MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION — Annual Report for 1992 
intercalibration exercise to test the manual’s proce- 
dures in the Wider Caribbean Region would be dis- 
cussed under that agenda item; and steps were being 
taken to add the manual’s primary author to the U.S. 
delegation for the meeting. 
Second Wider Caribbean 
Marine Debris Workshop 
On 17-19 August 1992 the Intergovernmental 
Oceanographic Commission’s Sub-Commission for the 
Caribbean and Adjacent Regions ((OCARIBE) con- 
vened a second regional marine debris workshop at 
the Center for Advanced Investigations and Studies in 
Merida, Mexico. The first such workshop had been 
held in La Parguera, Puerto Rico, on 30 April 1991. 
The purpose of the second workshop, in which the 
Marine Mammal Commission participated, was to 
review progress following the first meeting. Specif- 
ically, workshop participants were charged with 
reviewing recent research and management activities 
concerning marine debris pollution in the Wider 
Caribbean Region and identifying future work that 
should be undertaken within the context of the Carib- 
bean Environment Program. Scientists, resource 
managers, and industry representatives from nine 
countries, including the United States, participated. 
A major task at the workshop was to review and 
recommend changes to complete a marine debris 
action plan for the Wider Caribbean Region that had 
been drafted by the IOCARIBE Secretariat. The 
purpose of the plan is to develop a cooperative 
regional strategy to assess and control marine debris 
pollution. The final plan, as modified to reflect 
results of the workshop, identifies 10 cooperative 
actions that include designing and implementing a 
regional outreach/public awareness campaign, encour- 
aging wider use of recycling programs, developing 
strategies to handle garbage generated by cruise ships, 
organizing regional beach clean-ups, encouraging 
more Caribbean nations to ratify Annex V of the 
Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from 
Ships, and building a regional marine debris monitor- 
ing network. 
The completed action plan is to be presented to 
appropriate regional organizations and governments to 
158 
help encourage and direct support towards priority 
work. In particular, the plan was to be submitted to 
the 10th meeting of the monitoring committee on the 
action plan for the Caribbean Environment Program 
in November 1992 and to the fourth session of the 
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s Sub- 
Commission for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions 
in December 1992. 
As of the end of 1992 the Marine Mammal Com- 
mission had not yet been advised of actions taken at 
these meetings relative to the recommended plan. 
However, support to begin work on several projects 
identified in the plan has been provided by several 
U.S. agencies, including the Coast Guard (for work to 
encourage ratification of Annex V), and the Marine 
Entanglement Research Program (for work on a public 
outreach and awareness program). 
