IB 
Union Calendar No. 92 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 556 
[Report No. 111–175] 
To establish a program of research, recovery, and other activities to provide 
for the recovery of the southern sea otter. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 15, 2009 
Mr. FARR (for himself, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. KENNEDY, Ms. LEE 
of California, Mr. HONDA, and Ms. ESHOO) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
JUNE 23, 2009 
Additional sponsors: Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Ms. 
HIRONO, Mr. FILNER, Mr. HODES, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. ROTHMAN of 
New Jersey, Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. 
WAXMAN, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. 
MCDERMOTT, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. NAD-
LER of New York, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. 
SESTAK, Mr. HOLT, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of 
California, and Ms. HARMAN 
JUNE 23, 2009 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 15, 2009] 
A BILL 
To establish a program of research, recovery, and other 
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activities to provide for the recovery of the southern 
sea otter. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southern Sea Otter Re-
covery 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 pop-
ulations 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 Recov-
ery 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 Program shall 
include the following: 
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(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 ma-
rine ecosystem health or human activities. 
(b) REAPPOINTMENT OF RECOVERY IMPLEMENTATION 
TEAM.—Not later than one year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall appoint persons to a south-
ern sea otter recovery implementation team as authorized 
under section 4(f)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
(16 U.S.C. 1533(f)(2)). 
(c) SOUTHERN SEA OTTER RESEARCH AND RECOVERY 
GRANTS.— 
(1) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a peer-reviewed, merit-based process to award 
competitive grants for research regarding southern sea 
otters and for projects assisting the recovery of south-
ern 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. 
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(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 include 
the following topics: 
(A) Causes of sea otter mortality. 
(B) Southern sea otter demographics and 
natural history. 
(C) Effects and sources of pollutants, nutri-
ents, and toxicants on southern sea otters and se-
questration of contaminants. 
(D) Effects and sources of infectious diseases 
and parasites affecting southern sea otters. 
(E) Limitations on the availability of food 
resources for southern sea otters and the impacts 
of food limitation on southern sea otter carrying 
capacity. 
(F) Interactions between southern sea otters 
and coastal fisheries and other human activities 
in the marine environment. 
(G) Assessment of the keystone ecological 
role of sea otters in southern and central Califor-
nia’s coastal marine ecosystems, including both 
the direct and indirect effects of sea otter preda-
tion, especially as these effects influence human 
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welfare, resource utilization, and ecosystem serv-
ices. 
(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 otters; 
(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 con-
tingency plans. 
(d) REPORT.—The Secretary shall— 
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(1) within 12 months after the date of enactment 
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 Species 
Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536) with respect to the 
southern sea otter; and 
(2) within 24 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act and every 5 years thereafter, and in con-
sultation with a southern sea otter recovery imple-
mentation team (if any) that is otherwise being uti-
lized by the Secretary under section 4(f) of the En-
dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(f)), re-
port 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 southern 
sea otter mortality, and improve southern sea 
otter habitat; 
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(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 coastal 
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). 
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(b) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Of amounts avail-
able each fiscal year to carry out this Act, the Secretary 
may expend not more than 7 percent to pay the administra-
tive expenses necessary to carry out this Act. 
SEC. 5. TERMINATION. 
This Act shall have no force or effect on and after the 
date the Secretary (as that term is used in section 4(c)(2) 
of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1533(c)(2)) publishes a determination that the southern sea 
otter should be removed from the lists published under sec-
tion 4(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1533(c)). 
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Union Calendar No. 92 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 556 
[Report No. 111–175] 
A BILL 
To establish a program of research, recovery, and 
other activities to provide for the recovery of the 
southern sea otter. 
JUNE 23, 2009 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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