marine mammals have been reported to occur in or migrate 

 through the northern Gulf of Mexico and that six of these 

 species (the West Indian manatee and the right, humpback, 

 sei, fin, and sperm whale) are designated as endangered under 

 the U.S. Endangered Species Act. 



The Commission, in consultation with its Committee of 

 Scientific Advisors, reviewed the Draft Statement and, by 

 letter of 27 May 1988, provided comments to the Minerals 

 Management Service. In its letter, the Commission noted that 

 the DEIS identified the species of marine mammals that could 

 be affected by the proposed action, but did not provide assess- 

 ments of: marine mammal habitats and food resources that 

 could be affected; the number of animals of the various species 

 that could be affected, indirectly as well as directly; what 

 proportion of the potentially affected species and populations 

 are at risk; and the extent to which potentially affected 

 species and populations have been and are being affected by 

 other human activities. 



The Commission further noted that the bottlenose dolphin 

 is the most common marine mammal species in the proposed 

 lease sale area and, therefore, the species most likely to be 

 exposed to and affected by disturbances, oil spills, waste 

 discharges, etc . that could result from the proposed action. 

 The Commission recommended that the Statement be expanded to 

 provide more complete descriptions of the natural history, 

 demography, habitat requirements, diets, and essential habitats 

 of marine mammals, particularly bottlenose dolphins, that may 

 occur in and near the proposed lease sale areas. The Commis- 

 sion also recommended that the Statement be expanded to provide 

 assessments of the possible indirect, as well as direct impacts 

 of the proposed action, especially on possible "local" popula- 

 tions of bottlenose dolphins. The Commission further recom- 

 mended that the Minerals Management Service consult with the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service to determine what additional 

 measures may be necessary to more reliably assess both direct 

 and indirect effects and to detect and monitor possible unfore- 

 seen effects of the proposed action on bottlenose dolphins. 



The Minerals Management Service's 

 Environmental Studies Program 



As noted above, the Minerals Management Service is respon- 

 sible for assessing and avoiding or mitigating the possible 

 adverse effects of offshore oil and gas exploration and 

 development. To help meet this responsibility, the Service 

 has established an Environmental Studies Program, which is 

 administered regionally by its OCS offices in New Orleans, 

 Louisiana; Los Angeles, California; Anchorage, Alaska; and 

 Vienna, Virginia. The Service also has contracted with the 



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