[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN HONOR OF SEA OTTER AWARENESS WEEK

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                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 20, 2012

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the 10th 
Annual Sea Otter Awareness Week, September 23-29, 2012 sponsored by 
Friends of the Sea Otter located in my congressional district. This 
week-long event highlights one of the most iconic species in California 
and the integral role they play in the near-shore marine ecosystem and 
draws public attention to sea otters and the conservation issues they 
face.
  We all know that sea otter recovery has been met with challenges and 
sea otter populations remain threatened. Each day, research is 
uncovering additional causes of sea otter population declines. As a 
keystone species, sea otters hold the entire kelp forest ecosystem 
together, and as a bellwether species, they are an important indicator 
of the health of the marine environment. The decline of southern sea 
otters off of the California coast not only impacts the species itself, 
but also affects other marine populations and the surrounding 
ecosystems. The demise of sea otters allows their prey, sea urchins, to 
proliferate unchecked--leading to the alarming overgrazing of kelp 
beds, which function as critical nursery grounds for many marine 
animals, and also help to sequester CO2. Recent research has 
shown that spreading kelp can absorb as much as 12 times the 
CO2 from the atmosphere than would an urchin dominated 
system.
  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should be commended for their 
efforts in the recovery of the southern sea otter. Termination of the 
translocation program, allowing sea otters expansion into southern 
Californian waters, is a critical step along that path to recovery. I 
am concerned that language in the House version of the FY13 NDAA 
contains language that would impede the termination of this failed 
program and those flawed sections of the bill must be removed.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud the many accomplishments of Friends of the Sea 
Otter and other non-profit environmental organizations that work on 
southern sea otter recovery in the Monterey Bay region. The Monterey 
Bay Aquarium, researchers, fishermen, state and federal agencies, 
schools, and many other institutions and individuals devote tremendous 
time and resources to protect and recover the southern California sea 
otter. Sea Otter Awareness Week is just one of their many activities 
geared towards honoring and saving this species, and I am proud to be 
associated with this vital work.

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