Chapter Vn 



IVL^JUNE MAMMAL MANAGEMENT IN ALASKA 



While several states face difficult marine mammal 

 conservation problems, issues in Alaska present an 

 extraordinary challenge. Contributing to the complex- 

 ity of marine mammal issues in Alaska are the large 

 populations of many different species within and 

 adjacent to State waters, the State's extensive and 

 often remote coastline, the use of marine mammals for 

 subsistence purposes, and interactions with commer- 

 cial fisheries and offshore oil and gas development. 



In 1991, particularly important issues in Alaska 

 included developing conservation plans for selected 

 marine mammals, assessing the possibility of funda- 

 mental changes in the condition of marine ecosystems 

 in the Bering Sea and other parts of Alaska, imple- 

 menting a marking and tagging program for marine 

 mammals taken by Native subsistence hunters to help 

 collect harvest data and to prevent illegal taking and 

 trade in marine mammal products, and continuing 

 efforts to clean up and assess effects of the Exxon 

 Valdez oil spill. In 1991, there were also significant 

 developments in several marine mammal-related court 

 cases that bear on future marine mammal management 

 actions. These matters are discussed below. 



Efforts to protect and conserve Alaska's marine 

 mammals also were made with respect to exploration 

 and development of offshore oil, gas, and hard 

 mineral resources (see Chapter Vni), and particular 

 issues concerning walruses, harbor seals. North 

 Pacific fur seals, Steller sea lions, humpback whales, 

 bowhead whales, killer whales, polar bears, and sea 

 otters (see Chapter 11). 



Species Conservation Hans 

 and Species Reports 



In amending the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 

 1988, Congress added a section that directs the 



Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce to develop 

 conservation plans for depleted and, when appropri- 

 ate, non-depleted marine mammals. Conservation 

 plans are sunilar to recovery plans for endangered 

 species. Their purpose is to help identify, organize, 

 and coordinate research and management programs to 

 restore marine mammal populations to optimum 

 sustainable levels or to maintain them at those levels. 



As noted in past Annual Reports, the Commission 

 has long held that such planning would further conser- 

 vation objectives for a number of marine mammal 

 species in Alaska. In this regard, the Commission 

 supported efforts to develop a series of species reports 

 with research and management recommendations for 

 ten species of marine mammals in Alaska. The 

 species reports were completed in 1988 (see Appendix 

 B, Lentfer 1988) and transmitted to the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service. Among other points, the Commission 

 recommended that the species reports for walruses, 

 polar bears, sea otters, and Steller sea lions be used as 

 a basis for developing conservation plans. It also 

 recommended that the conservation plan begun for 

 North Pacific fur seals be completed. 



During the annual meeting of the Commission and 

 its Committee of Scientific Advisors in Bellevue, 

 Washington, on 25-27 April 1991, a careful examina- 

 tion was undertaken of issues pertaining to Alaska's 

 marine mammals. This included the status of efforts 

 to develop conservation plans. Representatives of the 

 Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service attended and provided helpful 

 information. Although there was general agreement 

 that developing conservation plans for each of the five 

 species offered a valuable opportunity to identify, 

 coordinate, and otherwise strengthen the basis for 

 carrying out priority work, progress on the plans 

 varied. 



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