SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southern Sea Otter 
Recovery and Research Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SOUTHERN SEA OTTER RECOVERY AND RESEARCH 
PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior, act-
ing through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
and the United States Geological Survey, shall carry out 
a recovery and research program for southern sea otter 
populations along the coast of California, informed by the 
prioritized research recommendations of the Final Revised 
Recovery Plan for the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris 
nereis) published by the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service and dated February 24, 2003, the Research Plan 
for California Sea Otter Recovery issued by the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service Southern Sea Otter Re-
covery Implementation Team and dated March 2, 2007, 
and any other recovery, research, or conservation plan 
adopted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
after the date of enactment of this Act in accordance with 
otherwise applicable law. The Recovery and Research Pro-
gram shall include the following: 
(1) Monitoring, analysis, and assessment of 
southern sea otter population demographics, health, 
causes of mortality, and life history parameters, in-
cluding range-wide population surveys.
(2) Development and implementation of meas-
ures to reduce or eliminate potential factors limiting 
southern sea otter populations that are related to 
marine ecosystem health or human activities. 
(b) REAPPOINTMENT OF RECOVERY IMPLEMENTA-
TION TEAM.—Not later than one year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall appoint persons 
to a southern sea otter recovery implementation team as 
authorized under section 4(f)(2) of the Endangered Spe-
cies Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(f)(2)). 
(c) SOUTHERN SEA OTTER RESEARCH AND RECOV-
ERY GRANTS.— 
(1) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall 
establish a peer-reviewed, merit-based process to 
award competitive grants for research regarding 
southern sea otters and for projects assisting the re-
covery of southern sea otter populations. 
(2) PEER REVIEW PANEL.—The Secretary shall 
establish as necessary a peer review panel to provide 
scientific advice and guidance to prioritize proposals 
for grants under this subsection. 
(3) RESEARCH
GRANT
SUBJECTS.—Research 
funded with grants under this subsection shall be in 
accordance with the research recommendations of
any plan referred to in subsection (a), and may in-
clude the following topics: 
(A) Causes of sea otter mortality. 
(B) Southern sea otter demographics and 
natural history. 
(C) Effects and sources of pollutants, nu-
trients, and toxicants on southern sea otters 
and sequestration of contaminants. 
(D) Effects and sources of infectious dis-
eases and parasites affecting southern sea ot-
ters. 
(E) Limitations on the availability of food 
resources for southern sea otters and the im-
pacts of food limitation on southern sea otter 
carrying capacity. 
(F) Interactions between southern sea ot-
ters and coastal fisheries and other human ac-
tivities in the marine environment. 
(G) Assessment of the keystone ecological 
role of sea otters in southern and central Cali-
fornia’s coastal marine ecosystems, including 
both the direct and indirect effects of sea otter 
predation, especially as these effects influence 
human welfare, resource utilization, and eco-
system services.
(H) Assessment of the adequacy of emer-
gency response and contingency plans. 
(4) RECOVERY PROJECT SUBJECTS.—Recovery 
projects funded with grants under this subsection 
shall be conducted in accordance with recovery rec-
ommendations of any plan referred to in subsection 
(a), and may include projects to— 
(A) protect and recover southern sea ot-
ters; 
(B) reduce, mitigate, or eliminate potential 
factors limiting southern sea otter populations 
that are related to human activities, including 
projects to— 
(i) reduce, mitigate, or eliminate fac-
tors contributing to mortality, adversely af-
fecting health, or restricting distribution 
and abundance; and 
(ii) reduce, mitigate, or eliminate fac-
tors that harm or reduce the quality of 
southern sea otter habitat or the health of 
coastal marine ecosystems; and 
(C) implement emergency response and 
contingency plans. 
(d) REPORT.—The Secretary shall—
(1) within 12 months after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, report to Congress on— 
(A) the status of southern sea otter popu-
lations; 
(B) implementation of the Recovery and 
Research Program and the grant program; and 
(C) any relevant formal consultations con-
ducted under section 7 of the Endangered Spe-
cies Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536) with respect 
to the southern sea otter; and 
(2) within 24 months after the date of enact-
ment of this Act and every 5 years thereafter, and 
in consultation with a southern sea otter recovery 
implementation team (if any) that is otherwise being 
utilized by the Secretary under section 4(f) of the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1533(f)), report to Congress and the public on— 
(A) an evaluation of southern sea otter 
health, causes of southern sea otter mortality, 
and the interactions of southern sea otters with 
California’s coastal marine ecosystems; 
(B) an evaluation of actions taken to im-
prove southern sea otter health, reduce south-
ern sea otter mortality, and improve southern 
sea otter habitat;
(C) recommendation for actions, pursuant 
to current law, to improve southern sea otter 
health, reduce the occurrence of human-related 
mortality, and improve the health of such coast-
al marine ecosystems; and 
(D) recommendations for funding to carry 
out this Act. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) RECOVERY AND RESEARCH PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘‘Recovery and Research Program’’ means the 
recovery and research program under section 2(a). 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the 
United States Geological Survey. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Secretary to carry out this Act $5,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2015 of which— 
(1) no less than 30 percent shall be for research 
grants under section 2(c)(3); and 
(2) no less than 30 percent shall be for recovery 
projects under section 2(c)(4).