MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION — Annual Report for 1992 
RECOVERY AND CONSERVATION PLANS 
Section 115(b) of the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act requires development of conservation plans for 
depleted species and populations and encourages 
development of conservation plans when such plans 
would facilitate maintenance of marine mammal 
populations within their optimum sustainable popula- 
tion ranges. The Endangered Species Act requires 
development of recovery plans for endangered and 
threatened species and populations, except when such 
plans would not materially contribute to rebuilding the 
species or population. As noted in Chapters III and 
VIII, the Commission has assisted the Fish and Wild- 
life Service in developing conservation plans for 
walruses, polar bears, and sea otters in Alaska. The 
Commission also has taken steps to identify actions 
necessary to protect and encourage recovery of 
endangered and threatened species throughout the 
world. Contract studies initiated in 1993 in support of 
these activities are described below. 
Implementation of the Walrus 
Conservation Plan 
(Kawerak, Inc., Nome, Alaska) 
As noted in Chapters III and VIII and above, the 
Commission supported the preparation of a draft 
walrus conservation plan and transmitted the resulting 
product to the Fish and Wildlife Service in December 
1991. Completion of the plan will require further 
consultation with other Federal agencies, state agen- 
cies, Native groups, and industries with interests and 
responsibilities for walrus conservation. Effective 
implementation of the plan may require development 
of cooperative agreements with a variety of organiza- 
tions, including the Eskimo Walrus Commission and 
the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. To assist, 
the contractor is to provide a draft plan for completing 
and implementing the conservation plan and an outline 
of the possible terms of a cooperative agreement 
among the Eskimo Walrus Commission, the Fish and 
Wildlife Service, and the Alaska Department of Fish 
and Game for implementing the plan. These docu- 
ments are to be completed and provided to the Fish 
and Wildlife Service early in 1993. 
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Development of a Recovery Plan 
for the Vaquita 
(Bernardo Villa-Ramirez, Ph.D., Naturalia, 
Coyoacan, Mexico) 
The vaquita, or Gulf of California harbor porpoise, 
occurs only in the northern Gulf of California (Sea of 
Cortez) where it is in danger of extinction (see Chap- 
ter III). The Government of Mexico is aware of the 
problem, and with assistance from several internation- 
al organizations, has initiated efforts to protect the 
species and its habitat. To assist in this regard, the 
Commission helped to support the work of the chair- 
man of the President of Mexico’s Technical Commit- 
tee for the Preservation of the Totoaba and the 
Vaquita in drafting a recovery plan identifying priority 
research and management tasks. The draft plan will 
be used to help focus and coordinate conservation 
efforts. 
Implementation of IUCN-The World Conserva- 
tion Union’s Action Plan for the Conservation 
of Dolphins, Porpoises, and Whales 
(Center for Marine Conservation, 
Washington, D.C.) 
Many of the world’s whale, dolphin, and porpoise 
populations are in danger of extinction as a result of 
human activities. In 1988 the Cetacean Specialist 
Group of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission pub- 
lished a five-year plan for assessing and conserving 
these particular species and populations. The plan 
identifies more than 50 needed research and manage- 
ment actions. The purpose of this contract is to help 
support the costs of implementing the plan. 
Preparation of a Pinniped Action Plan 
(Peter J. H. Reijnders, Ph.D., Research 
Institute for Nature Management, 
Ben Burg, The Netherlands) 
A number of pinniped species and populations are 
endangered, threatened, or at risk as a result of 
human activities. IUCN-The World Conservation 
Union has constituted a Seal Specialist Group te 
prepare a pinniped action plan, similar to the cetacean 
action plan mentioned in the previous project summa- 
ry. The purpose of this contract is to provide funds 
