAIR GIESSEL objected for discussion purposes.
MR. RUARO explained that the language being deleted is a
drafting error and is related to a resolve clause about relief
that the resolution is seeking. It's not current law.
CHAIR GIESSEL removed her objection, and Conceptual Amendment 1
was adopted.
3:51:34 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if ADF&G supports the resolution.
3:52:12 PM
CHRIS KRENZ, Wildlife Science Coordinator, Division of Wildlife,
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), said the department
is neutral on SJR 13.
3:53:25 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if the department had done any
research on this issue and if he believes the sea otters are
impacting the fisheries in any way.
MR. KRENZ answered that it is very clear that sea otters have a
very large impact on the ecosystem that has resulted in very low
numbers of shellfish in several areas.
SCOTT KELLEY, Director, Division of Commercial Fisheries, Alaska
Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), said they do believe that
sea otters are impacting commercial and subsistence important
species. He added that the department conducts scuba diving
surveys for three miscellaneous shellfish species: sea
cucumbers, geoduck clams, and red sea urchins, and have often
noticed sea otters preying on these creatures that are important
for commercial fisheries and subsistence. In fact, they have
closed 12 sea cucumber areas, 6 geoduck areas, and 10 red sea
urchin areas specifically because of sea otter predation.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked why the department doesn't support
the resolution with that knowledge.
MR. KELLEY answered that the department is neutral on the
resolution, but he is calling in to present the data related to
the on-topic species.
SENATOR STEDMAN asked if the department has any projections on
future impacts on the three mentioned fisheries and subsistence
access.
MR. KELLEY answered it is "very safe" to say that sea otters
will continue to expand their range in the region. It has been
well documented since their introduction. Clear that additional
areas will be closed. It's clear the additional commercial
fishing areas will be closed for these three miscellaneous
shellfish species and it's pretty clear that sea otters are
getting close to the very heart of the commercial Dungeness
fishery in the region. Once that happens that fishery will be
significantly affected.
SENATOR STEDMAN noted that the harvest level had gone down from
1,500 sea otters in the last five years to 800 and the sea otter
population is growing at 13 percent a year. So, they are not
talking about decades here, but years, before they get into the
core Dungeness fishing grounds. He said a sea otter herd is in
Duncan Canal already - quite the feasting grounds.
3:57:36 PM
SENATOR MEYER asked what preys on sea otters.
MR. KELLEY replied that killer whales are known to prey on sea
otters, particularly in the Aleutians.
MR. KRENZ added that sharks eat sea otters, too, but their
population is still growing faster than that.
SENATOR BISHOP asked if the department had completed an economic
study on the loss to the commercial Dungeness crab fleet and the
subsistence take.
3:59:31 PM
MR. KELLEY replied that the Division of Commercial Fisheries
manages the subsistence shellfish fisheries in Southeast Alaska
and they haven't closed any subsistence shellfish fisheries and
wouldn't - sea otters or not sea otters. He didn't have the
information on whether subsistence harvest had gone down
compared to Tanner 20 years. A formal economic study had not
been done on the impacts to commercial fisheries, the three
miscellaneous dive fisheries, and Dungeness crab. While they
know sea otters have a significant impact on those creatures, a
lot of other factors affect their abundance, as well. They don't
do assessments on Dungeness crab, but they do for the
miscellaneous shellfish, and large-scale environmental factors
drive their abundance, too.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI remarked that Senator Stedman could be
considered the apex predator of the sea otter. He asked what
kept sea otters in check a couple of hundred years ago and if
something changed in the ecosystem.
MR. KRENZ answered the ecosystem was very different before the
Russian fur trade started and sea otters were hunted to very low
numbers. There weren't the same invertebrate shellfish resources
available at that time. The Division of Subsistence has
information indicating that locals would hunt sea otters in
particular areas to protect clam beaches or crab areas.
CHAIR GIESSEL thanked everyone for being available to answer
questions.
4:03:10 PM
SENATOR STEDMAN closed saying it's time to take action on this
issue and try to get the additional attention of the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service informing them that coastal Alaska
particularly Southeast is having problems with the magnitude of
the growth of the sea otter population not only on the
commercial side but on the subsistence side. Many coastal
communities don't have large super markets, or daily flights, or
goods brought in to have a litany of choices for what to eat.
They actually go out onto the beach, or into the water, or up on
the hillside, and get what they can gather from Mother Nature.
They are having a severe challenge with letting the replanted
sea otters grow at an unchecked rate. It would be nice to have
sea otters all over Southeast, but at a lower level, and clearly
not to a point where they are impacting other areas of interest.
SENATOR STEDMAN noted that the tourism trade likes to watch sea
otters in the water, but there has to be a balance. He is not
looking for eradication of the sea otters, but just slowing
their growth. He said state control had been taken away, which
was not the case when the state replanted them in Southeast. Now
we have management from afar and the whole table has been turned
on us. A good Anchorage Daily News (AND) article about sea
otters had comments from U.S. Fish and wildlife indicating that
they didn't really care, and they should care about the humans
that live in Southeast and other areas of coastal Alaska.
4:07:12 PM
The management style of doing nothing after particular beaches
and areas are completely decimated will cause other critters to
be listed as endangered or threatened, too. He reminded folks
that 1995, the mouth of Glacier Bay had five or six otters and
in 2012 there was an estimated 8,000 of them. As a park, Glacier
Bay is managed differently, but if you live there and rely on
harvest, you definitely have a different opinion. That growth in
Glacier Bay is similar to other areas in the state: Prince of
Wales, South Baranov Island, and he heard a big raft of them was
next to Petersburg and ready to go into the mouth of the Stikine
River. He said we need some federal help on this issue.
4:08:33 PM
SENATOR COGHILL moved to report CSSJR 13, work order 30-
LS1408\U, as amended, from committee with individual
recommendations and attached zero fiscal note. There were no
objections CSSJR 13(RES) moved from the Senate Resources
Standing Committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Agenda - 3 - 19 - 2018 .pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
|
| Big Game Comm Serv Board - Fact Sheet - 2 - 26 - 2018.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
Appointments |
| Appointments - Resume - Bunch to Commercial Services Board.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
Appointments |
| Appointments - Resume - Westover to State Assessment Review Board.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
Appointments |
| Appointments - Fact Sheet - State Assessment Review Board - 2 - 19 - 2018 .pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
Appointments |
| CSSJR13 - Version U.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SJR 13 |
| SJR 13 - Explanation of Changes.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
SJR 13 |
| HJR13 - Supporting Document - Letter - Johnny Rice.pdf |
SRES 3/19/2018 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 13 |