Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to implement its 

 marine debris program and because of the Coast Guard's achieve- 

 ments in bringing about ratification of Annex V of the Inter- 

 national Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from 

 Ships. In Chapter VI, the full range of domestic and inter- 

 national activities relating to debris and plastic pollution 

 are discussed. 



Marine mammal/fishery interactions concern fishermen, 

 environmentalists, and the scientific community. When the 

 Marine Mammal Protection Act was enacted in 1972, a major 

 cause was the death of more than 350,000 porpoises in one 

 year incidental to the commercial yellowfin tuna fishery (see 

 Chapter VIII) . As time has passed, some marine mammal popu- 

 lations have grown in response to the protection provided by 

 the Act, and additional problems have become apparent. Chapter 

 VII provides a brief historical overview and descriptions of 

 marine mammal/ fishery interactions in California and Alaska 

 waters, and amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

 proposed by fisheries groups to afford greater protection to 

 fisheries. Chapter VIII describes actions regarding the inci- 

 dental take of porpoise in the yellowfin tuna purse seine 

 fishery, and the adverse impact of the Japanese high seas 

 gill net fisheries upon marine mammals, particularly Dall's 

 porpoise. 



The Marine Mammal Commission is directed by statute to 

 carry out a research program. That program is described in 

 Chapter IX of this Report. Other research-related activities 

 of the Commission, such as its annual survey of Federally-funded 

 marine mammal research programs and the convening of a number 

 of research program reviews and workshops are also discussed. 



Since activities related to the exploration for and exploi- 

 tation of offshore oil and gas resources can affect marine 

 mammals and their habitats, the Commission has conducted a 

 continuing review of proposed activities and has provided advice 

 to the Minerals Management Service and other agencies on actions 

 needed to ensure that such activities do not have significant 

 adverse effects on marine mammals or the ecosystems of which 

 they are a part. These efforts are described in Chapter X. 



Chapters XI and XII describe issues related to the permit 

 process and regulations to govern the care and maintenance of 

 marine mammals in captivity. Both are of considerable impor- 

 tance and have been the subject of much attention by the 

 Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors. 



It is the Marine Mammal Commission's hope that this Report 



will serve as a useful and reliable reference document for 



interested individuals and groups in the United States and 

 abroad. 



