Bering Sea Workshop 



Since marine mammals and fishermen compete for some of 

 the same fish and shellfish, the Commission believes that 

 marine mammals and fisheries must be managed cooperatively 

 in order to obtain and maintain optimum sustainable populations 

 of marine mammals and optimum sustainable yields of fish 

 resources. This conclusion was reflected in the recommendations 

 of the Commission-sponsored workshop held in October 1981. 



Since 1980, the Commission has been working with the 

 North Pacific Fishery Management Council to try to develop 

 an integrated ecosystem approach to the management of marine 

 mammals and fishery resources in the Bering Sea. As part of 

 this effort, the Commission and the Council have jointly 

 supported a project to compile and evaluate available information 

 on the distribution, movements, abundance, and food habits 

 of marine mammals in the Bering Sea. This review was carried 

 out by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game under a contract 

 administered by the Council and with Commission support. A 

 report on "Feeding Habits, Food Requirements, and Status of 

 Bering Sea Marine Mammals" was distributed to the Commission, 

 the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and others on 

 9 April 1982. 



Among the report's recommendations are that a workshop 

 be held to consider a number of issues bearing upon interactions 

 among marine mammals and fisheries in the Bering Sea. The 

 Commission agreed that such a workshop would be useful and 

 has provided funds to the North Pacific Fishery Management 

 Council to help organize and convene the workshop. A steering 

 group, including representatives of the North Pacific Fishery 

 Management Council, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 

 the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service, the Commission, and the academic community, was 

 subsequently organized to help plan the workshop. At a 9 

 November 1982 meeting of that steering group, it was agreed 

 that the principal objective of the workshop will be to 

 identify and develop a plan for obtaining the kinds of 

 information needed by management agencies to properly manage 

 both fisheries and marine mammal populations in the eastern 

 Bering Sea. It is anticipated that one result of the workshop 

 may be recommendations to the North Pacific Fishery Management 

 Council for changes in the Bering Sea Fisheries Management 

 Plan. 



- 37 - 



