The report further recommended that, if partici- 
pants in the recommended meeting conclude that the 
potential benefits of a common or interactive geo- 
graphic information system would outweigh the costs, 
a formal working group be established to overview 
development of a system. Among other things, this 
working group would be tasked with developing and 
agreeing upon (a) a common set of baseline maps for 
the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska; (b) standard 
protocols for collecting, reporting, and archiving 
various types of data; and (c) standard procedures for 
verifying the reliability of the data and ensuring that 
they are used appropriately. 
The Commission forwarded the contract report to 
the National Marine Fisheries Service on 10 Decem- 
ber 1992. In its transmittal letter, the Commission 
noted that it concurred with the report recommenda- 
tions. It also noted that the first step was to organize 
and hold the recommended meeting of agency repre- 
sentatives. In view of the National Marine Fisheries 
Service’s responsibilities for fisheries and marine 
mammal research and management, the Commission 
noted that the Service was the logical agency to 
organize and convene the meeting, and it recommend- 
ed that the Service do so as quickly as possible. 
The North Pacific Marine Science 
Organization (PICES) 
In December 1990, Canada, Japan, the People’s 
Republic of China, the Soviet Union, and the United 
States concluded the Convention for the North Pacific 
Marine Science Organization (PICES). The Conven- 
tion is patterned after the Convention for the Interna- 
tional Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), 
which was concluded in 1964 to promote and encour- 
age research and dissemination of information con- 
cerning the living resources and other aspects of the 
North Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas. [The term 
“PICES” is a formal part of the title of both the 1990 
Convention and the organization that it established. 
It is intended to connote a “Pacific International 
Council for the Exploration of the Sea,” it is not an 
acronym. ] 
The PICES Convention entered into force in March 
1992. An organizational meeting of the Governing 
115 
Chapter IV — Marine Mammal-Fisheries Interactions 
Council established by the Convention was held on 24 
March. At that meeting, the Council elected a chair- 
man, adopted rules of procedure, and agreed that a 
permanent secretariat would be established at the 
Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, British Colum- 
bia, Canada. On a provisional basis, the Council 
established standing scientific committees on fishery 
science, biological oceanography, physical oceanogra- 
phy and climate, and marine environmental quality. 
The first regular meeting of the Governing Council 
and the organizational meetings of the provisional 
scientific committees were held in Victoria, British 
Columbia, on 12-17 October 1992. At the meeting, 
the Governing Council appointed an Executive Secre- 
tary and, based upon the deliberations of its four 
scientific committees, established six working groups. 
The working groups concern (1) the Okhotsk Sea and 
Oyashio region; (2) development of common assess- 
ment methodology for marine pollution; (3) dynamics 
of small pelagic species in coastal ecosystems; (4) data 
collection and quality control; (5) the Bering Sea; and 
(6) the sub-arctic gyre. 
The working groups will initiate their work by 
correspondence and are scheduled to meet prior to the 
second annual meeting of the organization, to be held 
in Seattle, Washington, on 20-25 October 1993. At 
the 1993 meetings, the scientific focus will be on five 
issues: (1) ocean circulation and climate variability in 
the sub-arctic Pacific; (2) high-resolution paleo- 
ecological studies in the sub-arctic Pacific; (3) priority 
chemical and biological contaminants in the North 
Pacific ecosystem; (4) shifts in fish abundance and 
species dominance in coastal seas; and (5) long-term 
monitoring from platforms of opportunity. 
North Pacific Universities 
Marine Mammal Research Consortium 
Because of the possible relationship between 
fisheries and marine mammal population changes in 
the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, certain segments 
of the commercial fishing industry have initiated a 
program to support research in this area. This has led 
to establishment of the North Pacific Universities 
Marine Mammal Research Consortium, which in- 
cludes the Universities of Oregon, Washington, 
