MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1995 



regional lobster fishery reopens, potentially important prey resources for young seals at this site will 

 not be reduced, and (6) establish a Hawaiian monk seal implementation team to periodically review 

 and evaluate progress on ongoing activities and agency contributions to the recovery program; and 

 recommending that the Service increase its efforts to apply foundation funding and university expertise 

 to address priority research needs in the recovery program. 



4 August Defense, commenting to the Navy regarding its role in the recovery of the endangered Hawaiian monk 



seal; commending the Navy for its cooperation with other Federal and state agencies and for its 

 contribution to the National Marine Fisheries Service's Midway Islands Monk Seal Restoration 

 Program; and further commending the Navy for its role in the cleanup of the Midway Islands. 



4 August Defense, commending the Coast Guard for its role in the recovery of the endangered Hawaiian monk 



seal, including the cleanup of Kure Atoll and the Midway Islands. 



4 August Interior, commenting to the Fish and Wildlife Service regarding its role in the recovery of the 



endangered Hawaiian monk seal; recommending that the Service continue to seek the transfer of 

 ownership of the Midway Islands from the Navy to the Service for its use as a National Wildlife 

 Refuge; and recommending that the Service, in consultation with the Navy, the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service, and other relevant parties, immediately review all possible funding and construction 

 options for the restoration of the deteriorating sea wall at Tern Island, French Frigate Shoals, and 

 proceed with restoration as soon as possible. 



14 August New England Fishery Management Council, commenting on the results of recent field tests to 



determine the potential effectiveness of acoustic alarms in reducing the incidental take of harbor 

 porpoises in gillnets; suggesting that the Council consider (1) expanding the three existing seasonal 

 gillnet closures established in 1994 to better bracket the months and areas in which available observer 

 data indicate most incidental take of harbor porpoises has occurred, and (2) establishing controlled 

 fishing opportunities within those areas based on a sampling design to further test the effectiveness of 

 acoustic alarms. 



15 August Commerce, commenting to the National Marine Fisheries Service on a proposed rule to implement the 



new regime to govern the taking of marine mammals incidental to commercial fishing operations; 

 recommending that the fishery categorization system adopted by the Service under section 118 of the 

 Marine Mammal Protection Act be made more flexible, not only by considering the number of 

 mortalities and serious injuries relative to a stock's potential biological removal level, but also by 

 including some of the elements of the categorization system under the interim exemption (section 1 14) 

 that look at the number of mortalities and serious injuries per vessel-day; noting that the proposed rule 

 does not appear to include a reliable means for estimating fishing effort, and recommending that the 

 Service, in the final rule, explain how it will obtain reliable effort data for the fisheries; recommend- 

 ing that the Service either (a) expand the reporting provisions to require the submission of information 

 sufficient to enable it to determine whether or not a marine mammal injury is serious, or (b) otherwise 

 adopt a mechanism to determine what proportion of reported injuries will be considered to be serious; 

 further recommending that the Service pursue cooperative agreements with representatives of Native 

 American tribes to obtain reliable incidental take data from tribal fisheries; further recommending that 

 the Service consider ways in which it can tailor its monitoring and reporting programs to obtain data 

 on the age, sex, and reproductive condition, as well as the numbers, of marine mammals that are 

 killed or injured incidental to commercial fishing operations; and recommending that, before 

 authorizing the take of endangered or threatened marine mammals incidental to commercial fishing 

 operations, the Service publish for public review and comment a separate Federal Register notice that 

 clearly describes the stocks and fisheries for which it proposes to make a negligibility finding, and that 

 clearly explains the basis for the proposed determinations. 



17 August Interior, scientific research permit, National Biological Service. 



214 



