Saving Seafood

Otter fans float plan to bring sea otters back to Oregon coast

November 16, 2018 — It’s been more than a century since sea otters were hunted to near extinction along the U.S. West Coast. The cute animals were successfully reintroduced along the Washington, British Columbia and California coasts, but an attempt to bring them back to Oregon in the early 1970s failed.

Now a new nonprofit has formed to try again.

“For about 110 years now, there’s been a big hole in our environment,” said Peter Hatch, a Siletz tribal member living in Corvallis. “The sea otter has been is missing from the Oregon coast.”

Hatch recently joined the board of a new nonprofit dedicated to bringing the sea otter back to Oregon waters. The group is named the Elakha Alliance — “elakha” is the Clatsop-Chinookan word for sea otter.

Read the full story at Jefferson Public Radio

Alaska: Sea otter resolution gets first hearing in Senate committee

March 16, 2018 — A Senate committee heard Monday from supporters and opponents of state involvement in the management of sea otters in Southeast Alaska.

The Senate Resources Committee held its first hearing on Senate Joint Resolution 13, which calls on the federal government to allow the state or a Native organization to co-manage the rebounding marine mammals and seek ways to increase harvest of otters.

“We’re urging the federal agencies to work with state, Native and local leaders to establish a sea otter management plan to protect the shellfish resources and subsistence availability,” said Sitka Republican committee member Bert Stedman, who sponsored the resolution.

Once nearly hunted to extinction in the region, otters are protected under federal law.

Only coastal Alaska Natives are allowed to hunt them and sell products made from pelts.

The resolution calls on Congress to change the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow expanded use of those pelts.

The measure also urges the transfer of otter management to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game or National Marine Fisheries Service.

Commercial fishing organizations and municipalities have called for the changes to slow the increase in Southeast’s otters because of their impact on shellfish and other sea food.

Commercial sea cucumber diver Stephanie Jurries of Craig told of a rapid loss of fishing areas on the western shore of Prince of Wales Island.

Read the full story at KTOO

 

ALASKA: Petersburg assembly joins call for increased sea otter harvest

March 12, 2018 — Petersburg’s borough assembly this month joined the call for measures to slow a growing population of sea otters in Southeast, as the marine mammals are impacting shellfish stocks.

The assembly passed a resolution at its March 5th meeting calling for the federal government to work with the State of Alaska and Alaska Native tribes to establish strategies for an ecological balance of shellfish resources and the reintroduced sea otters.

The municipal government sought input on the problem and received letters from commercial fishing organizations like the Petersburg Vessels Owners Association, United Southeast Alaska Gillnetters and the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association. Those letters call for measures to increase the harvest of otters and allowances for expanded use of their pelts by coastal Alaska Natives. Sea otters are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and only coastal Alaska Natives are allowed to hunt them and sell products made from otter pelts.

Petersburg assembly member Eric Castro was convinced to pass the resolution in support of changes to otter management. “All the letters written to this point have been very compelling by all the individuals and groups and I sincerely hope that our federal officials take note on our comments,” Castro said.

Read the full story at KFSK