marine research in the Antarctic and they expensive to 

 operate. Therefore, to try to make the best possible use of 

 the available funding, the Service made arrangements to 

 cooperatively carry out three research cruises in 1986-1987 

 on a cost-sharing basis aboard a Polish research vessel, the 

 Profesor Siedlecki . 



The three research cruises are scheduled to be completed 

 early in 1987. On 23 December 1986, the Commission wrote the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service recommending that, follow- 

 ing completion of the three research cruises, the Service 

 prepare and make public a progress report and tentative plans 

 for directed research to be carried out in the 1987-1988 and 

 the 1988-1989 austral summers. As noted earlier, the 

 Commission also recommended that the Service organize and 

 hold another meeting of the ad hoc U.S. scientific working 

 group on the Antarctic before May 1987 to seek outside advice 

 on the overall direction of the program and the tentative 

 implementation plans for the next two field seasons. 



The Commission believes that both basic and directed 

 research are essential to conserving wildlife and protecting 

 U.S. interests in the Southern Ocean. Therefore, in 1987, 

 the Commission will continue to work with the Department of 

 State, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

 the National Marine Fisheries Service, the National Science 

 Foundation, and other organizations to help develop both 

 basic and directed Antarctic research programs. 



Activities Related to Non-Living Resources 



As noted earlier, there is growing interest in potential 

 non-living resources in Antarctica, particularly offshore oil 

 and gas. Activities associated with exploration, develop- 

 ment, and transport of oil and gas resources and possibly 

 other non-living resources could have direct and indirect 

 effects on whales, seals, krill, and other components of the 

 Antarctic marine ecosystem. The Antarctic Treaty Consul- 

 tative Parties have recognized this possibility, as they 

 recognized the possible adverse effects of living resource 

 exploitation. At the Xlth Antarctic Treaty Consultative 

 Meeting held in Argentina in July 1982, they agreed that a 

 regime on Antarctic mineral resources should be elaborated 

 and that the regime should provide means for: (1) assessing 

 the possible impact of mineral resource activities on the 

 Antarctic environment in order to provide for informed 

 decision-making; (2) determining the acceptability of 

 possible mineral resource activities; and (3) governing those 

 activities determined to be acceptable. Negotiation of the 

 regime began at a special Antarctic Treaty Consultative 

 Meeting in New Zealand in June 1982, and it has continued at 

 formal and informal sessions in New Zealand (January 1983) ; 



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