Chapter II — Species of Special Concern 



possibility that other deaths occurred unobserved 

 during this period, the eight confirmed deaths under- 

 scored the urgency of strengthening recovery efforts 

 for the population. The Marine Mammal Commission 

 therefore held a review of the right whale recovery 

 program during its 12-14 November 1996 annual 

 meeting. Based on that review, the Commission 

 concluded that at least $3 million a year would be 

 needed to carry out an adequate right whale recovery 

 program. Funding by the Service and other federal 

 and state agencies participating in the right whale 

 recovery program fell far short of this level. To meet 

 additional funding needs, the Commission wrote to the 

 Service on 12 December 1996 recommending that it 

 increase funding for its recovery efforts and, as noted 

 above, that it explore alternative ways of encouraging 

 and directing supplemental funding for right whale 

 work from private and industry sources. 



With regard to the Service's program, the Com- 

 mission's December 1996 letter recommended that the 

 Service increase support for its right whale recovery 

 activities to at least $1.25 million per year. Specifi- 

 cally it recommended that those funds be used to hire 

 a right whale recovery program coordinator; initiate 

 or expand surveys in key right whale feeding areas in 

 the northern part of the population's range; develop 

 fishing gear less likely to entangle whales; identify 

 and implement steps to reduce ship strikes by com- 

 mercial vessels; initiate a long-term telemetry program 

 to better identify right whale habitat-use patterns; 

 develop a geographic information system to improve 

 and speed analyses of data on right whales and right 

 whale habitats; and develop a population model based 

 on available life history data. Recognizing that, even 

 at this level, support would not be adequate to accom- 

 plish all that should be done, the Commission recom- 

 mended that the Service seek greater support from 

 relevant private and industry sources, such as shipping 

 companies whose actions pose such a substantial threat 

 to right whales but that have contributed little to 

 address the problem, by exploring steps to establish a 

 right whale conservation fund. 



As discussed above, the Service, in cooperation 

 with other agencies and groups significantly strength- 

 ened right whale recovery efforts in 1997 and 1998. 

 At the same time, however, new information and 

 analyses on right whales in the western North Atlantic 



Ocean indicated that the population's status was even 

 more critical than previously recognized. The Marine 

 Mammal Commission therefore held another review 

 of the right whale recovery program during its 1998 

 annual meeting on 10-12 November in Portland, 

 Maine. Its purpose was to reexamine the recovery 

 program in light of new developments and progress 

 since 1996 to ensure that everything possible was 

 being done to encourage the population's recovery. 



Based on its review, the Commission wrote to the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service on 21 December 

 1998 providing further comments and recommenda- 

 tions. It was apparent that many of the priority needs 

 identified during the Commission's 1996 review either 

 had been or were being addressed and that impressive 

 progress had been made. Among other things the 

 Service had increased funding for its right whale 

 recovery activities to more than $1 million in 1998, it 

 had taken steps to develop a three-year funding plan, 

 most of the work it had supported either complement- 

 ed or supplemented essential tasks also receiving 

 support from other agencies and groups in both the 

 United States and Canada, and available funding 

 appeared to be directed to good effect toward neces- 

 sary, constructive tasks. The Commission commend- 

 ed the Service for the steps it had taken to build on 

 and coordinate cooperative partnerships with various 

 state agencies, the Coast Guard, the Navy, and non- 

 governmental research groups. 



Based on information presented during the review, 

 however, it was apparent that certain vital recovery 

 tasks either were not being addressed at all or were 

 not being adequately funded, that some fundamental 

 tasks still depended on unpredictable private funding 

 sources, and that steps to ensure a stable, long-term 

 funding base for ongoing activities were not being 

 taken. For example, the Service's fiscal year 1999 

 budget request included only $200,000 for right whale 

 recovery work. Although Congress appropriated 

 $350,000 for this purpose in 1999 — an increase over 

 the requested level that reflects Congressional concern 

 for the species — the Service will still need to allocate 

 more than $700,000 from other sources in order to 

 maintain funding at the 1998 level. Even this level of 

 funding, however, is not sufficient to undertake all 

 essential tasks. Because the Service did not include 

 necessary ongoing costs in its base-level funding 



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