foreign governments on a stock-by-stock basis; and (e) a 

 showing be made that tuna were caught when a positive finding 

 of comparability was in effect for the exporting nation before 

 tuna may be imported into the United States from that nation. 

 Publication of an interim final rule is expected in early 1988. 



Research Activities and Planning 



The 1984 amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

 directed the National Marine Fisheries Service to undertake a 

 scientific research program, beginning on 1 January 1985 and 

 continuing for at least five years, to monitor indices of 

 abundance and trends in the porpoise populations affected by 

 the yellowfin tuna purse seine fishery in the eastern tropical 

 Pacific Ocean. In response to this directive, the Service, 

 in consultation with the Commission, the U.S. tuna industry, 

 and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, convened a 

 series of meetings in 1984 to plan the monitoring program. 

 However, as noted in the Commission's previous Report, funding 

 and logistics constraints prevented initiation of the program 

 in 1985. 



With one exception, the planned program was initiated in 

 July 1986 in accordance with the plan developed in 1984. The 

 exception was that the Service was unable to deploy a helicopter 

 to assist in detecting, counting, and determining whether 

 porpoise are attracted to or attempt to avoid survey vessels. 

 The Service was able to deploy a helicopter as well as two 

 research vessels, the David Starr Jordan and the McArthur , to 

 conduct porpoise surveys and related oceanographic studies in 



1987. The surveys, which began in July and ended in early 

 December 1987, covered an approximately five million square 

 mile area in the eastern tropical Pacific and provided aerial 

 photographic data necessary to calibrate shipboard estimates 

 of porpoise school size and calculate age composition of 

 schools. 



The Commission was advised at its meeting on 10-12 December 

 1987 that the Service expects to be able to complete the 

 remainder of the five-year monitoring program as planned. In 



1988, the Commission will review the results of the 1986 and 

 1987 surveys and, as appropriate, suggest changes to improve 

 the program plan. 



The Pall's Porpoise Issue 



Dall's porpoise ( Phocoenoides dalli ) become entangled 

 and die in gill nets used by Japanese salmon fishermen in the 

 North Pacific Ocean. Pursuant to the International Convention 

 for the High Seas Fisheries of the North Pacific, the Japanese 

 are permitted to fish for salmon inside the U.S. 200-mile 



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