The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological 
Survey and such other agencies as may be appropriate, develop 
a standard procedure and schedule for reviewing plans for, 
and the results of, monitoring studies. In support of these 
recommendations, the Commission noted that a substantial 
cost savings might be realized, in the long-term, by considering 
and factoring possible long-term monitoring needs into the 
regional environmental studies plans for FY 81 and beyond 
and that development of a coordinated, comprehensive monitoring 
program could help to facilitate offshore oil and gas develop- 
ment by providing assurance that possible adverse effects 
can be detected and avoided. 
Inter-agency Review/Coordination Meetings 
As noted above, the Commission's 7 May 1980 letter 
recommended, among other things, that the Bureau of Land 
Management, in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries 
Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and such other 
agencies as may be appropriate, develop a plan and schedule 
for intra- and inter-agency meetings to plan and coordinate 
marine mammal-related studies on both national and regional 
levels. The recommendation was based upon the Commission's 
determinations that there had been some duplication in the 
bowhead whale research programs being conducted by the 
National Marine Fisheries Service and the Bureau and that 
the programs, independently and collectively, were not 
providing all of the information needed to ensure that 
bowhead whales and other species of marine mammals will not 
be affected adversely by activities and events associated 
with offshore oil and gas development. 
The first of the regional coordination meetings was 
held in Seattle, Washington, on 12-14 November 1980. It was 
organized by the Bureau and the National Marine Fisheries 
Service, in consultation with the Commission, and was designed 
to provide a broad overview of relevant statutory responsibilities 
and marine mammal research programs being conducted or 
planned by the Bureau and the Service, as well as a more in- 
depth review and evaluation of their bowhead whale research 
program and other selected research programs being conducted 
or supported by the Alaska OCS Office, the New York OCS 
Office, and the National Marine Mammal Laboratory of the 
National Marine Fisheries Service. 
The meeting was productive and, as noted above, the 
Bureau is developing a plan and schedule for similar coordi- 
nation meetings in the other OCS regions. The report from 
the Seattle meeting is being prepared by the Bureau of Land 
Management and should be available in early 1981. 
