impacted. During 1986, it became apparent that this com- 

 peting demand also was creating the potential for jeopar- 

 dizing ongoing research activities as a result of research 

 animals possibly being taken in the course of public 

 display collections. 



In an effort to resolve this potential problem, the 

 Commission wrote to the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 on 8 October 1986 and recommended that procedures be estab- 

 lished as a part of permit application review to identify 

 these potential conflicts and develop acceptable reso- 

 lutions. A follow-up meeting between Commission and 

 Service representatives was held on 24 October and the 

 matter was discussed on 30 October at the Commission's 

 Annual Meeting in Anchorage. In both meetings, the Service 

 indicated that it was giving the Commission's recommen- 

 dations further consideration. By letter of 23 December 

 1986, the Commission reiterated its concern about this 

 matter and requested an additional meeting with the 

 Service. The Commission expects to resolve concerns about 

 this potential problem early in 1987. 



Working Group on the Permit System 



In July 1985, the Commission established a Working 

 Group composed of members of the Commission staff and the 

 Committee of Scientific Advisors on Marine Mammals for 

 purposes of preparing a report on how the Marine Mammal 

 Protection Act permit system could be improved. The Work- 

 ing Group was asked to identify problems that have arisen 

 with regard to the review of applications and the issuance, 

 modification, and enforcement of marine mammal permits, as 

 well as to recommend such statutory, regulatory, and admin- 

 istrative changes as might be appropriate to address the 

 problems. 



A draft of the Working Group's report was reviewed by 

 the Committee of Scientific Advisors and considered during 

 the October 1985 meeting of the Commission and Committee in 

 San Diego. Informal comments on the draft report were 

 received from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

 Seirvice, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service, and several non-governmental 

 parties. 



Based on those comments, the draft report was revised 

 during 198 6 and issued for formal review by interested 

 parties. Comments received during the formal review have 

 been addressed and incorporated into a revised draft which 

 is undergoing final review by the Commission. The report 

 is expected to be issued early in 1987. 



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