Why It Matters: A longstanding legislative priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) moved forward on July 15 as the House Natural Resources Committee advanced H.R. 6251. The legislation would resolve a nearly two-decade-old issue affecting a limited number of hunters who are unable to import polar bears that were lawfully harvested before federal protections changed.
Highlights:
- The House Natural Resources Committee favorably reported H.R. 6251, led by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Rep. Nick Begich, following a July 15 markup.
- The bill would allow for the one-time importation of polar bears lawfully taken before the 2008 Endangered Species Act listing.
- CSF has advocated for resolving this issue across multiple Congresses as a longstanding legislative priority.
The House Natural Resources Committee moved a longstanding Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation legislative priority one step closer to becoming law by favorably reporting H.R. 6251 on July 15. The bill would resolve a nearly two-decade-old issue affecting American hunters who legally harvested polar bears in Canada before the species was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Prior to the 2008 ESA listing, American hunters could legally hunt polar bears from approved Canadian populations and import them into the United States under permits issued pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act. However, when the ESA listing took effect those imports were prohibited, leaving a small group of hunters unable to import bears taken in accordance with the law in place at the time.
H.R. 6251 would amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow the importation of those bears. The legislation is narrowly tailored to address this specific historical circumstance by providing a solution for sportsmen who complied with all applicable laws before the regulatory landscape changed.
Resolving this issue has remained a longstanding legislative priority for CSF. For more than a decade, CSF has advocated for legislation addressing the importation of lawfully harvested polar bears, including supporting similar provisions in the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus-led SHARE Act. H.R. 6251 represents the latest opportunity to resolve an issue that has persisted across multiple Congresses while maintaining existing protections for polar bears.
Although H.R. 6251 applies only to bears harvested before the 2008 ESA listing, its advancement marks meaningful progress toward resolving an issue CSF has worked to address for years. As the legislation moves through Congress, CSF will continue working alongside the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and conservation partners to support its enactment.