MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1995 



energy, low-frequency sound; marine mammals in 

 captive display facilities; the possible effects of 

 offshore oil and gas exploration and development on 

 marine mammals and their habitat; and marine mam- 

 mal strandings and die-offs. 



The Commission and members of its Committee of 

 Scientific Advisors and staff also were involved in 

 organizing and/or participated in meetings and work- 

 shops to: 



• review and coordinate international conservation 

 efforts in the Arctic and Antarctic; 



• review the Hawaiian monk seal recovery program; 



• develop agreements to cooperatively manage polar 

 bear and walrus populations shared by the United 

 States and the Russian Federation; 



• assess human- related factors affecting, and the 

 research, monitoring, and management programs 

 necessary to maintain, the health and stability of 

 the Bering Sea and Gulf of Maine ecosystems; 



• coordinate research and management actions 

 necessary to conserve humpback and right whale 

 populations off the northeastern United States; 



• explore approaches for avoiding or reducing 

 marine mammal bycatch in commercial fisheries; 



• assess steps that might be taken to avoid or reduce 

 the possible detrimental effects of growing pin- 

 niped populations in New England; 



• identify data and management needs concerning the 

 incidental take of harbor porpoises in gillnet 

 fisheries off the east coast of Canada and the 

 United States; 



• exchange and review information on the status and 

 management of West Indian manatees in the Wider 

 Caribbean Region; 



• evaluate the status of domestic and international 

 actions to document and eliminate sources of 

 marine debris pollution; 



• review and evaluate research programs to deter- 

 mine the effects of high-energy, low- frequency 

 sound on marine mammals; 



• improve the Federal permitting system for autho- 

 rizing the take of marine mammal for public 

 display and scientific research; 



• review population abundance data and analytical 

 procedures to determine the best methods for 

 estimating and monitoring harbor seal abundance 

 in Alaska; 



• determine variables that should be considered and 

 factored into educational, research, and manage- 

 ment programs for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback 

 Whale Sanctuary; 



• disseminate and review information on Arctic 

 ecosystems resulting from research and monitoring 

 programs related to offshore oil and gas explora- 

 tion in the Alaska region; 



• prepare for the meetings of the 1995 International 

 Whaling Commission and its Scientific Committee; 



• coordinate efforts by Federal agencies to standard- 

 ize, archive, and disseminate geospatial data on 

 marine bathymetry; and 



• evaluate the adequacy of efforts to implement the 

 manatee recovery program in the southeastern 

 United States. 



Commission-Sponsored Research 

 and Study Projects 



Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the 

 Departments of Commerce and the Interior have 

 primary responsibility for acquiring data needed to 

 develop and assess the effectiveness of programs to 

 conserve marine mammals and the ecosystems of 

 which they are a part in areas under U.S. jurisdiction. 

 This responsibility initially was delegated to the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service and the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service. 



Beginning in November 1993 marine mammal 

 research responsibilities for the Department of the 

 Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, Minerals Man- 

 agement Service, and National Park Service were 

 transferred to the National Biological Service. Re- 

 search budgets, scientific staff, and research contracts 

 have been transferred from these agencies to the 

 Biological Service. The Service will continue to carry 

 out the Department's research responsibilities under 

 the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endan- 

 gered Species Act for manatees, dugongs, sea otters, 

 polar bears, and walruses. 



As noted earlier, the Commission convenes work- 

 shops and contracts for research and studies to help 

 identify, define, and evaluate threats to marine mam- 

 mals and their habitat. It also supports other research 



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