 |
| "Wait, there's a bounty on who's head?" |
An Alaska state senator is proposing a bounty on sea otters, the cute little marine mammals often seen by tourists swimming on their backs between cruise ships, sometimes munching on a fresh crab or clams.
Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, sees the furry-faced critters as a growing threat to shellfish beds, particularly in southeast Alaska, where he is from.
On Wednesday, he introduced legislation that would have the state pay $100 for each sea otter lawfully killed under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.
"We're not talking eradication. We're talking slowing the population growth," he said. "In my opinion, we're not going to get any help from the federal government."
Look I don't care if these little guys are walking up to this idiot and mugging him while holding a pistol to his head, you simply do NOT encourage people to massacre an animal as adorable as a sea otter.
What's next? Will he encourage people to punch pandas?
Or kick Koalas?
Or bitch slap baby bunnies?
But have no fear you sea otter fans you, as it turns out this is all an exercise in futility for Senator "I hate cute animals."
Even if the bill were to pass, it would be unenforceable under the federal law, said Bruce Woods, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. States cannot enforce laws or regulations related to the taking of any marine mammal under the law unless the Interior secretary transfers conservation and management authority to that state.
Well there you go again. Here come the Feds keeping Alaskans from exercising their rights to slaughter every creature that they find even slightly irritating.
Who could possibly support this kind of federal overreach?
Well yeah, I mean besides you guys?
Sadly this idea that we can simply slaughter any animal that becomes bothersome is built into Alaska's DNA. What was it that idiot said about Alaska's animals again?
Oh yeah:
"I always remind people from outside our state that there's plenty of room for all Alaska's animals -- right next to the mashed potatoes."
But Gryphen, you KNOW that the comment about the mashed potatoes was a JOKE, right? You're supposed to lighten up!
ReplyDelete(SNARK)
I also H8 Alassska's prosperity to label EVERYONE a tree hugger or PETA person b/c they want to see nature re-balance itself. Certainly shows the lack of education and well lets face it....brains of the retards spewing this crap!
DeleteWow! This GREAT comment from the ADN, looks like Alaska's had it with the likes of paylin:
Delete"These money hungry Republicans should be kicked out of Alaska. This invasive virus of greedy Republicans are very dangerous and represent a huge threat to Alaska. Why these invaders moved to Alaska when they hate so much wilderness and the Alaska's wildlife. The entire legislature budy of ( legislators) are a fraud. These greedy and corrupt politicians only care about money. These Tea Money Baggers need to go away. This virus is contagious, and it has no cure. Its time to tear apart this mafia of invaders, charlatans, liars, abusers, extortioners and exploiters. I am glad that these corrupt (legislators-politicians) can't manipulate, control and bribe mother nature. These pirates have no nation they only care about money. The wildlife should be preserve for future generations, that's why we need to get rid of these pirates politicians."
Gryphen; unfortunately you allude to koala's being hurt here. In actual fact; we have had many debates in Australia re culling our koala population in some areas. There are times when culling is necessary and for the long term good of the species. Here, it seems like he's in the pocket of commercial fisherman who are getting annoyed at the amount of shellfish eaten by otters. Unless its at an unsustainable level it's the humans problem and you will have to either turn to farmed shellfish or be happy to pay more for the shortage of shellfish.
DeleteDoes he consider the role otters and other wildlife have in the tourism industry? I mean let's be honest, hardly anyone would pick Alaska and come just for the otters, but they certainly might choose Alaska over somewhere else on the basis of the whole set of new animals they might see! For instance polar bears, grizzly bears, that crazy spiked head whale thing, killer whales, salmon and otters! Seeing an otter swim up to their cruise ship would only contribute to their overall trip satisfaction and make them more likely to encourage others to visit too.
The tourism industry the world over would effectively be non-existent if we allowed conservatives to take control and do what they really want the world over! They want one homogeneous high rise where the temperature is set at one level and never alters, where the only animals are there as safe and obedient pets, or as worker animals for their convenience! The ocean would be a trash can literally, but no one would ever want to swim or go for a run in the hills anyway because we will all be enormously obese and self satisfied. Those 'book learnings' will be shunned too and we will just watch old re runs of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and talk about how terrible thin people used to look!
Given the greed that would cause the joyful slaughter of these little guys for profit, I think "slowing" population growth would be more like total extinction. These fools apparently will never learn to not mess with Mother Nature. Somebody should send Stedman the research on what happens when the sea otters aren't around to control the sea urchin population. Maybe he should take a look at pollution of our waters as a better use of his time.
ReplyDeleteBad karma will soon find this legislator.
ReplyDeleteI guess he didn't see the Caddyshack movie where Bill Murray destroyed the golf course trying to get that cute little gopher that was so pesky.
Anyone who has had a view of them playing along side of a kayak knows what delightful creatures they are. Seems like there is a better way to keep them out of the oyster farms.
ReplyDeleteThat comment Palin made about animals/mashed potatoes makes me queasy to this day. Such a revolting women.
ReplyDeleteBut this article is about the little critters and a super sized jerk. Alaskans!! When are you going to start electing sane people? You have quite possibly the most dramatic and beautiful state in the union - and there are too many fools in your capital.
