Estimated Incidental Take of Pall's Porpoise 



Year Estimated Take 



1981 1,850 



1982 4,187 



1983 2,906 



1984 2,443 



1985 2,760 



1986 (preliminary) 2,352 



The estimated take rate within the U.S. Fishery Conservation 

 Zone is 0.47 porpoise per gill net operation. 



As required by section 14(b)(2) of the North Pacific 

 Fisheries Act, the National Marine Fisheries Service issued 

 in 1986 an Action Plan that reviews developments in the 

 fishery during 1985 and outlines research activities for 

 1986. The Plan calls for the Service to: (1) monitor the 

 level of incidental take; (2) collect sighting data for 

 estimating abundance; (3) collect specimen material for 

 biological studies; and (4) analyze data collected in 1982- 

 1985 on the behavioral response of Call's porpoise to sujrvey 

 vessels. The Plan also announced the Service's determination 

 that the permit holder, the Federation of Japan Cooperative 

 Fisheries Association, complied with all conditions of the 

 general permit and the North Pacific Fisheries Act in 1985. 



The extension of the 1981 general permit under the North 

 Pacific Fisheries Act will expire on 9 June 1987. In order 

 to fish for salmon with gill nets in the U.S. Fishery Conser- 

 vation Zone beyond that date, it will be necessary for the 

 Federation to obtain a permit renewal pursuant to the 

 requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 



Anticipating the submission of a permit application from 

 the Federation, the National Marine Fisheries Service pub- 

 lished in the Federal Register of 22 January 1986 a notice of 

 intent to prepare an environmental impact statement on the 

 application. A National Environmental Policy Act scoping 

 meeting was held on 6 March 1986. By letter of 12 May 1986, 

 the Commission submitted scoping comments recommending, among 

 other things, that the draft environmental impact statement 

 address: the data gaps and research needs identified by the 

 Administrative Law Judge during the 1981 permit proceeding; 

 the effectiveness of the air-tube gear modifications; prob- 

 lems with the observer system; the effects of lost and 

 discarded nets and other debris; ecosystem effects of the 

 fishery; the status of affected fur seal stocks; and the 

 impact of the proposed action on subsistence uses of marine 

 resources. The Commission also expressed the view that all 

 expenses associated with Call's porpoise research and 

 monitoring, including salaries and administrative and 

 research costs, should be paid by the Japanese. 



79 



