National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of 

 Oceanography and Marine Assessment to plan and administer the 

 Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program. 



To help the Service meet its responsibilities with regard 

 to the conservation and protection of marine mammals, the 

 Commission, in consultation with its Committee of Scientific 

 Advisors: reviews and provides comments on regional studies 

 plans, environmental impact statements, and requests for 

 proposals related to marine mammal research developed by the 

 Service; participates, as requested, in meetings of Technical 

 Proposal Evaluation Committees convened by the Service to 

 review research proposals; and helps plan and participates in 

 meetings and workshops to review and coordinate relevant 

 research programs being conducted or planned by the Minerals 

 Management Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service, and other Federal, state, and 

 private agencies and organizations. 



Alaska Region : During 1988, the Commission reviewed the 

 Minerals Management Service's Alaska Regional Studies Plans 

 for Fiscal Years 1989 and 1990. By letter of 21 April 1988, 

 the Commission provided comments to the Alaska OCS Office on 

 the final Plan for FY 1989 as it pertained to marine mammals. 

 In its letter, the Commission, among other things, questioned 

 the need for and the scientific merit of a proposed study to 

 experimentally determine the probable effects of crude oil on 

 cetaceans trapped in an ice lead. The Commission noted that 

 available information may be sufficient to develop a reasonably 

 accurate model of what likely would happen to various species 

 of whales entrapped in oil-covered ice leads and suggested 

 that the Service contract for a "paper" study before committing 

 to an experiment that could provide meaningless results or 

 needlessly harm live animals. In its letter, the Commission 

 also noted the lack of plans for polar bear studies, particu- 

 larly in light of uncertainties regarding the number of female 

 bears denning near existing or proposed lease sale areas. It 

 suggested that the Service contact polar bear experts to help 

 determine critical data gaps and how they can best be filled. 



On 29 September, the Commission commented to the Service's 

 Alaska OCS Office on the draft Alaska Regional Studies Plan 

 for Fiscal Year 1990 as it pertained to marine mammals. 

 Among other things, the Commission suggested that the Service 

 expand the draft Plan to include a study to determine the 

 number of female polar bears that den on land and ice near 

 existing and proposed lease sale areas in Alaska. As evidence 

 of the need for such a study, the Commission noted that oil 

 exploration and development could affect polar bears in several 

 ways, including disturbance during the winter denning period. 

 The Commission further noted that the number of bears denning 

 in and near Alaska OCS lease sale areas and the availability 



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