Workshop on Marine Mammal -Fisheries Interactions in 



the Bering Sea 



(North Pacific Fishery Management Council) 



In 1979, the Commission provided funds to the North 

 Pacific Fishery Management Council to help support a review 

 of available data on the status, feeding habits, and habitat 

 requirements of marine mammals in the Bering Sea. The 

 review was conducted by the Alaska Department of Fish and 

 Game under contract to the North Pacific Fishery Management 

 Council and was completed in 1982. The report identifies a 

 number of data gaps and recommends, among other things, that 

 a workshop be held to determine how best to obtain needed 

 data and how available data can be used to improve and 

 coordinate management plans for marine mammals and fisheries 

 in the Bering Sea. A steering group has been constituted to 

 plan the workshop (see Chapter IV) and the Commission has 

 transferred funds to the North Pacific Fishery Management 

 Council to help underwrite a portion of the costs. The 

 workshop results will be reviewed by the Commission, the 

 North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and other interested 

 parties to determine what further actions can and should be 

 taken to develop ecologically sound management strategies 

 for both marine mammal and fish populations in the Bering 

 Sea. 



Incidental Take of Marine Mammals in California Gill 



Net Fisheries 



(California Department of Fish and Game) 



Recent studies in Monterey Bay and other coastal areas 

 of California indicate that several species of marine mammals, 

 as well as marine birds and non-target fish species, are 

 being taken incidentally in gill net fisheries, such as 

 those for shark, halibut, and croaker. There is a need to 

 document the nature and extent of this incidental take and, 

 more importantly, to determine what additional measures may 

 be needed to avoid or reduce it. The California Department 

 of Fish and Game has begun to develop and implement an 

 appropriate assessment program. In addition, the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the 

 Minerals Management Service, and several non-governmental 

 organizations are conducting, supporting, or planning 

 programs which are providing or could provide supplemental 

 data. To facilitate data collection and assure that full 

 benefit is gained from the separate studies, the Commission 

 has provided funds to the California Department of Fish and 

 Game to augment the ongoing studies and to determine how 

 programs being conducted, supported, or planned by other 



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