structure of the baiji in the lower Yangtze River. In 1988, 

 the Commission provided additional funds to enable the 

 contractor to collaborate with scientists from the Institute 

 of Hydrobiology, Wuhan, China, to initiate needed studies. The 

 project report, expected in mid-1989, will describe programs 

 being conducted and planned by Chinese scientists, discuss 

 the results of studies done in 1988 and early 1989, and describe 

 additional measures judged necessary to develop and implement 

 an effective conservation program for the endangered baiji. 



Persistent Marine Debris in the North Sea, Northwest Atlantic 



Ocean, Wider Caribbean Area, and the West Coast of Baja 



California 



(B. Heneman, Bolinas, California) 



Since the early 1980s, the Commission has played a major 

 role in focusing domestic and international attention on marine 

 mammal and other conservation problems being caused by lost 

 and discarded fishing gear and other persistent marine debris. 

 In 1985, the Commission, in cooperation with the National 

 Marine Pollution Program Office of the National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration, provided funds to compile 

 information on the sources, fates, and effects of marine 

 debris in the North Sea, the northwest Atlantic Ocean, the 

 wider Caribbean area, and the west coast of Baja California. 

 The report from this study provides the only comprehensive 

 overview of the nature and extent of the marine debris problem 

 in these areas. In 1988, the Commission provided additional 

 funds to support reproduction and dissemination of the report 

 to appropriate Federal agencies, organizations, interested 

 individuals, and possible participants in the Second 

 International Conference on Marine Debris to be held in 

 Honolulu, Hawaii, 2-7 April 1989. The report has been 

 distributed in 30 countries. It is being used by the Commission 

 and others to help determine what further actions should be 

 taken to document and determine how to prevent problems caused 

 by persistent marine debris. 



The Second International Conference on Marine Debris 

 (Salt Water Productions, Anchorage, Alaska) 



The first workshop on marine debris was held in 1984 to 

 assess the nature and significance of the problem of marine 

 debris, particularly in the North Pacific Ocean. The Second 

 International Conference on Marine Debris, to be held 2-7 

 April 1989 in Honolulu, Hawaii, will enable evaluation of 

 progress in understanding and solving the marine debris problem. 

 To assist in advertising and organizing the Conference, the 

 Commission provided funds to prepare two announcements providing 

 substantive and registration information about the Conference. 



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