MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION — Annual Report for 1992 
To reduce the amount of noise reaching haulout 
beaches from fishing operations, and at the recom- 
mendation of the North Pacific Fishery Management 
Council, the National Marine Fisheries Service closed 
Federal waters between 3 and 12 miles around these 
locations for three years, beginning in 1989. A rule 
to close those areas indefinitely was proposed late in 
1991 by the National Marine Fisheries Service, again 
at the recommendation of the North Pacific Fishery 
Management Council. The rule was adopted early in 
1992. Because the closure did not include State 
waters within three miles of shore (the National 
Marine Fisheries Service does not have authority over 
these areas), an apparent regulatory gap existed that 
could compromise the effectiveness of the rules. 
Although the Fish and Wildlife Service did not 
advise the Commission as to what actions, if any, 
were taken to raise the matter with responsible State 
officials, the Commission subsequently learned that, 
early in 1992, the Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted 
a rule closing all State waters in the Bristol Bay area 
to trawling and dragging. The reasons cited for the 
action were to prevent the bycatch of salmon, herring, 
and halibut and to protect nearshore and intertidal 
fisheries habitat. Protection of walruses was not 
mentioned as a concern. Nevertheless, the new State 
tule, in combination with the Federal regulation, 
prohibits groundfish trawling within 12 miles of the 
principal walrus haulout sites in northern Bristol Bay. 
The Commission’s letter also recommended that 
the Service assess the need to protect other Bristol 
Bay walrus haulout sites from effects of fishing and 
other human activities. As of the end of 1992 the 
Commission had not been advised by the Service as to 
what steps were being taken or planned in this regard. 
It is expected, however, that the matter will be 
addressed early in 1993 in the Service’s draft conser- 
vation plan. 
Enforcement — Marine mammals, including 
walruses, have been taken illegally in order to sell 
tusks, hides, and other valuable marine mammal parts 
on the black market. Over the years, the Fish and 
Wildlife Service has implemented vigorous enforce- 
ment efforts to prevent such illicit trade. In 1992 the 
Service completed an undercover operation that 
resulted in the confiscation of several hundred pounds 
48 
of ivory as well as other marine mammal parts. As of 
September 1992, 29 persons had been charged with 
violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and 
other laws, 20 had pleaded guilty, and other individu- 
als were expected to be charged. Five persons were 
found guilty of wastefully taking walruses. The 
Service remains committed to continuing active 
enforcement efforts. 
International Walrus Workshop — As an out- 
growth of discussions between U.S. and Soviet walrus 
experts during the course of collaborations in the late 
1980s under the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Agreement on Envi- 
ronmental Protection, an international workshop on 
the ecology and management of walrus populations 
was organized and convened in March 1990. The 
workshop, sponsored principally by the Marine 
Mammal Commission and the Fish and Wildlife 
Service, involved scientists and managers from 
Canada, Greenland, Norway, the Soviet Union, and 
the United States. 
The purposes of the workshop were to review 
information on walrus populations worldwide and to 
encourage international communication and coopera- 
tion on related activities. The workshop successfully 
achieved its objectives. The workshop report (see 
Appendix B, Fay ert al. 1991) provides an overview of 
the status of various walrus populations as well as a 
summary of recent work and identified research and 
management needs. Among other things, participants 
in the workshop agreed that similar workshops should 
be held in the future to continue to facilitate the 
cooperation and effective information exchange 
initiated by the meeting. 
The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans 
subsequently volunteered to host a second meeting, 
and during 1992 it scheduled a Second International 
Walrus Technical and Scientific Workshop, to be held 
11-15 January 1993 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The 
tentative agenda includes a review of actions taken in 
response to recommendations developed at the 1990 
workshop and assessments of work on tagging and 
tracking walruses, censusing walrus populations, and 
monitoring contaminants. The Commission will send 
a representative to the meeting. 
