organize and convene one or more additional meetings to help 

 in developing and adopting a cooperative State/Federal 

 program to address marine mammal/fisheries interactions in 

 California. 



Interactions in Areas Off Alaska 



The southeastern Bering Sea and other areas off Alaska 

 include some of the world's richest fishing grounds and 

 support a diverse assemblage of marine mammals. The expan- 

 sion of both domestic and foreign fisheries in these areas 

 beginning in the mid-1960s has increased the potential for 

 marine mammal/fisheries interactions and has focused atten- 

 tion on possible competition between marine mammals and 

 fishermen for the same fish and shellfish resources. 



Steller sea lion/fishery interactions 



Because of potential interactions, the Marine Mammal 

 Commission and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council 

 undertook cooperative efforts in 1980 to develop and imple- 

 ment an ecosystem approach to the management of marine 

 mammals and fisheries resources in areas under Council 

 jurisdiction. As part of this effort, the Commission and the 

 Council jointly supported a workshop in October 198 3 to 

 review available information concerning biological interac- 

 tions among marine mammals and commercial fisheries in the 

 southeastern Bering Sea. Workshop participants also sought 

 to determine whether existing data, theory, models, manage- 

 ment techniques, and research/monitoring programs were 

 sufficient to develop and implement ecosystem-oriented 

 research and management programs for both marine mammals 

 and fisheries in the area. In 1983, the Commission also 

 provided funds to the North Pacific Fishery Management 

 Council to help support a survey of Steller sea lion colonies 

 affected by the winter joint venture fishery for pollock in 

 the Shelikof Strait, Alaska (for details, see the Annual 

 Reports covering Calendar Years 1983 and 1984) . 



Comparison of data from Steller sea lion surveys 

 conducted in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s indicates that there 

 have been substantial sea lion declines in several areas, 

 particularly in the eastern Aleutian Islands and the western 

 Gulf of Alaska. The significance and causes of these 

 declines are not clear and, on 9-10 December 1986, the 

 National Marine Mammal Laboratory held a workshop in Seattle, 

 Washington, to evaluate the present status and trends of the 

 Steller sea lion population in Alaska and to recommend 

 research that would identify the cause or causes of the 

 declines. 



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