Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) 
The California population of gray whales migrates close 
to shore between breeding and calving areas along the coast 
of Mexico and summer feeding grounds in the Bering and 
Chukchi Seas. The gray whale's affinity for near-shore 
coastal waters exposes it to threats associated with offshore 
oil and gas development, commercial and recreational vessel 
traffic, and pollutants from land run-off and ocean outfalls. 
Its dependence on coastal habitats also makes it one of the 
easier species of great whales to study (see previous Annual 
Reports). 
In January 1980, the National Marine Fisheries Service 
sent the Commission a draft gray whale research plan which 
the Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors on 
Marine Mammals discussed during their 21-22 February 1980 
meeting. On 9 April, the Commission, in commenting, noted 
that it understood the plan's purpose to be: (a) to facilitate 
cooperation and coordination among U.S. and foreign scientists 
working on gray whales; (b) to identify ways in which to 
best plan, fund, and coordinate gray whale research with 
Mexico, the U.S.S.R., and perhaps Canada; and (c) to determine 
appropriate levels of financial, manpower, and logistic 
investment for the Service and/or other Federal organizations 
to obtain the information needed to make ecologically sound 
decisions on gray whale conservation. Bearing this in mind, 
the Commission pointed out that although the draft plan 
identified research needs, described the general rationale, 
purpose, and major elements of the plan, and outlined where 
and how major programs should be conducted, the plan needed 
to be expanded to include: (1) a clearer statement of the 
plan's objectives; (2) a discussion of the actual and potential 
roles of those countries, agencies, and organizations interested 
in and/or responsible for the conservation and protection of 
gray whales and their habitats; (3) a more detailed description 
and rationale for each major program element; (4) target 
initiation and completion dates for each major program 
element; (5) estimates of funds, personnel, equipment, and 
aircraft/ship support required for each program element; and 
(6) a recommendation on or discussion of allocating funding 
responsibilities among relevant organizations. The Commission 
also recommended that the plan be written for a three- or 
five-year period with provisions for annual review and 
updating. 
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