sonian Institution, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

 The Minerals Management Service, the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have had the 

 largest and most diverse marine mammal research programs. 



Responses to the 1987 survey are due early in 1988. 

 After the information provided has been compiled and verified, 

 the Commission, in consultation with its Committee of Scientific 

 Advisors, will evaluate the information and make such recom- 

 mendations as may be appropriate to better develop, focus, 

 and coordinate agency programs. 



Research Program Reviews. Workshops, 

 and Planning Meetings 



In 1987, the Commission, in consultation with its Committee 

 of Scientific Advisors, reviewed, commented on, and/or made 

 recommendations concerning: the harbor porpoise, Hawaiian 

 monk seal, North Pacific fur seal, Steller sea lion, entangle- 

 ment of marine mammals in debris at sea and on beaches, and 

 Antarctic marine living resources research and management 

 programs being planned, conducted, or supported by the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service; the research on southern sea otters, 

 bowhead whales, gray whales, and other marine mammals being 

 planned and supported by the Minerals Management Service; and 

 the manatee, California sea otter, and Pacific walrus research 

 programs being conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Service. 

 Representatives of the Commission also convened, co-sponsored, 

 or participated in meetings and workshops to: (1) better 

 define and decide how best to meet essential information and 

 management requirements relating to: North Pacific fur seals; 

 right whales; gray whales; bowhead whales; bottlenose dolphins; 

 Alaska sea otters; marine mammal strandings; conservation and 

 research recommendations of the International Whaling Commis- 

 sion; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered 

 Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) ; river dolphins; Steller 

 sea lions; entanglement; impacts of offshore oil and gas explor- 

 ation and development on marine mammals; and conservation of 

 seals and whales in the seas surrounding Antarctica; (2) deter- 

 mine the cause or causes of the bottlenose dolphin die-off 

 along the mid-Atlantic coast; (3) identify, evaluate, and 

 recommend safe and effective systems for radio-tagging and 

 tracking large cetaceans; (4) describe research, education, 

 and other programs necessary to protect the West Indian manatee 

 in southern Florida; and (5) review and evaluate the effective- 

 ness of the National Marine Fisheries Service's Hawaiian monk 

 seal program in promoting the recovery of the species. 



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