quotas for the subsistence take of bowhead whales by Alaska 

 Eskimos in 1988 and beyond, and matters pertaining to the 

 special permits for scientific research. The Marine Mammal 

 Commission expects to continue to consult and cooperate with 

 other involved agencies and organizations on these and other 

 IWC issues during 1987. 



Interim Convention on Conservation 

 of North Pacific Fur Seals 



In recent years, the Pribilof Islands fur seal popula- 

 tion has been declining at a rate of about five to eight 

 percent per year. The most recent population estimate, about 

 800,000 animals, is less than half of the estimated popula- 

 tion size of 2,000,000 animals in the late 1950s. While the 

 cause or causes of this decline have not been documented, 

 mortality resulting from entanglement in lost and discarded 

 fishing gear and other debris appears to be at least a 

 contributing factor, if not the major contributing factor. 

 The entanglement issue as it relates to fur seals and other 

 marine species is discussed in Chapter VIII of this Report. 



The ongoing population decline and issues related to the 

 harvest of fur seals on the Pribilof Islands have raised 

 difficult research and management questions. Until recently. 

 North Pacific fur seals were managed pursuant to provisions 

 of the Interim Convention on Conservation of North Pacific 

 Fur Seals. As discussed below, however, the Interim Conven- 

 tion has not been renewed and, within areas under U.S. 

 jurisdiction, domestic laws and regulations now provide the 

 basis for management. Actions taken by the Marine Mammal 

 Commission and others concerning the Interim Convention and 

 conservation of the fur seal population in recent years are 

 summarized below. 



The 1984 Protocol to Extend the Interim Convention 



The Interim Convention on Conservation of North Pacific 

 Fur Seals entered into force in 1957 and included, as 

 contracting parties, the Governments of Japan, Canada, the 

 Soviet Union, and the United States. The Convention called 

 upon party governments to cooperatively undertake research 

 and management to achieve the maximum sustainable productiv- 

 ity of fur seal populations in the North Pacific Ocean. 

 Among other things, the Convention prohibited pelagic sealing 

 and provided for the sharing of pelts taken from commercial 

 land-based harvests carried out by the United States on the 

 Pribilof Islands and by the Soviet Union on the Commander and 

 Robben Islands. 



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