As noted in Chapter IX of this Report, the Commission has 

 provided comments to the Minerals Management Service on its 

 proposed Alaska Regional Studies Plans for Fiscal Years 1989 and 

 1990. In its comments, the Commission cited the lack of plans 

 for polar bear studies, particularly in light of uncertainties 

 regarding the number of female bears denning near existing or 

 proposed lease sale areas. The Commission suggested that studies 

 be undertaken to: (a) determine what proportion of the Alaska 

 polar bear population or populations could be affected by off- 

 shore oil and gas exploration and development; and (b) assess the 

 likely effectiveness of measures that could be taken to avoid or 

 minimize interactions between bears and people as a result of OCS 

 activities. 



In subsequent discussions with representatives of the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 

 the Commission noted a number of uncertainties regarding what 

 could and should be done to eliminate or minimize interactions 

 between oil field workers and polar bears. As a result, the 

 Commission, in cooperation with the Fish and Wildlife Service and 

 the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, sponsored a workshop in 

 Anchorage, Alaska, on 24-25 January 1989, to identify and recom- 

 mend actions that should be taken by the Minerals Management 

 Service and other agencies to adequately protect polar bears and 

 their habitat in Alaska and adjacent areas. 



Objectives of the workshop were to: review known and 

 possible direct and indirect effects of oil and gas activities on 

 polar bears and their habitat; identify additional information 

 which may be necessary to assess the effects of oil and gas 

 exploration and development on polar bears; describe the research 

 required to obtain the additional information and the time, 

 money, and special equipment needed to carry out the research; 

 identify and assess potential measures that could be taken to 

 avoid or mitigate the adverse effects of bear-human interactions 

 on both bears and people; describe additional research that may 

 be necessary to evaluate the utility of such measures; and 

 describe the types of long-term population and other studies that 

 would be required to verify the predicted effects and to detect 

 the possible unforeseen effects of oil and gas exploration and 

 development on Alaska polar bears. 



Participants in the workshop included researchers from the 

 United States and Canada with experience in polar bear biology 

 and management. Among the groups represented at the workshop 

 were: the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Canadian 

 Wildlife Service, the Department of Renewable Resources of the 

 Government of the Northwest Territories, the Department of 

 Wildlife Management of the North Slope Borough, the Inuvialuit 

 Game Council of the Northwest Territories, the Marine Mammal 

 Commission, the Minerals Management Service, and the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service. 



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