CHAPTER I 
INTRODUCTION 
Background 
This, the eighth Annual Report of the Marine Mammal 
Commission, is submitted to the Congress pursuant to Section 
204 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. The Report 
describes the Commission's activities from 1 January through 
31 December 1980. 
The Marine Mammal Commission was established under 
Title II of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is an 
independent agency of the Executive Branch with responsibility 
for developing, reviewing, and making recommendations on 
actions and policies of all Federal agencies with respect to 
marine mammal protection and conservation. 
Personnel 
The three Commissioners, appointed by the President, 
are: Dr. Douglas G. Chapman (Chairman), Seattle, Washington; 
Dr. Donald B. Siniff, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Dr. Murray 
L. Johnson, Tacoma, Washington. The Commission's senior 
staff members are John R. Twiss, Jr., Executive Director; 
Robert Eisenbud, General Counsel; Robert J. Hofman, Scientific 
Program Director, and JoAnn Lashley, Administrative Officer. 
The nine member Committee of Scientific Advisors on 
Marine Mammals is composed of scientists knowledgeable in 
marine ecology and marine mammal affairs. Its members, 
appointed by the Chairman, were, at the end of 1980: Dr. 
Daniel B. Botkin, University of California, Santa Barbara; 
Dr. Paul K. Dayton (Chairman of the Committee), Scripps 
Institution of Oceanography; Dr. L. Lee Eberhardt, Pacific 
Northwest Laboratory, Battelle Memorial Institute; Dr. 
Joseph R. Geraci, University of Guelph; Dr. Gerald L. Kooyman, 
Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Dr. Daniel K. Odell, 
University of Miami; Dr. William F. Perrin, National Marine 
Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Center; Dr. Katherine 
Ralls, Smithsonian Institution; and Dr. Robert B. Weeden, 
University of Alaska. During 1980, Mr. John H. Prescott 
(Committee Chairman through August) completed his term of 
service on the Committee. 
