'We Cannot Undo Decades Of Progress': Hoyle Slams GOP Effort To 'Gut' Marine Mammal Protections

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During a House Natural Resources Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Val Hoyle (D-WA) spoke about the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Transcript

00:00I now recognize Ranking Member Hoyle for her opening statement.

00:07Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, and I appreciate the opportunity to discuss these

00:13bills today. Several proposals before us address real challenges in wildlife conservation. H.R.

00:204294 tackles the invasive blue catfish harming the Chesapeake Bay. H.R. 3831 extends Florida's

00:28shark feeding ban to federal waters. H.R. 3706, the Sushi Act, improves detection of illegal

00:35fish that hurt our domestic industry. But I have serious concerns about some of the other

00:40bills here today. H.R. 4033, the sturgeon bill, claims to help a small handful of domestic caviar

00:47producers who may have some ESA-listed sturgeon on hand. But the major winners from this bill

00:52are the largest caviar producers in the world from China, which accounts for over 50% of

00:58imports in the U.S. and Russia to a smaller extent, who have spent years lobbying for more

01:03access to U.S. markets for the caviar they produce from ESA-listed fish. Right now, that

01:10caviar is banned from the U.S., but this bill would allow them to import it with little oversight.

01:15This bill undermines conservation and undercuts U.S. producers who follow the rules. I also

01:20have serious concerns about H.R. 180, the Endangered Species Transparency Bill. As written,

01:26this bill would cherry-pick the science to benefit special interest groups and sanction a complete

01:32violation of our environment. What concerns me most are the bills that are leading to the

01:37majority's plans to gut and shred the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The MMPA has protected whales

01:43and dolphins for over 50 years. No marine mammal species has gone extinct in the U.S. waters since it

01:50passed, and that's remarkable. With their new proposals, with this new proposal, instead of

01:59directly shredding these protections, they're tinkering around the edges, hoping we wouldn't

02:05notice. So let's take stock of what's proposed. Waiving MMPA requirements, waiving ESA consultations,

02:12and gutting agency funding so that we have science to rely on. These proposals make it easier to harass

02:18and kill vulnerable Marine Mammal populations. These are our dolphins, our manatees, our whales,

02:24who we love and want the next generation to be able to see too. For example, there are just 73 remaining

02:31Southern resident killer whales who frequently visit us off the coast of Oregon. Behind me, you can see a photo

02:37of the youngest members of one of these pods. This calf was first seen in April, and earlier this month,

02:43researchers confirmed that she's a girl. This is an exciting step towards one day fully recovering

02:49this iconic species. But this bill would set us back. It limits common sense measures that have helped

02:55push the U.S. Navy and shipping companies to develop ways to avoid harassing orcas, like the one behind me.

03:03The president's budget also drastically cuts agency resources to do MMPA and ESA reviews. You can't

03:10expect more work from less funding. This isn't a reform or a reauthorization. This is opening the door

03:17to the harassment and murder of our marine wildlife. I'm open for a case-by-case review of MMPA

03:24requirements. If anybody wants to talk about California sea lions and their effect on salmon on

03:29the Columbia River, I will happily work with anyone. But wholesale ignoring these protections is the

03:36wrong way forward. As we prepared for this hearing, we heard from whale watch groups, tribes, fishers,

03:42our next generation of scientists, and others, all who were alarmed by the ways this bill puts iconic

03:48wildlife, tourism, fisheries, and jobs at risk. These stakeholders depend on healthy,

03:54living wildlife to support their economies and opportunities for their kids and grandkids.

04:00Our responsibility is to leave future generations a world where both people and wildlife can thrive,

04:06and I am willing to work across the aisle on reasonable improvements to our current system

04:11any time. But we cannot undo decades of progress. And with that, thank you, and I yield back.

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