Executive Summary 



The Annual Report of the Marine Mammal Commission is a 

 comprehensive review of domestic and international activities 

 affecting marine mammals. Its purpose is to provide timely 

 information to Congress, private citizens, public interest 

 groups, government agencies, and the international community on 

 events of the past year. To ensure factual accuracy, drafts of 

 this Report are circulated for review by Federal and State 

 agencies and others involved in described activities. 



Late in 1988, the Marine Mammal Protection Act was amended 

 to address a number of issues. Among other things, the 

 amendments exempted U.S. and some foreign fisheries from the 

 general permit and small take provisions of the Act until 1 

 October 1993. Also enacted were new requirements to reduce 

 incidental mortality of porpoise in the yellowfin tuna purse 

 seine fishery. In 1989, the National Marine Fisheries Service, 

 in consultation with the Commission, began developing and 

 implementing the interim fisheries exemption program. In 

 addition, the Commission initiated efforts to develop recommended 

 guidelines to regulate incidental take after October 1993. 

 Chapter II summarizes the 1988 amendments and discusses steps 

 taken in 1989 to implement them. 



Every year, the Marine Mammal Commission devotes special 

 attention to certain species or populations of particular 

 concern. Among those addressed in Chapter III of this Report are 

 the West Indian manatee, the Hawaiian monk seal, the sea otter 

 population in California, the North Pacific fur seal, the Steller 

 sea lion, the right whale, the humpback whale, and the bottlenose 

 dolphin. All have been the subject of intensive work by the 

 Commission for a number of years. 



In 1989, the plight of the West Indian manatee in Florida 

 worsened. For the fifth time in the past six years, the annual 

 manatee death toll from collisions with boats reached a record 

 high level. In addition, total manatee deaths from all causes in 

 1989 was roughly 80 percent higher than the annual average level 

 between 1978 and 1983. Although the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 adopted a revised Manatee Recovery Plan and the State of Florida 

 undertook aggressive efforts consistent with the Plan to 

 strengthen its manatee protection efforts, sufficient support 

 from the Fish and Wildlife Service for its research and 

 management actions remained a serious problem in 1989. In 

 Chapter III, these and other relevant matters relating to 

 effective implementation of the updated Recovery Plan are 

 discussed. 



