Fish and Wildlife Service would consider submitting such a 

 proposal to the Seventh Conference of Parties, scheduled to 

 be held in Indonesia in 1989. 



With respect to other species of marine mammals, a proposal 

 was put forward by the Government of The Netherlands to list 

 both the Atlantic and Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) on 

 Appendix II. To assist the Service in developing a U.S. 

 position on this proposal, the Commission, in consultation 

 with its Committee of Scientific Advisors, reviewed the proposal 

 and available information on walrus populations in the Atlantic 

 and Pacific Oceans. Based on its review, the Commission 

 concluded that neither Pacific nor Atlantic populations of 

 walrus were in danger of becoming threatened with extinction. 

 In addition, existing and planned management programs in the 

 United States and other countries in which the species occurs 

 appeared to address adequately the concerns regarding native 

 taking and illegal trade. Therefore, on 28 April 1987, the 

 Commission wrote to the Service recommending that the U.S. 

 delegation oppose the proposal put forward by The Netherlands. 

 The Service concurred with the Commission's assessment and a 

 U.S. position opposing its listing on Appendix II was adopted. 



Of the nations that are Party to the Convention, five 

 have walrus populations and are known, in Convention parlance, 

 as walrus range states. During the Sixth Conference of Con- 

 vention Parties, representatives of these countries (Denmark, 

 Canada, Norway, the Soviet Union, and the United States) held 

 two informal meetings with proponents of the proposal to 

 review recent information on the status of the species and 

 applicable management measures. Representatives of the Eskimo 

 Walrus Commission, the State of Alaska, and the Alaska Outdoor 

 Council participated in the meetings. Based on the information 

 presented and commitments made by the five range states to 

 carry forward certain research and management actions, The 

 Netherlands withdrew its proposal to add walrus to Appendix 



II. The Canadian population, however, remains on Appendix 



III. In further response to points raised during the various 

 meetings on walrus, representatives of the range states met 

 in Ottawa immediately after the Conference to discuss and 

 outline a procedure whereby current information on walrus 

 research and management might be exchanged regularly. The 

 Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for coordinating 

 U.S. response to the agreed exchanges of information. 



The only other suggested change in the Appendices involving 

 marine mammals was a proposal submitted by the Government of 

 Switzerland concerning the West African manatee (Trichechus 

 senegalensis ) . This species is listed on Appendix II and, as 

 part of a ten-year review of the status of species listed on 

 the Appendices, consideration was given to removing the species 

 from Appendix II or transferring it to Appendix I. The United 



105 



