(US-JP)Sea Otters-Please submit your comment to FWS

[Guest guest]

Letters needed by July 14, 2001

 

Dear list members,

 

Two Japanese aquaria have submitted request for

capture of the wild

northern sea otters from the Alaskan water to be sent

to their facilities

for public display.

 

Comments of opposition need to be sent to FWS so FWS

won't issue permit.

Please take a moment to submit your comment.

 

[Federal Register: June 15, 2001 (Volume 66, Number

116)]

[Notices] [Page 32635-32636] From the Federal Register

Online via GPO

Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr15jn01-78]

================================================================

-------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Receipt of Applications for Permit

 

Marine Mammals

 

The public is invited to comment on the following

application(s) for a

permit to conduct certain activities with marine

mammals. The

application(s) was submitted to satisfy requirements

of the Marine Mammal

Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et

seq.) and the

regulations governing marine mammals (50 CFR 18).

 

Written data, comments, or requests for copies of

these complete

applications or requests for a public hearing on these

applications should

be sent to:

 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Division of Management Authority

4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700

Arlington, Virginia 22203

Telephone 703/358-2104

fax 703/358-2281

 

THESE REQUESTS MUST BE RECEIVED WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE

DATE OF THE

PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. Anyone requesting a

hearing should give

specific reasons why a hearing would be appropriate.

The holding of such a

hearing is at the discretion of the Director.

 

Applicant: Aquamarine Fukushima, Iwaki, Japan,

PRT-020575.

 

Permit Type: Take and Export for public display

 

Name and Number of Animals: Northern sea otter

(Enhydra lutris lutris), 1.2

 

Summary of Activity to be Authorized: The applicant

requests a permit to

live capture from the waters of Alaska 3 adult

Northern sea otters and

export them to their facility in Japan for the purpose

of public display.

 

Source of Marine Mammals: Wild sea otters from Alaska.

 

 

Period of Activity: Up to 5 years, if issued

 

Applicant: Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquairium,

Ibaraki, Japan. PRT-043001

 

Permit Type: Take and Export for public display

 

Name and Number of Animals: Northern sea otter

(Enhydra lutris lutris), 1.4

 

Summary of Activity to be Authorized: The applicant

requests a permit to

live capture from the waters of Alaska 5 adult

Northern sea otters and

export them to their facility in Japan for the purpose

of public display

 

Source of Marine Mammals: Wild sea otters from Alaska

 

Period of Activity: Up to 5 years, if issued

 

Dated: June 1, 2001. Monica Farris, Senior Biologist,

Branch of Permits,

Office of Management Authority. [FR Doc. 01-15092

Filed 6-14-01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

 

-----

 

 

[Relevant information]

 

*The sea otter population has declined dramatically

 

On July 5, 2000, ENN News reported that " a recent

survey by the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service revealed that the sea otter

population in Alaska's

Aleutian Islands has declined 70 percent since 1992

and 95 percent or more

throughout much of the archipelago since the 1980s. A

survey conducted in

the 1980s by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game

estimated that there

were 55,000 to 100,000 sea otters in the area. This

number has declined

dramatically to only 6,000 otters, according to the

recent survey. "

( " Aleutian otters take a nosedive " )

 

If the applicants are applying for permit because they

are not aware of the

current situation regarding the sea otter population,

it shows their lack

of interest in the conservation of endangered

wildlife. And if they are

aware, it means they do not care if the capturing

proccess will put unnecessary

stress to the already straining population, not to

mention taking more

individuals from it.

 

*Inferior standard of care and management of Japanese

aquaria does not

meet the requirements of the US Animal Welfare Act.

 

Several months prior to the above report, an American

animal dealer, who

applied for permit to capture sea otters from the

Alaskan water for a couple of

Japanese aquaria, had withdrawn the application as it

was revealed that the

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) was

unable to determine

that care and management programs comparable to those

required under the

Animal Welfare Act are in place at either aquarium,

and, as a result, the

Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) issued a denial

recommendation for one of

the aquaria and a recommendation for either denial or

an on-site inspection

for the other.

 

Both aquaria are members of the Japanese Association

of Zoological Garden

and Aquariums (JAZGA), whose membership is supposed to

require a certain

standard of care and facilities.

 

*Lack of moral and ethics among JAZGA member

facilities

 

In reality, being a member of JAZGA does not mean that

a facility has any

obligation to provide a certain quality of care to the

animals they keep.

 

A few years ago, an African elephant died at Shirahama

Adventure World,

another member of JAZGA and also has marine mammals

including orcas

captured at the infamous Taiji, as a reslt of

unnatually abusive

'training'. One of their employees secretly videotaped

the training sessions till the

day this elephant died. The videotape was broadcasted

on a national TV

station and it caused a major uproar from the viewers.

 

So what did the zoo do? they fired this employee

saying what he did was

against work ethics. And JAZGA's ethics committee

members unanimously supported this. They didn't

consider the training abusive, either.

 

And Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, also a member of JAZGA,

spent years 'training'

walruses to blow alphorns in a musical band for a

show. This show includes

three 'singing' belugas as well.

 

It is obvious that JAZGA is not an association of

educational or academic

facilities but just a convenient cover for those who

want to make profit by legally

importing rare animals.

 

*Japan does not have an effective animal protection

law

 

Even after the revision of December 1999, Japanese

animal protection law

is ineffectual and once in this country, no animal can

expect legal

protection no matter what happens.

 

In addition, back in 1998, 6 sea otters were captured

off the Alaskan coast

and sent to 3 Japanese aquaria, and 2 of them died

within a week of their

arrival. Sea otters are very sensitive and highly

intelligent creatures and the long

journey from Alaska to Japan was obviously very

stressful to them.

 

When you submit your comment, please e-mail me a copy.

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

Masako Miyaji

ALIVE(All Life In a Viable Environment)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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