Department of Justice
Assistant U.S. Attorney's Office
- District of Alaska

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2005

RESEARCH BIOLOGIST CITED FOR UNLAWFUL TAKE OF ENDANGERED STELLER SEA LIONS NEAR SEWARD, ALASKA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of General Counsel in Juneau, Alaska has assessed a $10,000 civil penalty against a research professor from Texas A & M University, and has proposed to sanction for a period of five years the research professor's ability to obtain future research permits. NOAA Fisheries Service's Office for Law Enforcement conducted the investigation and concluded that the researcher had committed violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

In 2003 and 2004, the researcher, Randall W. Davis, 53, was working on research projects in Prince William Sound, studying the behavior patterns of endangered Steller sea lions. The violations were originally reported to special agents from NOAA Fisheries Service's Office for Law Enforcement (OLE) in Anchorage. A subsequent investigation discovered numerous suspected violations.

Davis was charged with violating conditions of his permit including capturing animals that were too young, using unauthorized sedation drugs, and failing to properly report his research activities to NOAA. In addition, Davis was charged with the unlawful taking of Steller sea lions without a research permit. The case is being prosecuted by the NOAA Office of General Counsel in Juneau, Alaska.

"We take these issues very seriously," said Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Heck, NOAA Fisheries Service OLE - Alaska Enforcement Division. "Operating outside the confines of a research permit impairs NOAA's ability to manage and fully utilize scientific research regarding these endangered animals."

Violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) or any other marine resource violation can be reported to the NOAA OLE 24 hour hotline at 800-853-1964.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s living marine resources through scientific research, management, enforcement, and the conservation of marine mammals and other protected marine species. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, please visit our Web site at: alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.

NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources.