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the fur seal population. The Service also indicated that it 

 planned to consult further with the Commission and to 

 organize and convene a workshop in August 1983 to better 

 assess the probable sources, extent, and effects of lost or 

 discarded fishing gear, packing material, and other debris 

 in the North Pacific and to identify ways in which entanglement 

 of marine mammals and other marine species could be eliminated 

 or reduced. The Service also indicated that it planned: to 

 promulgate and enforce regulations for both domestic and 

 foreign fishermen to prohibit the discard of net material 

 and other debris; to direct U.S. observers on foreign 

 vessels to notify captains of these prohibitions; and to 

 explore the feasibility of establishing a bounty system 

 and/or other arrangements to discourage the discard and 

 encourage the recovery of such material. 



The Service did not convene the workshop in August 

 1983. It did, however, hold a briefing on 27 September for 

 representatives of Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, 

 Taiwan, and the Soviet Union at which Service staff presented 

 recent data on the extent of the fur seal loss due to entanglement 

 and the Commission set forth the need for and terms of 

 reference for an international workshop of technical and 

 scientific experts to address the issues. 



On 30 September, the Commission wrote the Service 

 conveying its understanding of the results of the 27 September 

 briefing. The Commission noted that those present appeared 

 favorably disposed to the proposed terms of reference and 

 that there appeared to be consensus among participating 

 nations that the workshop was needed and should be a non- 

 governmental, international meeting of scientific and technical 

 experts. The Commission also noted that it would send its 

 draft terms of reference for a workshop to the representatives 

 of other governments that had attended the briefing and had 

 requested the terms of reference of the Commission. 



On 18 November, the Commission again wrote to the 

 Service, stressing the extremely serious nature of the 

 entanglement problem and repeating its offer to contribute 

 funds for purposes of planning the workshop. Some among the 

 numerous Commission recommendations were that: the Service 

 promptly take certain steps to plan, organize, and convene 

 an international workshop of experts to address the net 

 entanglement problem; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration's Office of General Counsel identify and 

 evaluate all domestic and international authorities that 

 might be used to prevent further dumping of gear and debris 



