CHAPTER I 



INTRODUCTION 



Background 



This is the fourteenth Annual Report of the Marine 

 Mammal Commission, covering the period from 1 January through 

 31 December 1986. It is being submitted to Congress pursuant 

 to section 204 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. 



Established under Title II of the Act, the Marine Mammal 

 Commission is an independent agency of the Executive Branch. 

 It is charged with the responsibility for developing, review- 

 ing, and making recommendations on actions and policies for 

 all Federal agencies with respect to marine mammal protection 

 and conservation and for carrying out a research program. 



Personnel 



The Commission consists of three part-time Commissioners 

 who are appointed by the President. The Marine Mammal 

 Protection Act requires that the Commissioners be know- 

 ledgeable in marine ecology and resource management. At the 

 beginning of 1986, the Commissioners were: William E. Evans, 

 Ph.D. (Chairman), San Diego, California; Robert Eisner, 

 Ph.D., Fairbanks, Alaska; and Karen Pryor, North Bend, 

 Washington. Effective 21 September 1986, Dr. Evans submitted 

 his resignation as Chairman of the Commission to assume the 

 position of Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National 

 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Dr. Eisner was 

 subsequently appointed Chairman. At the end of 1986, a 

 replacement for Dr. Evans had not been named. 



The Commission's full-time senior staff members are: 

 John R. Twiss, Jr., Executive Director; Robert J. Hofman, 

 Ph.D., Scientific Program Director; David W. Laist, Policy 

 and Program Analyst; Donald C. Baur, General Counsel; 

 Sherburne B. Abbott, Assistant Scientific Program Director; 

 Jeannie K. Drevenak, Staff Assistant in charge of permits; 

 and Eileen Shoemaker, Staff Assistant in charge of 

 publications. 



