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H.R. 2693, A BILL TO REAU- THORIZE THE MARINE MAM- MAL PROTECTION ACT OF 1972 LEGISLATIVE HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES CONSERVATION, WILDLIFE AND OCEANS OF THE COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION Thursday, July 24, 2003 Serial No. 108-46 Printed for the use of the Committee on Resources ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/house or Committee address: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 88-531 PS WASHINGTON : 2003 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:24 Jan 05, 2004 Jkt 088533 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 J:\DOCS\88531.TXT HRESOUR1 PsN: KATHY COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES RICHARD W. POMBO, California, Chairman NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia, Ranking Democrat Member Don Young, Alaska Dale E. Kildee, Michigan W.J. ‘‘Billy’’ Tauzin, Louisiana Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American Samoa Jim Saxton, New Jersey Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii Elton Gallegly, California Solomon P. Ortiz, Texas John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee Frank Pallone, Jr., New Jersey Wayne T. Gilchrest, Maryland Calvin M. Dooley, California Ken Calvert, California Donna M. Christensen, Virgin Islands Scott McInnis, Colorado Ron Kind, Wisconsin Barbara Cubin, Wyoming Jay Inslee, Washington George Radanovich, California Grace F. Napolitano, California Walter B. Jones, Jr., North Carolina Tom Udall, New Mexico Chris Cannon, Utah Mark Udall, Colorado John E. Peterson, Pennsylvania Anı´bal Acevedo-Vila´, Puerto Rico Jim Gibbons, Nevada, Brad Carson, Oklahoma Vice Chairman Rau´ l M. Grijalva, Arizona Mark E. Souder, Indiana Dennis A. Cardoza, California Greg Walden, Oregon Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Guam Thomas G. Tancredo, Colorado George Miller, California J.D. Hayworth, Arizona Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Tom Osborne, Nebraska Rube´n Hinojosa, Texas Jeff Flake, Arizona Ciro D. Rodriguez, Texas Dennis R. Rehberg, Montana Joe Baca, California Rick Renzi, Arizona Betty McCollum, Minnesota Tom Cole, Oklahoma Stevan Pearce, New Mexico Rob Bishop, Utah Devin Nunes, California Randy Neugebauer, Texas Steven J. Ding, Chief of Staff Lisa Pittman, Chief Counsel James H. Zoia, Democrat Staff Director Jeffrey P. Petrich, Democrat Chief Counsel SUBCOMMITTE ON FISHERIES CONSERVATION, WILDLIFE AND OCEANS WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland, Chairman FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey, Ranking Democrat Member Don Young, Alaska Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American Samoa W.J. ‘‘Billy’’ Tauzin, Louisiana Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii Jim Saxton, New Jersey Solomon P. Ortiz, Texas Mark E. Souder, Indiana Ron Kind, Wisconsin Walter B. Jones, Jr., North Carolina Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Guam Randy Neugebauer, Texas Nick J. Rahall II, West Virginia, ex officio Richard W. Pombo, California, ex officio (II) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:24 Jan 05, 2004 Jkt 088533 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 J:\DOCS\88531.TXT HRESOUR1 PsN: KATHY CONTENTS Page Hearing held on Thursday, July 24, 2003 ............................................................. 1 Statement of Members: Gilchrest, Hon. Wayne T., a Representative in Congress from the State of Maryland ................................................................................................... 1 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 2 Pallone, Hon. Frank, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey ............................................................................................... 3 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 4 Rahall, Hon. Nick J. II, a Representative in Congress from the State of West Virginia, Prepared statement of .................................................... 11 Statement of Witnesses: Cottingham, David, Executive Director, Marine Mammal Commission ...... 29 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 30 Response to questions submitted for the record ..................................... 154 Hayes, Robert G., General Counsel, Coastal Conservation Association ...... 69 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 71 Johnson, Charlie, Executive Director, Alaska Nanuuq Commission ........... 79 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 80 Jones, Marshall, Deputy Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior ........................................................................... 22 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 24 Response to questions submitted for the record ..................................... 101 Lent, Dr. Rebecca, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Department of Commerce ........ 13 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 15 Response to questions submitted for the record ..................................... 110 Steuer, Karen, Senior Policy Advisor, National Environmental Trust ........ 72 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 74 Response to questions submitted for the record ..................................... 128 Tyack, Dr. Peter, Senior Scientist and Walter A. and Hope Noyes Smith Chair, Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ... 37 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 39 Response to questions submitted for the record ..................................... 132 Wells, Dr. Randall, Conservation Biologist, Chicago Zoological Society, Mote Marine Laboratory .............................................................................. 81 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 83 Response to questions submitted for the record ..................................... 141 Worcester, Peter F., Ph.D., Research Oceanographer, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego .......................... 49 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 51 Response to questions submitted for the record ..................................... 148 Zuanich, Robert, Board Member, United Fishermen of Alaska ................... 88 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 89 Additional materials supplied: Riedel, Monica, Executive Director and CEO, Alaska Native Harbor Seal Commission, Statement submitted for the record ...................................... 98 (III) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:24 Jan 05, 2004 Jkt 088533 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 J:\DOCS\88531.TXT HRESOUR1 PsN: KATHY VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:24 Jan 05, 2004 Jkt 088533 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 J:\DOCS\88531.TXT HRESOUR1 PsN: KATHY LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON H.R. 2693, A BILL TO REAUTHORIZE THE MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT OF 1972, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. Thursday, July 24, 2003 U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans Committee on Resources Washington, DC The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m., in Room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Wayne T. Gilchrest [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. Present: Representatives Gilchrest, Pallone, Abercrombie, and Kind. Also present: Representative Pombo. Mr. GILCHREST. The Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans will come to order. We want to thank all of you for coming this morning and we really look forward to the tes- timony of each and every witness for us to try to find some realistic consensus on the problems of the issue of marine mammals. STATEMENT OF HON. WAYNE T. GILCHREST, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MARYLAND Mr. GILCHREST. Earlier this month I introduced H.R. 2693, with Chairman Richard Pombo, to reauthorize the Marine Mammal Pro- tection Act. This bill is similar to H.R. 4781, which the Sub- committee approved last Congress. There were a few provisions that were not included in H.R. 4781: changes to the definition of harassment and to the incidental take section; language to author- ize the disentanglement of marine mammals in the stranding pro- gram; and modifications to the time lines in the take reduction team process. I think we have made good progress in H.R. 2693; however, the bill is a starting point, a product to generate discussion. To develop the language in the bill, I had meetings with scientists and agency staff to better understand our current state of knowledge, to hash out various terms proposed for the definition of harassment, and to devise a process by which scientific research can move forward in a timely manner without unnecessary and significant delays. Most (1) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:24 Jan 05, 2004 Jkt 088533 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 J:\DOCS\88531.TXT HRESOUR1 PsN: KATHY 2 recently, yesterday in fact, I met with representatives of some envi- ronmental groups to discuss their thoughts on the bill’s language. What I have found most interesting in this