CHAPTER I 



INTRODUCTION 



Background 



This is the sixteenth Annual Report of the Marine Mammal 

 Commission, covering the period from 1 January through 

 31 December 1988. It is being submitted to Congress pursuant 

 to section 204 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. 



Established under Title II of the Act, the Marine Mammal 

 Commission is an independent agency of the Executive Branch. 

 It is charged with the responsibility for developing, review- 

 ing, and making recommendations on actions and policies for 

 all Federal agencies with respect to marine mammal protection 

 and conservation and for carrying out a research program. 



Personnel 



The Commission consists of three part-time Commissioners 

 who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. 

 The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires that the Commissioners 

 be knowledgeable in marine ecology and resource management. 

 During 1988, the Commissioners were Robert Eisner, Ph.D., 

 Fairbanks, Alaska; William W. Fox, Jr., Ph.D., (Chairman), 

 Miami, Florida; and Francis H. Fay, Ph.D., Fairbanks, Alaska. 

 In May 1988, Dr. Fox replaced Dr. Eisner as chairman of the 

 Commission. 



The Commission's full-time senior staff members are: 

 John R. Twiss, Jr., Executive Director; Robert J. Hofman, 

 Ph.D., Scientific Program Director; David W. Laist, Policy 

 and Program Analyst; Sherburne B. Abbott, Assistant Scientific 

 Program Director; Michael L. Gosliner, General Counsel; Marian 

 Graham, Administrative Officer; Jeannie K. Drevenak, Staff 

 Assistant, Permits; and Eileen Shoemaker, Staff Assistant, 

 Publications. 



The Commission Chairman, with the concurrence of the 

 other Commissioners, appoints the nine members of the Committee 

 of Scientific Advisors on Marine Mammals. Committee members 

 are statutorily mandated to be knowledgeable in marine ecology 

 and marine mammal affairs. At the end of 1988, its members 

 were: Robert L. Brownell, Jr., Ph.D., U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service; Douglas G. Chapman, Ph.D. (Vice-chairman), University 

 of Washington; Daniel Goodman, Ph.D., Montana State University; 

 Murray L. Johnson, M.D. (Chairman), University of Washington; 



