MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION — Annual Report for 1992 
disease. To prevent any such disease from being 
transmitted to captive animals, the Commission 
recommended that the Service suspend all live cap- 
tures and removals of bottlenose dolphins from the 
Gulf of Mexico. On 2 April 1990, the Service 
advised the Commission that all permit holders had 
voluntarily agreed to suspend capture of bottlenose 
dolphins in the Gulf for 90 days to allow time to 
evaluate the die-off. 
On 31 May 1990 the Service published in the 
Federal Register a proposed rule to establish regula- 
tions and revise quotas for removal of bottlenose 
dolphins for purposes of research and public display. 
Because of uncertainty regarding the status of the 
potentially affected bottlenose dolphin populations in 
the Gulf of Mexico, the Service wrote to permit 
holders on 20 August 1990 asking them not to collect 
bottlenose dolphins until 1991 or 1992 except in 
situations where collection was absolutely necessary to 
maintain a public display. Permit holders agreed, and 
since that time no animals have been taken from the 
Gulf of Mexico for purposes of public display or 
scientific research. As of the end of 1992 the Service 
had not promulgated revised regulations or quotas 
regarding live capture and removals for public display 
and research. 
As it did for the U.S. mid-Atlantic coastal popula- 
tion, the Service, in its proposed regime to govern 
interactions between marine mammals and commercial 
fishing operations, designated the eastern Gulf of 
Mexico population of bottlenose dolphins as a Class 
a stock. The Service did not propose an a classifica- 
tion for bottlenose dolphins in the western Gulf of 
Mexico. 
Feeding Dolphins in the Wild 
Feeding wild marine mammals may adversely 
affect them by increasing the potential for interactions 
with motor boats and other vessels, increasing reliance 
on non-natural sources of food, conditioning animals 
to expect food from people, and altering migratory 
patterns by causing the animals to ignore seasonal 
changes in food availability or other variables. Some 
commercial tour operators have incorporated feeding 
of wild dolphins into their programs to improve 
marketing. The Commission believes that such 
78 
programs are contrary to the intent and provisions of 
the Marine Mammal Protection Act and has advised 
the National Marine Fisheries Service accordingly. 
Feeding dolphins in the wild, as well as other issues 
involving bottlenose dolphins, including captive 
display and swim-with-the-dolphin programs, are 
discussed further in Chapter XI of this report. 
Polar Bear 
(Ursus maritimus) 
The polar bear occurs in most ice-covered seas of 
the northern hemisphere. The species is circumpolar 
in distribution and has been seen as far north as 88 
degrees north latitude, and off the Alaska coast as far 
south as St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea. 
Available information indicates that two relatively 
discrete polar bear populations occur in Alaska — a 
western (Bering/Chukchi Seas) population shared with 
Russia and an eastern (Beaufort Sea) population 
shared with Canada. While reliable information on 
the sizes of these populations is not available, the 
most widely accepted estimate for the total Alaska 
population is 3,000 to 5,000 animals. 
Throughout the first half of this century, polar 
bears were taken primarily for subsistence purposes 
and for the sale of hides by Natives hunting with dog 
teams. In the late 1940s, trophy hunters, using 
professional guides, began hunting polar bears from 
aircraft, substantially increasing the pressure on the 
Alaska polar bear population. In 1961, the State of 
Alaska adopted regulations restricting the sport 
hunting season and requiring sport hunters to present 
all polar bear skins for marking and examination. At 
the same time, preference was provided for subsis- 
tence hunters and protection was afforded cubs and 
females with cubs. Between 1961 and 1972, an 
average of 260 polar bears were taken annually in 
Alaska, 75 percent of which were males. In 1972, the 
State of Alaska banned hunting from aircraft. 
In 1972 enactment of the Marine Mammal Protec- 
tion Act transferred management responsibility for 
polar bears and other marine mammals from the State 
to the Federal Government. Under the Act, hunting 
is prohibited except that Alaska Natives are allowed to 
