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For Immediate Release
Governor Schwarzenegger Signs California Sea Otter Bill
SACRAMENTO -- Today at the California and World Ocean Conference 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger announced the signing of a bill that would add much needed protections to the federally threatened California sea otter. AB 2485, jointly authored by Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) and John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), would improve protections for the sea otter from water pollution, disease and illegal killings.
"We applaud Governor Schwarzenegger for signing this bill and helping improve water quality for sea otters and the people who fish and swim along California’s coast," stated Jim Curland, Marine Program Associate for Defenders of Wildlife.
The southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis), which prior to the fur trade numbered between 15,000 and 17,000 in California, with a range throughout California’s coastal waters, faces a myriad of obstacles to recovery.
Unfortunately, while the southern sea otter has rebounded from a low of 50-300 animals in the late 1930s, to a population averaging 2,500 over the last couple of years, the rate of sea otter recovery has slowed considerably and, in the last seven of ten years, the sea otter population has failed to increase. Oil spills, interaction with fisheries gear, habitat degradation, and food resource limitation remain threats to sea otter conservation. Of particular concern to sea otter researchers is the percentage of sea otters dying from pollution-related illness.
"AB 2485 is an important bill for sea otter recovery in California," said Jim Curland. "This bill is the first legislative effort to address the growing problem of sea otters dying from pollution-related illness and Governor Schwarzenegger has began the steps to address this by signing into law this critical piece of legislation."
AB 2485, introduced in February, addresses threats to sea otters by changing cat litter packaging to encourage landfilling of cat litter and therefore reducing the levels of a deadly parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, in wastewater released in coastal waters. This bill would also facilitate a research program, administered through the California Coastal Conservancy, to study sea otter mortality from non-point source pollution, and treatment technologies for pathogens affecting sea otter mortality. Additionally, the bill would create a fund that the California Department of Fish and Game can access so that all game wardens can work on sea otter issues, as well as establish a tax check off benefiting sea otter research and protection. Lastly, the bill would increase fines and penalties for illegal taking or killing of sea otters to up to $25,000 for each sea otter, raising it to equal federal fines and penalties.
"There has been a tremendous collaboration among scientists, marine institutions, universities, and the environmental community to move forward with efforts to pass the bill," said Jim Curland. "It is imperative that we increase protections and scientific research into the threats facing California sea otters if we want to understand what is happening to their population. That’s how we’ll get the sea otter back on the road to recovery and safeguard California’s coastal waters."
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Defenders of Wildlife is a member of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement, or CARE -- a broad coalition of 21 diverse wildlife, sporting, conservation, and scientific organizations that represent a national constituency numbering more than 5 million, Recognizing the value of a healthy Refuge System to both the wildlife and habitats refuges were established to protect, CARE, highlights the needs of national wildlife refuges and works to secure strong investments in these remarkable lands and waters.
