Now that sea otters in Southwest Alaska are listed under the Endangered Species Act, will hunting be shut down or regulated by the U.S. Federal Government?
No. Like the MMPA, the ESA has an Alaska Native exemption (Section 10(e)) that provides for harvest of a listed species for subsistence or handicraft, provided that the take is not wasteful. Sea otters found in SW Alaska were listed as threatened under the ESA in August 2005. The geographic area includes: Kamishak Bay, Barren Islands, Kodiak Island, North Alaska Peninsula, South Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutians. Sea otters in those areas are included under the ESA and are automatically considered depleted under the MMPA. The U.S. Federal government, in order to regulate or shut down hunting, must show that subsistence harvest is a major threat to the species, and is “materially and negatively affecting” the species. Since harvest levels have not been a major threat to the survival of the species, the U.S. Federal government cannot regulate sea otter harvests. However, to ensure the continuation of the ability to use our resources for subsistence purposes, harvests must be done wisely
