Act to identify measures necessary to protect humpback whales and 

 their habitat in Glacier Bay. 



Based on results of those meetings and consultations, the 

 National Park Service initiated a multi-year research program in 

 1980 to assess factors possibly affecting the distribution of 

 humpback whales in Glacier Bay and surrounding waters. It also 

 promulgated temporary regulations which, among other things, 

 reduced the number of large commercial tour ships and smaller 

 recreational vessels that could enter the bay to 1976 levels 

 (i.e. , the year before the marked decline in whale numbers was 

 observed in the bay) . The temporary regulations also established 

 a mechanism for designating "whale waters" in which certain 

 vessel operating restrictions were to apply. These regulations 

 were modified and reissued annually until 1985, when the National 

 Park Service adopted permanent regulations for the protection of 

 humpback whales in the Glacier Bay Park and Preserve. These 

 regulations establish a permit system for vessel entries, 

 prohibit fishing for certain humpback whale prey species in the 

 bay, and provide for designating "whale waters." 



Since the early 1980s, the National Park Service has allowed 

 a gradual increase in the number of vessels allowed to enter the 

 bay during the summer whale season. In 1988, the authorized 

 entry level was twenty percent greater than the 1976 level. The 

 Park Service considered authorizing an additional increase in the 

 access level again in 1989. To assess the possible consequences 

 of various alternatives, the Service again consulted the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered 

 Species Act. 



After reviewing the alternatives and the results of whale 

 monitoring studies conducted by the Park Service in 1988 and 

 1989, the National Marine Fisheries Service advised the Park 

 Service, on 5 October 1989, that an increase in vessel traffic 

 could not be justified. In support of this determination, the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service noted that it had recommended 

 in 1983 that no additional vessel traffic be allowed in Glacier 

 Bay unless the number of whales entering the bay remained equal 

 to or greater than the 1982 level (22 during the standard 9 July- 

 16 August observation period) and that the number of whales that 

 entered the bay during the standard observation period in 1988 

 and 1989 (17 and 20, respectively), both were below the 1982 

 level of 22 whales. The National Park Service accepted the 

 recommendation and decided to limit vessel access to the bay in 

 1990 to the 1989 level. 



Workshop on Whale Watching 



As noted above, efforts to assess and prevent or mitigate 

 the effects of whale watching and other vessel activities on 

 humpback whales and other cetaceans have generally been 



54 



