H-4083.1  _______________________________________________

                     HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4023

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Representatives Buck, Doumit, Sump, Regala, G. Chandler, Anderson, Ericksen, Rockefeller, Clements, Stensen, Eickmeyer, Lovick, Edwards, O'Brien, Linville, Parlette, Mulliken, Dickerson, Conway, Mitchell, Wolfe, Edmonds, Veloria, Santos, Skinner and Kagi

Read first time 01/21/2000.  Referred to Committee on Natural Resources.

Requesting federal support for Washington's efforts toward salmon recovery.

    TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES, AND TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, The state of Washington has embarked on a major salmon recovery effort as reflected in significant legislation enacted in 1998 and 1999; and

    WHEREAS, The state of Washington has formulated a state-wide strategy to recover salmon that recognizes predation by marine mammals as one factor hindering the recovery of salmon; and

    WHEREAS, The state of Washington has spent and is prepared to spend millions of dollars to protect and restore salmon populations; and

    WHEREAS, The state of Washington is aggressively pursuing salmon recovery through a comprehensive undertaking in partnerships with federal agencies, Indian tribal nations, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and others; and

    WHEREAS, The national marine fisheries service has listed under the federal endangered species act a number of salmon species that live in evolutionarily significant units within Washington state; and

    WHEREAS, Predation by pinnipeds throughout Washington inland and coastal waters is widely viewed as a significant issue for recovery of listed fish species; and

    WHEREAS, The federal marine mammal protection act of 1972, as amended in 1994, has proven ineffective in managing harbor seal and California sea lion predation on salmonids; and

    WHEREAS, Washington's efforts toward salmon recovery, while addressing nearly all the factors that have led to the decline of salmon, cannot currently, because of federal law, effectively address pinniped predation; and

    WHEREAS, Public confidence and support of Washington's salmon recovery efforts will be diminished unless the interaction among harbor seals, California sea lions and salmonid populations is better understood and site-specific conflicts are addressed;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that Congress pass legislation that amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, to be responsive to the recommendations of the national marine fisheries service as contained in their report submitted in 1999 to Congress:  "Impacts of California Sea Lions and Pacific Harbor Seals on Salmonids and West Coast Ecosystems."

    Congress is further urged to:

    (1) Continue funding joint federal and state research on pinniped interaction with salmonids, especially site-specific investigations to determine the significance of pinniped predation on adult and juvenile salmonids for stock recovery, and to develop a cohesive ocean resources conservation plan that balances protection of both pinnipeds and salmonids; and

    (2) As recommended by the national marine fisheries service, grant at least limited management authority for state and federal agencies to remove pinnipeds preying on listed fish stocks at areas of restricted fish passage.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United States, the United States House of Representatives Committee on Resources, the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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