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in the area. The Commission concurred with this recommendation 



and, in 1982, provided funds to the North Pacific Fishery 



Management Council to help organize and convene the workshop. 



For these purposes, a steering committee was formed which 



met several times during 1982 and 1983. Commission representatives 



participated both in the steering committee meetings and in 



the workshop, held in Anchorage, Alaska, 18 to 21 October 



1983. 



The objectives of the workshop were to review existing 

 knowledge of interactions in the Southeastern Bering Sea and 

 to develop a five- to ten-year plan for carrying out the 

 scientific research needed to provide the substantive basis 

 for agencies to manage commercial fisheries in the area with 

 adequate regard for marine mammals. Emphasis was placed on 

 the biological interactions involving the effects of fishing 

 and marine mammal predation on fish stocks, marine mammal 

 populations, and yields to fisheries. The proceedings of 

 the workshop are expected to be published by the Alaska Sea 

 Grant Program in the spring of 1984. The Commission, in 

 consultation with its Committee of Scientific Advisors, will 

 carefully review the report and recommend that the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service take such follow-up actions as may 

 be necessary and appropriate. 



Expanding fishing operations in the Shelikof Strait 

 area of Alaska are also affecting marine mammals, particularly 

 Steller sea lion populations. As noted in Chapter II, the 

 Commission provided funds to the North Pacific Fishery 

 Management Council in 1983 to help support a study to be 

 undertaken by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to 

 detect possible effects. 



Interactions off Hawaii 



Available information concerning interactions between 

 marine mammals and fisheries in Hawaii was reviewed during 

 the Commission-sponsored workshop on marine mammal/fishery 

 interactions held in December 1977. The review indicated 

 that several species of porpoise occasionally take bait, 

 damage or take caught fish, or otherwise interfere with 

 longline, handline, and troll fisheries for tuna and other 

 fish. Staff from the Honolulu Laboratory of the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service subsequently conducted a number of 

 surveys and experiments to better determine the nature and 

 extent of the damage being done by the porpoise and steps 

 that might be taken to prevent or reduce it. 



