long-line vessels operating in the eastern Bering Sea to record 

 and report any interactions with killer whales. The results 

 of these and prior studies were reviewed and discussed during 

 the Commission's meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, on 28-30 October 



1986. During the meeting there also was discussion of the 

 possible desirability of holding a workshop, as described 

 earlier, to identify research that would help to identify and 

 evaluate the likely cost and benefits of possible means for 

 avoiding or reducing interactions. 



Subsequent discussions with personnel from the University 

 of Alaska Marine Advisory Program indicated that U.S. partici- 

 pation in the black cod long-line fishery in the Bering Sea 

 was expanding, and that foreign fisheries for black cod in 

 the U.S. Fishery Conservation Zone were being phased out. 

 This shift could result in increased conflicts between killer 

 whales and the U.S. long-line fleet. Therefore, on 13 March 



1987, the Commission wrote to the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service to find out whether the Service or the State of Alaska 

 would be able to place observers aboard U.S. fishing vessels, 

 as it had on foreign fishing vessels, and, if not, what steps 

 would be taken to assess and monitor the impacts of the inter- 

 actions on the involved killer whales, fisheries, and fish 

 stocks. The Service responded to the Commission's inquiry on 

 3 April 1987. In its response, the Service described steps 

 that it had taken to assess and resolve the problem, including 

 ongoing efforts to work cooperatively with the Alaska Fishing 

 Vessel Owners Association to obtain reliable information on 

 the incidence and impact of interactions in the southern Bering 

 Sea during the 1987 fishing season. The Service also noted that 

 it had not been possible to place observers aboard long-line 

 fishing vessels during the 1987 season, but the option was 

 available and every effort would be made to work with individual 

 fishermen in 1988 as needed. The Service also noted that its 

 Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center would provide a full 

 report of research activities as soon as data from the 1987 

 fishing season were provided by the Alaska Fishing Vessel 

 Owners Association. 



In 1988, the Commission will continue to work with the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service, the Alaska Sea Grant Program, 

 the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and other interested 

 parties to identify and implement necessary and appropriate 

 measures to prevent or reduce interactions between killer 

 whales and long-line fisheries in both Prince William Sound 

 and the Bering Sea. 



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