International Cooperation 



North Pacific fur seals, including seals which breed and 

 haul out on the Pribilof Islands, occur not only in U.S. 

 waters, but also seasonally in international waters and waters 

 under the jurisdiction of other countries. Thus, conser- 

 vation of the species and the ecosystem of which it is a part 

 requires multi-national cooperation. In light of the expiration 

 of the Interim Convention in 1984 and the difficulty of securing 

 cooperation in the absence of an international agreement, the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service and the Department of State 

 invited representatives of the former parties to the Interim 

 Convention to an informal meeting in Washington D.C., on 

 22-23 September 1987 to explore the possibility of a new 

 agreement. 



The Commission supported the proposed meeting and, by 

 letter of 22 May 1987, provided comments on steps that should 

 be taken to prepare for the meeting. In particular, the 

 Commission referenced its previous recommendations that a fur 

 seal conservation plan, similar to a recovery plan for 

 endangered species, be developed. The value of such a plan 

 for promoting and guiding international cooperation was noted 

 in the Commission's letter of 29 November 1985. In its earlier 

 letter, the Commission first recommended to the Service that 

 it develop a North Pacific fur seal conservation plan to 

 provide a basis for identifying and carrying out the full 

 range of priority research and management actions needed to 

 promote recovery of the fur seal population. To help develop 

 the plan, the Commission provided the Service with a preliminary 

 plan outline on 6 December 1985. 



The need for a conservation plan was raised in several 

 subsequent letters from the Commission to the Service; however, 

 a draft plan was not prepared. Therefore, in its 22 May 1987 

 letter, the Commission again noted that such a plan would 

 provide a structured, rational context within which to discuss 

 cooperative international efforts on fur seal conservation 

 issues, and it recommended that one be drafted and distributed 

 to all appropriate governmental and non-governmental groups 

 for review and development into a U.S. position paper before 

 the multi-lateral meeting. A draft conservation plan was not 

 developed in advance of the meeting; however, an outline for 

 such a plan based on the outline provided to the Service by 

 the Commission in December 1985 was distributed and used for 

 discussion purposes during the multi-lateral meeting. 



As discussed in the previous Annual Report, representatives 

 of the Governments of Canada, Japan, the Soviet Union, and 

 the United States participated in the informal 22-23 September 

 1987 meeting. The meeting provided a useful opportunity to 

 exchange views. At the end of the meeting, the head of the 



51 



