Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act - Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to carry out a recovery program for southern sea otter populations along the coast of California.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop a Southern Sea Otter Health Assessment Plan; (2) collect and analyze tissue samples from southern sea otters; and (3) submit the tissue to the Secretary of Commerce for inclusion in the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank to allow for managed access to such tissues by other researchers.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) award competitive grants to support research regarding southern sea otters; and (2) establish the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Implementation Team to make recommendations on overall southern sea otter recovery program administration and research goals, as well as funding of scientific research, serve as a link between the recovery program and stakeholders, and review the recommendations of the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Scientific Advisory Committee.
Requires the Secretary to establish the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Scientific Advisory Committee to evaluate and make recommendations to the Team regarding the scientific merit and quality of southern sea otter research funding proposals.