
Kyle Huffman
57:04 - 57:43
"While I'm open to finding solutions to sea otter management in particular regions, this bill inappropriately shifts the response responsibility to subsistence harvest and disadvantages Alaska Native artisans who carefully process pelts into arts and handicrafts. The bill also circumvents the Indigenous Peoples Council for Marine Mammals."
“While I'm open to finding solutions to sea otter management in particular regions, this bill inappropriately shifts the response responsibility to subsistence harvest and disadvantages Alaska Native artisans who carefully process pelts into arts and handicrafts. The bill also circumvents the Indigenous Peoples Council for Marine Mammals.”
Statewide, the northern sea otter population is not at carrying capacity and it is still listed as threatened. While I'm open to finding solutions to sea otter management in particular regions, this bill inappropriately shifts the response responsibility to subsistence harvest and disadvantages Alaska Native artisans who carefully process pelts into arts and handicrafts. The bill also circumvents the Indigenous Peoples Council for Marine Mammals. I'll end on a positive note. Representative Bonamici's bill, HR 2406, the National oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvement act, is a good bill.
Federal fishery disaster relief funds approved by Congress in December 2024 remain unreleased, with NOAA officials unable to provide a timeline for when the money will reach Alaska and West Coast fishing families waiting for relief from disasters that occurred up to five years ago.

They really otter let them do that

A House subcommittee heard testimony on legislation to expand sexual harassment protections for NOAA employees and contractors, including fisheries observers. The bill follows a report that nearly one-third of North Pacific observers experience harassment or assault annually.
