The public is invited to comment on the following application(s) for a permit to conduct certain activities with marine mammals. The application(s) was submitted to satisfy requirements of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and the regulations governing marine mammals (50 CFR 18).

Written data, comments, or requests for copies of these complete applications or requests for a public hearing on these applications should be sent to:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Management Authority
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700
Arlington, Virginia 22203
Telephone 703/358-2104
fax 703/358-2281

THESE REQUESTS MUST BE RECEIVED WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE DATE OF THE PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. Anyone requesting a hearing should give specific reasons why a hearing would be appropriate. The holding of such a hearing is at the discretion of the Director.

Applicant: Aquamarine Fukushima, Iwaki, Japan, PRT-020575.

Permit Type: Take and Export for public display

Name and Number of Animals: Northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris lutris), 1.2

Summary of Activity to be Authorized: The applicant requests a permit to live capture from the waters of Alaska 3 adult Northern sea otters and export them to their facility in Japan for the purpose of public display.

Source of Marine Mammals: Wild sea otters from Alaska.

Period of Activity: Up to 5 years, if issued
Applicant: Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai Aquairium, Ibaraki, Japan. PRT-043001

Permit Type: Take and Export for public display

Name and Number of Animals: Northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris lutris), 1.4 Summary of Activity to be Authorized: The applicant requests a permit to live capture from the waters of Alaska 5 adult Northern sea otters and export them to their facility in Japan for the purpose of public display

Source of Marine Mammals: Wild sea otters from Alaska

Period of Activity: Up to 5 years, if issued

Dated: June 1, 2001. Monica Farris, Senior Biologist, Branch of Permits, Office of Management Authority. [FR Doc. 01-15092 Filed 6-14-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

Relevant information]

*The sea otter population has declined dramatically

On July 5, 2000, ENN News reported that "a recent survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service revealed that the sea otter population in Alaska's Aleutian Islands has declined 70 percent since 1992 and 95 percent or more throughout much of the archipelago since the 1980s. A survey conducted in the 1980s by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimated that there were 55,000 to 100,000 sea otters in the area. This number has declined dramatically to only 6,000 otters, according to the recent survey." ("Aleutian otters take a nosedive")

If the applicants are applying for permit because they are not aware of the current situation regarding the sea otter population, it shows their lack of interest in the conservation of endangered wildlife. And if they are aware, it means they do not care if the capturing proccess will put unnecessary stress to the already straining population, not to mention taking more individuals from it.

*Inferior standard of care and management of Japanese aquaria does not meet the requirements of the US Animal Welfare Act.

Several months prior to the above report, an American animal dealer, who applied for permit to capture sea otters from the Alaskan water for a couple of Japanese aquaria, had withdrawn the application as it was revealed that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) was unable to determine that care and management programs comparable to those required under the Animal Welfare Act are in place at either aquarium, and, as a result, the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) issued a denial recommendation for one of the aquaria and a recommendation for either denial or an on-site inspection for the other.

Both aquaria are members of the Japanese Association of Zoological Garden and Aquariums (JAZGA), whose membership is supposed to require a certain standard of care and facilities.

*Lack of moral and ethics among JAZGA member facilities

In reality, being a member of JAZGA does not mean that a facility has any obligation to provide a certain quality of care to the animals they keep.

A few years ago, an African elephant died at Shirahama Adventure World, another member of JAZGA and also has marine mammals including orcas captured at the infamous Taiji, as a reslt of unnatually abusive
'training'.

One of their employees secretly videotaped the training sessions till the day this elephant died. The videotape was broadcasted on a national TV station and it caused a major uproar from the viewers.

So what did the zoo do? they fired this employee saying what he did was against work ethics. And JAZGA's ethics committee members unanimously supported this. They didn't consider the training abusive, either.

And Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, also a member of JAZGA, spent years 'training' walruses to blow alphorns in a musical band for a show. This show includes three 'singing' belugas as well.

It is obvious that JAZGA is not an association of educational or academic facilities but just a convenient cover for those who want to make profit by legally importing rare animals.

*Japan does not have an effective animal protection law