Service convened a meeting in November 1988 to identify and 

 determine how best to obtain needed information. Participants in 

 the meeting, including representatives of the Marine Mammal 

 Commission, agreed that it would be desirable to hold a workshop 

 to identify critical information needs concerning marine mammals 

 and sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico; describe the research that 

 would be required to obtain needed information; and estimate the 

 time, money, and other resources that would be required to do the 

 described research. 



The Workshop on Sea Turtles and Marine Mammals in the Gulf 

 of Mexico was held 1-3 August 1989 in New Orleans. Participants 

 included representatives of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service, the Marine Mammal Commission, 

 the Minerals Management Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, 

 state agencies, the academic community, and environmental and 

 industry groups. Objectives of the Workshop were to: 



review the existing state of knowledge of marine 

 mammals and sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico; 

 review ways in which marine mammals and sea 

 turtles have been or could be affected, either 

 directly or indirectly, by activities and events 

 associated with various human activities in the 

 Gulf of Mexico; 



identify the types and specificity of data needed 

 to support endangered species consultations or 

 management decisions; 



discuss and reach consensus on the most immediate 

 data still needed for endangered species 

 consultations; and 



identify and discuss the advantages and 

 disadvantages of various methods that might be 

 used to obtain needed data. 



Because a recovery plan is in place for endangered West Indian 

 manatees and consultations between the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 and the National Marine Fisheries Service take place periodically 

 pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the Workshop 

 did not consider information needs relative to this endangered 

 species. 



Workshop Results — A draft report of the Workshop was 

 circulated to participants in mid-October 1989, and repre- 

 sentatives of the Commission contributed to and commented on the 

 draft report. With respect to marine mammals, the draft noted, 

 among other things, that a number of human activities and 

 pollutants are or could be affecting marine mammals and their 

 habitat in the Gulf of Mexico. These include: offshore oil and 

 gas exploration and development and associated coastal 

 development; commercial fishing; lost and discarded fishing gear 

 and other persistent debris; marine pollution from oil spills, 



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