(4) because funding is limited and direct interactions are 

 less complex and therefore easier to assess and deal with, 

 high priority initially should be afforded to research on 

 direct rather than indirect interactions; (5) ongoing efforts 

 to determine and document the nature and extent of impacts on 

 both the involved fisheries and marine mammal populations 

 should be expanded to identify and evaluate the relative cost 

 and benefits of possible mitigation measures; and (6) when 

 remedial measures are determined to be necessary, non-lethal 

 measures should be considered before lethal measures. 



As noted in previous Annual Reports, expansion of both 

 domestic and foreign fisheries in the southeastern Bering Sea 

 and other areas off Alaska since the mid-1960s has increased 

 the potential for marine mammal/ fishery interactions and has 

 focused attention on possible competition between marine 

 mammals and fishermen for the same fish and shellfish resources. 

 Because of the potential adverse effects on marine mammals, 

 fisheries, and the fish and shellfish stocks upon which both 

 depend, the Marine Mammal Commission and the North Pacific 

 Fishery Management Council initiated cooperative efforts in 

 1980 to develop and implement an ecosystem approach to the 

 management of marine mammals and fishery resources in areas 

 under the Council's jurisdiction. As part of this effort, 

 the Commission and the Council jointly supported a workshop 

 in October 1983 to review available information concerning 

 biological interactions among marine mammals and commercial 

 fisheries in the southeastern Bering Sea. Papers presented 

 during the workshop indicated significant potential for 

 interactions between the following marine mammals and fisheries: 



North Pacific fur seal groundfish, capelin, 



squid, herring 

 Northern (Steller) sea lion groundfish, herring, 



capelin, salmon 

 Harbor seal groundfish, herring, 



capelin, salmon 

 Spotted seal groundfish, herring, 



capelin 

 Beluga whale salmon, herring, capelin 



Harbor porpoise groundfish, herring, 



capelin 

 Dall's porpoise salmon 



Killer whale salmon 



Gray whale salmon 



Fin whale herring 



Minke whale herring 



Workshop participants concluded that available information 

 generally was insufficient to assess accurately the effects 

 of the interactions on the affected fisheries, fish stocks, 



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