Commission provided funds for the contractor to obtain, 

 evaluate, and adapt existing computer software to facilitate 

 storage and retrieval of marine mammal bibliographic infor- 

 mation. Funding necessary to develop the computer data base 

 will be provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service and 

 other organizations. 



Analysis of Elephant Seal Resighting Data from the Farallon 



Islands 



(H. R. Huber, Visiting Scientist, National Marine Mammal 



Laboratory, Seattle, Washington) 



Tag/resighting studies of elephant seals have been 

 carried out on the Farallon Islands since the early 1970s. 

 However, data produced by these studies have not been comp- 

 letely analyzed. Recognizing the potential value of such 

 data, the Commission provided support for the contractor to 

 analyze the data to determine possible changes in the sur- 

 vival rates of immature elephant seals on the Farallon 

 Islands from 1974 to 1986. Juvenile survival rates, which 

 may have declined as population density increased during this 

 period, may provide a basis for determining the optimum 

 sustainable population level. The contract report will be 

 reviewed by the Commission, in consultation with its Com- 

 mittee of Scientific Advisors, to determine whether 

 additional analysis, monitoring, or management actions may be 

 necessary to ascertain and maintain the optimum sustainable 

 northern elephant seal population. 



Publication of Contract Reports 

 (National Technical Information Service) 



Many of the Commission's contract reports are of 

 interest to organizations and individuals outside the Commis- 

 sion and may be of value for many years to come. To assure 

 that such reports are readily available, the Commission 

 contracts with the National Technical Information Service, 

 part of the Department of Commerce, to publish and archive 

 selected reports. Commission reports available from the 

 Service are listed in Appendix B of this Report. 



Special Research Concerns for FY 1987 



As noted in this and previous Annual Reports, substan- 

 tial additional research is needed to more effectively assess 

 and determine how best to deal with a number of problems 

 affecting the conservation and protection of marine mammals 

 worldwide. As examples, additional research is needed to: 



— determine the cause (s) and possible means for stopping 



and reversing the continuing decline of certain northern 



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