community, and involved government agencies, including the 

 Marine Mammal Commission. 



Among other things, the Conference highlighted needs 

 for: (a) continuing educational efforts, such as those being 

 supported as part of the Marine Entanglement Research Program, 

 to advise fishermen of the nature of the problem, applicable 

 legal requirements, and appropriate procedures to reduce the 

 problem; (b) developing and maintaining a research program to 

 monitor the amounts, quantities, distribution, and effects of 

 debris so as to assess progress in cleaning up and reducing 

 the problem; and (c) improving shore-based trash reception 

 facilities. Fishing industry representatives at the meeting 

 also adopted a resolution committing their respective organi- 

 zations to support efforts to eliminate the disposal of plastic 

 materials at sea, minimize the use of supplies packaged in 

 synthetic material, promote local education programs on the 

 problem, secure early adoption and enforcement of Annex V of 

 the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution 

 from Ships, and cooperate with local port authorities in 

 developing effective shore-based garbage reception facilities. 



Planning for a Second International Workshop on the Fate and 

 Impact of Marine Debris 



In November 1984, the National Marine Fisheries Service, 

 at the recommendation of and with the financial support of 

 the Marine Mammal Commission, took the lead in supporting and 

 convening a Workshop on the Fate and Impact of Marine Debris 

 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Workshop, based on terms of reference 

 developed and presented internationally by the Commission, 

 marked a turning point in perceptions of persistent marine 

 debris as a major ocean pollutant. The Proceedings of the 

 Workshop provided what continues to be perhaps the best single 

 source of information on the issue. Since that Workshop, 

 much has been done both in the United States and abroad to 

 further define elements of the problem and to describe miti- 

 gating measures. Recognizing the need to review the results 

 of these efforts so as to provide a basis for improving assess- 

 ments of the problem and redirecting future research and 

 management measures, the Commission wrote to the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service on 26 December 1986 recommending, 

 among other things, that a Second International Workshop on 

 the Fate and Impact of Marine Debris be convened in 1988. As 

 indicated above, the Service agreed with the Commission's 

 recommendation and programmed funds as part of its Fiscal 

 Year 1988 Marine Entanglement Research Program to begin planning 

 and organizing for such a Workshop in late 1988 or early 1989. 



During 1987, the Commission started informal discussions 

 about the Workshop with people in the United States and abroad. 

 An overwhelming majority of those contacted expressed the 



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