Chapter IX — Research and Studies Program 



shop and publication of the workshop report was 

 provided by a transfer of funds from the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service to the Marine Mammal 

 Commission. 



Field Guide to Alaska Marine Mammals 

 (Ronald K. Dearborn, Ph.D., Alaska Sea Grant 

 College Program, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 

 Alaska) 



As noted in Chapter HI, the 1988 amendments to 

 the Marine Mammal Protection Act require that the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service develop and imple- 

 ment an observer program to help obtain reliable 

 information on the species and numbers of marine 

 mammals being caught incidentally in commercial 

 fisheries in U.S. waters. The effectiveness of this 

 program will depend, in part, on the ability of observ- 

 ers to correctly identify animals taken. To assist in 

 this effort, the Marine Mammal Commission provided 

 partial support for production of an illustrated field 

 guide to the pinnipeds and cetaceans of Alaska. The 

 guide, designed specifically for training and field use 

 by fisheries observers and conmiercial fishermen in 

 Alaska, will be published by the University of Alaska 

 Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program in Anchorage 

 and the University of Alaska Sea Grant Program 

 Public Information Service in Fairbanks. It is expect- 

 ed to be completed in 1992. 



Selected International Agreements and Domestic 



Legislation Affecting Marine Resources, Marine 



Habitat, and Wildlife 



(Debra L. Nail, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, 



Florida) 



The contractor is collecting and organizing all of 

 the background information necessary to update the 

 1977 Congressional publication "Treaties and Other 

 International Agreements on Fisheries, Oceanographic 

 Resources, and Wildlife involving the United States." 

 The contractor also is developing a computerized 

 database of the documents that may be searched for 

 subject key words and other parameters. The pub- 

 lished report and the database should be of use to 

 Congress, Federal and state agencies, and the general 

 public. The Commission expects the report to be of 



value in identifying actions needed to better conserve 

 marine living resources and habitats. 



Survey of Federally-Funded Marine Mammal 

 Research 



(George H. Waring, Ph.D., Southern Illinois Univer- 

 sity, Carbondale, Illinois) 



The Marine Mammal Commission is required to 

 conduct a continuing review of marine mammal 

 research conducted or supported by other Federal 

 agencies. Information concerning marine mammal 

 research conducted by other agencies in Fiscal Year 

 1991 and planned to be conducted in Fiscal Year 1992 

 was requested from agencies in November 1991 and 

 will be provided to the contractor early in 1992. The 

 contractor is to provide a draft report summarizing the 

 information obtained by 1 May 1992. The draft will 

 be sent to Federal agencies to verify the accuracy of 

 the reported data. The final report, expected to be 

 completed in the summer of 1992, will be provided to 

 the agencies and will be available to other interested 

 persons and organizations through the National 

 Technical Information Service. It will be reviewed by 

 the Commission, in consultation with its Committee of 

 Scientific Advisors, to identify actions necessary to 

 better develop, focus, and coordinate Federal marine 

 mammal research programs. 



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