prevent, to the maximum extent practicable, any further taking. 

 In addition, the amendments require that the Marine Mammal 

 Commission, in consultation with its Committee of Scientific 

 Advisors, develop and, by 1 February 1990, provide to the 

 Secretary of Commerce recommended guidelines to govern the 

 incidental taking of marine mammals in the course of commercial 

 fishing operations after 1 October 1993. 



By letter of 6 December 1988, the Marine Mammal Commission 

 advised the National Marine Fisheries Service of steps that 

 should be taken to begin implementing the amendments. The 

 Commission recommended that, if the Service had not already 

 done so, it consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service to 

 determine the species and the frequency with which marine 

 mammals under the Fish and Wildlife Service's jurisdiction 

 (e.g., sea otters, manatees, and walrus) are being taken 

 incidental to various fisheries. 



The Commission noted that fishermen would be required to 

 compile and report information concerning interactions with 

 marine mammals and, to define and help fishermen meet these 

 new reporting requirements, recommended that the Service consult 

 with its regional research and management staffs, the Regional 

 Fishery Management Councils, State regulatory agencies, and 

 other interested persons to determine what incidental catch 

 data are presently being reported, how the reports are filed, 

 and what additional data or standardization of reporting 

 forms would be necessary to meet the new reporting requirements. 

 The Commission also pointed out that it may be necessary to 

 allocate the established quotas of Steller sea lions and 

 North Pacific fur seals among different fisheries and that it 

 would be necessary to develop a system to insure that the 

 quotas are not exceeded. It recommended that the Service work 

 with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the State 

 of Alaska, affected fishermen, and other interested parties 

 to develop guidelines for allocating the quotas among those 

 fisheries known to take Steller sea lions and North Pacific 

 fur seals, and to develop procedures for monitoring the 

 incidental take and regulating fisheries, when necessary, to 

 insure that the quotas are not exceeded. 



In 1989, the Marine Mammal Commission will continue to 

 work with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the State 

 agencies, the fishing industry, public interest groups, and 

 the academic community to implement the amendments. 



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