04/09/2012 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

                  HJR 26-SEA OTTER MANAGEMENT                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:37:44 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR  WAGONER  announced  consideration   of  HJR  26  [CSHJR
(RES)am was before the committee].                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PEGGY  WILSON,  sponsor  of  HJR  26,  said  this                                                               
resolution  was presented  last week  and Co-chair  Wagoner asked                                                               
what had happened  when it was heard in the  House Committee. She                                                               
said that out  of 11 testimonies, 8 were in  support and 3 animal                                                               
activists  didn't like  it. Initially,  Native  leaders had  some                                                               
concerns about the third resolve  clause regarding the use of sea                                                               
otter pelts  and she worked  with Sealaska to rewrite  that. Most                                                               
of  the testifiers  agreed that  a plan  is needed  to deal  with                                                               
increase  in sea  otter  problem. That  is  what this  resolution                                                               
does.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  P.  WILSON  said   she  was  not  advocating  any                                                               
particular  solution,  but   rather  encouraging  stakeholders  -                                                               
state, federal,  Native peoples and the  public - to come  to the                                                               
table to find a solution.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:39:38 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  FRENCH said  he  heard  from some  people  that this  is                                                               
predator control for sea otters.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE P.  WILSON said she  hadn't heard that at  all and                                                               
that was not the intent.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH said subsistence use  is the only direct reference                                                               
he saw for harvesting on page 3, line 28.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON added that  now only Natives can harvest                                                               
pelts and sell  them and they want to change  the definition only                                                               
so they can have a niche market.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  WAGONER  asked if  a  person  could legally  harvest  a                                                               
certain number of sea otters.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON replied there is no set number.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:42:04 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN  moved to report  CSHJR 26(RES)am,  version D.A,                                                               
from committee to the next  committee of referral with individual                                                               
recommendations and attached fiscal note.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI remarked that he  had also received a number                                                               
of messages of concern about predator control.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  P. WILSON  said she  hadn't heard  an inkling  of                                                               
that thought; it was never mentioned.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  WAGONER removed  his objection  and finding  no further                                                               
objection  announced  that  CSHJR  26(RES)am  moved  from  Senate                                                               
Resources Standing Committee.