CSF Supported Polar Bear "Trophy" Bill Receives House Subcommittee Hearing

September 22, 2009 (Washington, DC) - The U.S. House of Representatives Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee met this morning to consider H.R. 1054, a bill sponsored by Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus Rep. Don Young, to allow the importation of legally hunted polar bear "trophies."
H.R. 1054 would amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue import permits to hunters with legally taken polar bear trophies from Canada that were prohibited entry into the United States after the polar bear was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on May 15, 2008. The legislation would require hunters to prove that the polar bear was killed prior to this date before receiving the permit from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
"The intent of the bill is very specific, to allow only those 41 hunters with a legally taken polar bear trophy, taken prior to the May 15, 2008, listing, to bring those trophies into the U.S.," said Rep. Young. "There is no conservation value in a dead bear that is held in cold storage in Canada for over a year."
In order to import a polar bear trophy, an import permit costing $1,000 is required, with the proceeds going directly towards polar bear conservation. In the last 13 years, almost $1 million dollars has been raised through these permits supporting polar bear research and conservation. With the passage of HR 1054, an additional $41,000 could be raised by allowing these affected trophies to be imported into the United States.
"There are no valid scientific reasons to deny these trophies entry into the United States. With certain polar bear populations at record numbers, sport hunting of these bears has a proven conservation track record that could be enhanced by allowing the importation of the 41 trophies in question," said CSF President Jeff Crane.
The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, in association with 24 other groups, sent a letter on March 10th to Rep. Nick Rahall, Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and to Rep. Doc Hastings, Ranking Member of the Committee, urging them to support H.R. 1054 to address the continued importation of legally hunted polar bears from Canada.
Testifying at today's hearing in support of HR 1054 was Dr. Bill Moritz, Director of Conservation for Safari Club International, and retired USAF Maj. Roger Oerter, one of the unfortunate hunters whose polar bear trophy is stuck in Canada due to the listing decision by the Department of the Interior. Maj. Oerter's appearance at the hearing was made possible by Dallas Safari Club. Leading the opposition in the hearing was Michael Markarian, COO of the Humane Society of the United States.
HR 1054 currently has 25 bipartisan members of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus signed on as co-sponsors. Caucus members, Reps. Rob Wittman, Jason Chaffetz and Paul Broun participated in the hearing today and took the Humane Society to task for opposing HR 1054 and for generally opposing hunting. Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus Co-Chairman, Senator Mike Crapo introduced Senate counterpart S. 1395, which has not received a hearing to date.