law into compliance with the subsistence requirements of the 

 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Those require- 

 ments are virtually identical to the subsistence provisions 

 of section 109(f)(1) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 

 Thus, it appears that the impediment to transfer of management 

 imposed by the Madison decision has been removed. 



On 21 December 1987, the Alaska Department of Fish and 

 Game wrote to the Commission advising it that another series 

 of 17 public meetings had been completed to obtain views on 

 matters related to three species, polar bear, walrus, and sea 

 otter, being considered as the possible focus of a more limited 

 request for management authority. Twelve other meetings with 

 various agencies, organizations, and interest groups were 

 also held to discuss what was under consideration, to identify 

 major concerns about management of marine mammals in Alaska, 

 and to exchange views with Alaskans interested in the issue. 



By letter of 9 March 1988, the State of Alaska Department 

 of Fish and Game notified interested parties that the State 

 had decided not to apply for management authority for walruses, 

 polar bears, or sea otters under the Marine Mammal Protection 

 Act. Instead, the State noted that it planned to initiate 

 efforts to establish a system for developing comprehensive 

 management plans for marine mammals through a process involving 

 the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, appropriate Federal 

 agencies, user groups, and other interested parties. As ex- 

 plained in the 9 March letter, it is the State's intention to 

 submit the management plans to the Secretary of Commerce or 

 the Interior for approval, and to seek to implement the plans 

 through federal procedures or cooperative agreements. 



Federal Marking and Tagging Regulations 



In 1981, the Marine Mammal Protection Act was amended to 

 provide the Fish and Wildlife Service with authority to promul- 

 gate regulations requirinq the marking, tagging, and reporting 

 of marine mammals taken by Alaska Natives. The purpose of 

 the amendment was to make it possible to obtain better infor- 

 mation on the numbers of marine mammals taken for subsistence 

 and handicraft purposes. 



On 3 December 1985, the Fish and Wildlife Service published 

 proposed marking and tagging regulations to implement the new 

 statutory requirement. During the comment period, 32 public 

 meetings were held throughout Alaska to discuss the proposed 

 regulations and to solicit comments from affected individuals 

 and interested parties. By letter of 3 March 1986, the 

 Commission, in consultation with its Committee of Scientific 

 Advisors, recommended that the regulations be adopted, subject 

 to certain modifications. Among other changes, the Commission 



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