Pat Padrnos
I agree with you - there's something about the WAY she said that line, as well as the vileness of the line itself - that particularly made my skin crawl. She just said it in this odd slow and deliberate manner that sent crawls up my spine, and whenever she uses that voice I get it. It a voice that shows she's rehearsed it beforehand and is very pleased with it and thinks it highly clever and ingenious. And something about it rings so false; she doesn't eat food like this ever does she? She doesn't sit down and eat nice normal family style meals like meat with mashed potato and other veg. Can you imagine Palin mashing spuds!? Hahaha!! The only time she has mashed spuds is when it's written on her menu as 'pomme puree' with her $100 venison steak.
DeleteWell, if they hate Big Bird, they'll have no mercy on these cute cuddly sea otters.
ReplyDeleteThey are devastating the crab and fish population in southeast alaska. It's a very real problem that needs to be handled somehow and unfortunately decreasing the sea otter population is the only solution. Some of your posts are so irritating since most of what you say I actually agree with.
ReplyDeleteWho are you to play God? They have as much a right to life as we do. Plant a garden and eat organic.
DeleteI'll be sending a floatilla of otter abstinence educators asap. It's the only effective means of birth control and landing a reality show.
DeleteThen people should eat less crab and fish (or maybe none at all). Problem solved.
DeleteLuckily I don't believe in God so I can't pretend to play him. I believe in science and reality and basic math. Less otter around to hurt the population = more crab and fish. get it?
DeleteYour ADN link goes to a different story on the Daily Beast.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, the effluence from the cruise ships should help "naturally" keep their numbers down. Lesil gets it, why don't we?
ReplyDeleteThere will always be those with BLACK hearts that think they own the world and kill anything in their way, figuratively or literally, and then there's THIS:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJTRCtwf_X0
Crikey, this is a dumb one. Surely he remembers how the GOP had to turn the world inside out to give Wally Hickel a sea otter jacket. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteGryph, you got the wrong link to the story. ;-)
ReplyDeletehere's the real link to the story:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.adn.com/2013/02/21/2797134/alaska-state-senator-proposes.html
I think a bounty on sea otters is irresponsible. What's needed is better management of the shellfish fisheries. If shellfish are on a declining trend, some of this is due to detrimental harvesting practices.
ReplyDeleteBefore suggesting this hare-brain legislation, Stedman should take a spin around SE Alaska, away from Sitka, and see what's really going on there.
Sigh...every time I meet some SANE people and start thinking the world isn't THAT bad, along comes more rightwingnut extremism, to remind us all that for the most part, we live in a giant asylum.
ReplyDeleteAnd its most often the craziest of the bunch, who strive for elected office in order to to push their batshit ideas on everyone else.
Actually, there are two very legitimate sides to this story. I grew up on the central coast of California where the sea otters pretty much wiped out abalone. There is none to be had commercially any more. I agree with another poster that usually I agree with the mood of this blog, but the crabbers want to make a living and we certainly want to eat crab (some of us) and the sea otters seem to really be getting in the way of that. The issue isn't just a matter of killing cute little critters.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't know the business side of it to be able to make an argument either way. But if the decision is being made by a legislator independent of expert opinion from state or federal biologists, I wouldn't trust a representative to be an objective opinion. Because the habitat usually doesn't have a lobbyist paying for its conservation, but as we know, each industry does. The key is sustainability and what are the trade offs.
DeleteYes, we love crabs and other shellfish. But removing any animal from the food chain can have unintended side effects and put a strain on the biosphere or at least an ecosystem within a region.
I am 4:05 and I agree with you about the value of scientific input.
Deletehttp://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/06future/abhist.htm
DeleteThere are a lot of factors in the disappearance of abalone from California, but sea otters are a convenient scapegoat.
Archie Butt
Like every other animal in nature, their population goes up and down according to the food supply. Since the fisheries are being over-harvested or polluted away, the population of the otters WILL go down - mostly through the terrible ordeal of starving to death.
ReplyDeleteDidn't California have a similar problem with otters? I wonder why the good Senator didn't ask THEM before he proposed this ignorant "solution"?
Oh. That 's right. He's a Repube.
Are these "little big men" planning on gunning them down from helicopters and planes like the wolves?
ReplyDeleteIts always "Blame some animal" ! The moose or the sitka deer are in decline, blame the wolves, kill the wolves, yet all I hear is moose all over the roads getting plowed down and (endangering humans in their gas guzzeling cars)
ReplyDeleteThe real problem is man has pushed nature out of balance.
And I really Doubt The new SOI is going to hand over management to Alassssska. Lets face it this stupid ass senator is putting a BOUNTY on the sea otters head sure as palin did wolf paws! Someone must want to use the fur or something. Asinine people!
I hate to say it but guns are the only means of controlling these fools as they shoot themselves in the ballz and make themselves sterile.
http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/09/sea-otters-kelp.html
ReplyDeleteMcDowell Group, a Juneau consulting firm, in 2011 issued a study on the problem.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/126693292/McDowell-sea-otter-report
"Sea otter predation in the red sea cucumber, geoduck clam, red sea urchin, and Dungeness crab fisheries is estimated to have cost the Southeast Alaska economy $28.3 million in direct, indirect, and induced impacts since 1995"
Plus the impacts to shellfish personal or subsistence harvest users that weren't mentioned are a concern.
And it all comes down to money every damned time.
DeleteHide ya puppies.
ReplyDeleteHide ya kitties.
Hide ya kids.
Hide ya stuffed animals.
The gun goons is comin for ya.
These sea otters were TRANSPLANTED to S.E. Alaska by the state of Alaska.There were 400 transplanted now there are over 25,000. They are eating everything. These are not large scale fishing operations in this area. These are families working together trying to make a living.
ReplyDelete