the fishery for Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba ) , and growing 

 interest in possible mineral exploration and development pose 

 threats to seals/ whales, and other components of the Antarctic 

 marine ecosystem. 



Antarctic krill is a keystone of the Southern Ocean food 

 web. It is one of the dominant herbivores and the principal 

 component in the diets of numerous species including fin, 

 blue, humpback, and minke whales; crabeater and Antarctic fur 

 seals; Adelie, chinstrap, macaroni, and rockhopper penguins; 

 several other species of sea birds; and several species of 

 fish and squid. Some of these species are eaten in turn by 

 sperm whales, killer whales, leopard seals, and other higher- 

 order predators. 



Because of the possible direct and indirect effects of 

 fisheries, mineral development, and related activities on 

 marine mammals, the Marine Mammal Commission has, since 1974, 

 undertaken a continuing review of matters that might affect 

 marine mammals, krill, or other components of the Southern 

 Ocean ecosystem upon which marine mammals may depend. It has 

 made recommendations to the National Science Foundation, the 

 Department of State, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration, and the National Marine Fisheries Service on 

 the need for basic and directed research and monitoring pro- 

 grams and for international agreements to effectively regulate 

 sealing, whaling, fisheries, mineral exploration and develop- 

 ment, and related activities in the Southern Ocean. In addi- 

 tion, since the mid-1970s, Commission representatives have 

 served as scientific advisors on most U.S. delegations to 

 regular Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings, special con- 

 sultative meetings held to negotiate the marine living resources 

 and minerals regimes, and the Annual Meetings of the Commission 

 and Scientific Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic 

 Marine Living Resources. 



Background information and a description of 1987 activities 

 are provided in the following sections. 



The 14th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting; 



The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 and entered into 

 force in 1961. The purpose of the Treaty is to insure that 

 the Antarctic does not become the scene or object of interna- 

 tional discord. Among other things, the Treaty: prohibits 

 military activity, nuclear testing, and disposal of nuclear 

 waste in the Treaty Area (lands and ice shelves south of 60 

 degrees south latitude) ; provides for on-site inspection of 

 all stations and field camps to insure compliance with Treaty 

 provisions; and promotes cooperative scientific investigations 

 and free exchange of scientific information. The Antarctic 

 Treaty Consultative Parties — the 12 countries that partici- 



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