UNIT 23 

 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC REGION INCLUDING HAWAII 



There are still some uncertainties and concerns 

 about the status of two small populations ot en- 

 demic subspecies that are found in the ETP, the 

 coastal spotted dolphin and the Central Ameri- 

 can spinner dolphin. An abundance estimate, only 

 available for the coastal spotted stock, indicates 

 that mortality of more than 225 animals per year 

 may not be sustainable. No coastal spotted dol- 

 phins were reported killed in 1 993 and 1 994 (with 

 near 1 00% observer coverage), although they were 

 reported killed in previous years. Additionally, 41 

 and 237 unidentified dolphins were reported killed 

 in 1993 and 1994, respectively, which may have 

 included some of these subspecies. Only 18 and 

 1 1 Central American spinner dolphins were re- 

 ported killed in 1993 and 1994, respectively. 

 Monitoring of both ot these coastal distributed 

 stocks remains important, particularly if much 

 fishing effort occurs close to the coasr. 



In 1995, another international agreement set 

 dolphin mortality limits by stock, provided for an 

 end to U.S. embargoes of ETP tuna, and proposed 

 a new definition ot "dolphin-sate" tuna. U.S. leg- 

 islation (the International Dolphin Conservation 

 Program Act) signed into law in 1997 imple- 

 mented provisions ot this agreement and mandated 

 new research to determine whether or not encircle- 

 ment of dolphins during tuna purse-seine fishing 

 has a signitlcant adverse impact on dolphin stocks. 

 It it is found that encirclement does have a sig- 

 nificant adverse ettect, the current definition of 

 "dolphin-safe" (no dolphins were chased or en- 

 circled while catching the tuna) will be retained; 

 otherwise, the definition will be changed to mean 

 that no dolphins were killed or seriously injured 

 in that particular set even it dolphins were chased 

 and encircled. The Secretary ot Commerce must 

 make a preliminary determination on this matter 

 by March 1 999 and a final determination by De- 

 cember 2002. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Barlow. J., and K. A. Forney. 1994. An assessment ot 

 the 1994 status of harbor porpoise in California. 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

 Technical Memor.indum NMFS-SWFSC-20S. 17 p. 



Barlow, J., P. S. Hill, K. A. Forney, and D. R DeMaster. 

 1998. U.S. Pacific marine mammal stock assessments: 

 1998. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS- 

 SWFSC-258, 44 p. 



Barlow, J., and D. Hanan. 1995. An assessment of the 

 status of harbor porpoise in central California. Re- 

 port of the International Whaling Commission, Spe- 

 ciallssue 16:123-140. 



Calambokidis, J., and |. Barlow. 1991. Chlorinated 

 hydrocarbon concentration and their use tor describ- 

 ing population discreteness in harbor porpoises from 

 Washington. Oregon, and California. /;;: J. E. 

 Reynolds HI and D. K. Odell (Editors), Marine mam- 

 mal strandings in the United States. NOAA Fechni- 

 cal Report NMFS 98, p. 101-110. 



Forney, K- A. 1996. Trends in harbor porpoise abun- 

 dance off central California, 1986-95: Evidence for 

 interannual changes in distriburion. International 

 Whaling Commission Working Paper SC/48/SM5, 

 17 p. 



Hall, M. A., and C. Lennert. 1997. Incidental mortal- 

 iry of dolphins in the Eastern Pacific Ocean tuna fish- 

 ery in 1995. Report of the International Whaling 

 Commission 47:641-644. 



Lennert, C, and M. A. Hall. In press. Incidental mor- 

 tality of dolphins in the eastern Pacific Ocean tuna 

 fishery in 1996. Report of the International Whaling 

 Commission 48. 



NMFS. 1996. Our living oceans. Report on the status 

 of U.S. living marine resources, 1995. U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum 

 NMFS-F/SPO-19. 160 p. 



Wade, R R., and T Gerrodette. 1992. Estimates of 

 dolphin abundance in the eastern tropical Pacific: 

 preliminary analysis of five years ot data. Report ot 

 the International Whaling Commission 42:533-539. 



ERRATUM 



In Our Living Oceans 1995. the section ot Unit 23 on 

 the harbor porpoise stock oft central California con- 

 tained a figure showing population counts (Figure 23- 

 2). This figure was in error, and actually showed har- 

 bor seal counts. 



245 



