US Fish and Wildlife Service Offers Grant for Port Heiden Sea Otter and Clam Bed Monitoring

PURPOSE:

The primary purpose of this federal assistance award is to address concerns by the Native Council of Port Heiden (NCPH) regarding increasing numbers of sea otters in the Port Heiden area. With larger numbers of sea otter seen, residents are concerned about diminishing clam beds. The reasons why the clam beds are declining are not known.

This project will address questions both on sea otters and shellfish: surveys will be conducted to establish a baseline for monitoring sea otter population trend in the Bay, foraging surveys will be done to establish sea otter diet, and local and traditional knowledge surveys will be conducted to identify and document important subsistence areas. The information collected through this project will provide the NCPH, the Service, and others with the information needed to make reasoned decision for long-term sustainability and sound management.

The goals of the Port Heiden Sea Otter Monitoring Project are to:
• Gain a better understanding of sea otter in the Port Heiden area.
• Build tribal capacity to conduct scientific and cultural research on wildlife resources in their traditional areas and that are important to their tribal members, leading to co-management of the land and sea resources.
• Build a comprehensive multi-species wildlife research and management program within the Native Council of Port Heiden for the active involvement of the Port Heiden people that incorporates traditional conservation and scientific principles.
• Develop strategies on ways to best manage and to coexist with the sea otter that uphold both cultural and scientific principles while recognizing existing laws and regulations.

OBJECTIVES:

In order to accomplish these goals, the following objectives are identified:
• Build capacity within the NCPH by: hiring a project manager to coordinate the project development and implementation; training 2 local biotechnicians to participate in scientific research; training and utilizing a local pilot for aerial survey implementation, and proving mentorship opportunities through collaboration with TASSC, the Bristol Bay Marine Mammal Council, the Alaska Science Center, and the Service.
• Collect baseline information on the sea otter population in the Port Heiden area in order to track distribution and trend.
• Document traditional shellfish harvest areas and compare with sea otter distribution to determine overlap and commonality.
• Share information with the community and youth to promote traditional stewardship and conservation.

BACKGROUND

The Department of Interior FY2010 Appropriations Bill identified $200,000 for “sea otter and Steller sea lion conservation in Alaska.” The Port Heiden Sea Otter Monitoring Project was submitted as a proposal to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) program, with The Commission and the Native Council of Port Heiden as co-principal investigators. The proposal was not selected for funding under the TWG program, but will be funded using the current $200,000 appropriation.

REASON FOR SINGLE SOURCE:

(1) Legislative intent – The language in the applicable authorizing legislation or legislative history clearly indicates Congress’ intent to restrict award to a particular recipient or purpose. This agreement is entered into under the authority of the Fish & Wildlife Coordination Act, (16 USC 661 to 666C) and as authorized by Department of Interior Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2010 (P.L. 111-88).