A draft of the report was presented at the Commission's Annual 

 Meeting in December 1987, and the final report is expected in 

 March 1988. 



Pacific Walrus. Memorandum of Agreement 



On 21 May 1987, the Eskimo Walrus Commission, the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service, and the Alaska Department of Fish and 

 Game entered into an agreement to improve coordination and 

 cooperation amongst themselves with other nations. Under the 

 Agreement's terms, they are to cooperate on a variety of 

 research and management activities in ways that are consistent 

 with the Marine Mammal Protection Act. For example, the agree- 

 ment addresses: development of conservation and management 

 plans; retaining the Alaska Native exemption in the Act and 

 implementing regulations; cooperative research on population 

 dynamics, the presence and effects of pollutants, habitat pro- 

 tection, the impacts of harassment and other activities, and 

 methods of reducing the loss rate in taking; the value of input 

 from the Eskimo community in decision-making; the use of Native 

 monitors in management activities; public education on walrus 

 programs; agreements with other nations on walrus conservation; 

 compliance with applicable laws and regulations; and the value 

 of traditional Native knowledge in biological and other studies. 



Meeting of the Alaska Federation of Natives 



In October 1987, the Alaska Federation of Natives, the 

 Eskimo Walrus Commission, and the Rural Alaska Resources 

 Association held a one-day workshop on marine mammals in 

 Anchorage. The Marine Mammal Commission was one of several 

 organizations asked to present a paper at the meeting. The 

 Commission's paper touched briefly on: return of management 

 to states; previous amendments to the Act designed to facilitate 

 return of management; statutory and regulatory requirements 

 which must be met if management is to be returned; subsistence 

 provisions under State and Federal management; possible points 

 to be discussed in reauthorization of the Marine Mammal Protec- 

 tion Act; and the species reports being prepared by the Com- 

 mission-sponsored Working Groups. 



As a result of marine mammal discussions at the workshop 

 and further deliberations at the Alaska Federation of Natives 

 Convention the following day, a number of resolutions pertaining 

 to marine mammals and the pending reauthorization of the Marine 

 Mammal Protection Act were passed. Among other things, the 

 resolutions endorsed actions to: protect "the Native subsis- 

 tence hunting exemption in the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

 as an AFN priority" ; amend the Act to allow commercial use of 

 by-products of North Pacific fur seals and other marine mammals, 



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