The Otter Project supports the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act, S. 1748

Thanks to the hard work of Congressman Farr and sea otter advocates, the Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act passed the House in July 2009.

Senator Barbara Boxer is sponsoring the bill in the Senate. Currently, it has been read and passed to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

The Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act would provide $5 million annually to fund sea otter research and actions that meet recovery goals. If passed, the bill would establish a sea otter recovery Implementation Team which would allocate funding to various programs. The bill mandates that the program include “development and implementation of measures to reduce or eliminate potential factors limiting southern sea otter populations that are related to marine ecosystem health or human activities” as well as monitoring and assessment of population status.  The Otter Project believes that this language represents a balance between research and recovery actions that will lead to an active push for sea otter recovery, and supports the bill as written.

With the recent decline in the otter population and ever increasing threats to water quality and the coastal ocean, sea otters need our help now more than ever. The funding that this bill provides could make all the difference.

Want to help?

The Otter Project is working hard to ensure that the Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act passes this year—before it has to start all over again! Support our efforts by contributing to the Give Otters a Voice Fund.

You can help save sea otters by letting Congress know how important they are to you! Visit our action center to send a message to your Senator today asking them to co-sponsor the Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act.

We’ll also need help as the bill moves through the Senate—so don’t forget to sign up for Otter Yelps. We’ll let you know by e-mail when it’s most important for Congress to hear from us.

Lastly, be sure to tell your friends! You can send them a cool sea otter e-postcard or visit us on facebook and twitter and ask them to join you in spreading the word!  Add us as a facebook friend for up to date information on the sea otter bill and things you can do to help--and make sure your sea otter loving friends do to!

More information:

You can read the full text of the bill here. It’s pretty short, but covers a lot of ground!

Congress has a lot on its plate right now—why should it care about sea otters? We thought they might ask, so we made an argument for otters. Read The Otter Project’s letter to Senator Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, about why the Committee should shepherd the bill through quickly. 

We post updates on the bill on our blog, The Sea Otter Scoop, so be sure to check out our past and future posts.

Congressman Farr is the original author of the bill, and a longtime champion of the sea otter. Read his May 2009 testimony in support of the bill (then H.R. 556) before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife