MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION — Annual Report for 1992 
at both the planning and the data analysis and report- 
ing stages. 
Points raised in the paper were considered and 
used by the meeting participants to help evaluate the 
results of past monitoring programs and programs 
proposed to be carried out to satisfy the requirements 
of section 101(a)(5). 
Requests for Letters of Authorization 
In 1991 the Commission, in consultation with its 
Committee of Scientific Advisors, reviewed and 
provided comments and recommendations to the 
National Marine Fisheries Service on four requests for 
letters of authorization to take bowhead, gray, and 
beluga whales and bearded, ringed, and spotted seals 
incidental to oil and gas exploratory drilling opera- 
tions offshore Alaska. These are discussed in the 
previous annual report. 
By Federal Register notice of 14 May 1992, the 
National Marine Fisheries Service announced that it 
had received a request from ARCO Alaska, Inc., for 
a letter of authorization to take marine mammals, 
specifically bowhead whales, by harassment incidental 
to its offshore exploration activities in the Beaufort 
Sea during 1992. In conjunction with its request, 
ARCO submitted a proposed bowhead whale monitor- 
ing plan for its Kuvlum #1 exploratory well project. 
In the same issue of the Federal Register, the Service 
noted that it had received a petition from a consortium 
of four oil companies seeking renewal of regulations 
to allow a take of ringed seals incidental to on-ice 
seismic activities in the Beaufort Sea. 
The Marine Mammal Commission, in consultation 
with its Committee of Scientific Advisors, reviewed 
documents related to both issues and by letter of 8 
July 1992 provided comments to the Service. In its 
letter the Commission noted that the proposed moni- 
toring plan for the Kuvlum project likely would 
provide good estimates of the numbers of bowhead 
whales potentially affected by the exploratory drilling. 
However, it would provide no information on the 
species and number of marine mammals potentially 
affected after the fall bowhead whale migration moves 
past the drilling site and the proposed aerial surveys 
are terminated. The Commission further noted that 
172 
there appeared to be no provision for monitoring any 
species other than bowhead whales, and it therefore 
was unlikely that the proposed program would provide 
more than incidental information on the potential 
effects of drilling and related support activities on 
species other than the bowhead whale. The Commis- 
sion suggested that the Service determine whether one 
or more of the other species might also be affected by 
the planned operations, and if this possibility was not 
remote, require that the monitoring plan be revised 
accordingly before issuing the letter of authorization. 
As regards the request to renew regulations autho- 
rizing taking of ringed seals, the Commission noted 
that the petition provided a reasonable basis for 
concluding that only small numbers of ringed seals 
were likely to be affected by the planned seismic 
activities and that the effects likely would be negligi- 
ble. The Commission also noted that, while this or 
any single drilling or support activity was unlikely by 
itself to have significant adverse effects, the additive 
effects could be significant. The Commission pointed 
out that population monitoring as well as site-specific 
monitoring may be necessary to detect possible 
cumulative effects. The Commission recommended 
that, if the National Marine Fisheries Service had not 
already done so, it should consult with the Minerals 
Management Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, 
the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and rele- 
vant industry and Native groups to agree upon and as 
possible arrange for cooperative funding of a program 
to monitor the status of the ringed seal population(s) 
in Alaska waters. 
On 15 September 1992 the National Marine 
Fisheries Service published in the Federal Register a 
proposed rule to govern the taking of ringed seals 
incidental to oil and gas exploratory activities (specifi- 
cally seismic operations on the ice) in the Beaufort 
Sea from 1993 through 1997. By letter of 15 October 
1992 the Commission provided comments on the 
Service’s proposed rule. The Commission noted that 
the 15 September notice did not acknowledge or 
address the Commission’s 8 July 1992 comments. 
The Commission therefore again recommended that 
the National Marine Fisheries Service consult with 
pertinent agencies and groups to agree on a coopera- 
tive program to monitor the status of ringed seal 
populations in Alaska. The Commission further 
