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.