as to the status of polar bears in Alaska; the Service felt 
that harvest monitoring warranted high priority; the Service 
was preparing draft regulations on marking and tagging 
marine mammal parts; no contract had been signed with the 
Alaska Department of Fish and Game for monitoring harvests; 
acceptably reliable estimates of the size of polar bear 
populations in Alaska were not possible based upon the 
available information; and the results of current and planned 
research efforts should enable the Service to develop estimates 
for the northern and western populations of polar bears and 
to determine the status of those populations in the future. 
The Commission will continue to consult with representatives 
of the Federal and State agencies as well as other interested 
groups and individuals during 1981 as part of its continued 
efforts to resolve the problems described above and facilitate 
the establishment of an effective marine mammal management 
program in Alaska. 
