MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1998 



representative of the Marine Mammal Commission 

 served as a member of the U.S. delegation. 



The U.S. -Russian negotiations resulted in ad 

 referendum agreement on the text of a bilateral 

 agreement for submission to the two national govern- 

 ments for approval. Among other things, the agree- 

 ment recognizes that Native people in the United 

 States and Russia share an equal interest in and 

 responsibility for the conservation and sustainable use 

 of the Alaska/Chukotka polar bear population. The 

 agreed text further recognizes the important ecological 

 role and aesthetic values of the polar bear and the 

 need to maintain broad public support for conservation 

 of the species and its marine and terrestrial habitats. 

 At the same time, the text affirms the rights of Native 

 people in both countries to hunt polar bears to satisfy 

 traditional subsistence needs and to manufacture and 

 sell handicrafts and clothing. 



Accordingly, the text provides that Native people 

 of Alaska and Chukotka may take polar bears for 

 subsistence purposes, provided that the take is consis- 

 tent with the Native exemption in Article 111(1 )(d) of 

 the 1973 Agreement for the Conservation Polar Bears. 

 In addition, the agreed text bans the taking of females 

 with cubs, cubs less than one year old, and bears in 

 dens; the use of aircraft and large motorized vessels 

 and vehicles to hunt polar bears; and use of poisons, 

 traps, and snares. 



The text also recognizes the importance of ensur- 

 ing the full involvement of Natives in the imple- 

 mentation and enforcement of its provisions. Toward 

 this end, it calls for establishment of a U.S. -Russian 

 Polar Bear Commission, to be composed of a U.S. 

 section and a Russian section. Each section will have 

 two appointed commissioners, and all decisions and 

 recommendations of the commission will require the 

 approval of both sections. 



The responsibilities of the joint commission will 

 include, among other things, the following: 



• promoting cooperation with and between Native 

 people of Alaska and Chukotka; 



• determining the annual sustainable harvest level of 

 the polar bear population based on reliable scien- 

 tific data and traditional knowledge; 



determining annual take limits to be shared 

 equally by Alaska and Chukotka Natives; 

 adopting enforceable measures to restrict the use 

 and take of polar bears for subsistence purposes 

 consistent with annual take limits; 

 identifying habitats essential to polar bears and 

 recommending habitat conservation measures; 

 considering scientific research programs and 

 preparing recommendations for such programs; 

 and 



establishing a scientific group to advise the com- 

 mission on the preceding points. 



Subsequently, the text of the joint polar bear 

 agreement was submitted to the governments of the 

 United States and the Russian Federation for approval. 

 The U.S. Department of State reviewed the text of the 

 agreement and forwarded it to the Russian Federation 

 with minor changes. However, political changes 

 occurring in Russia during 1998 prevented a prompt 

 review of the agreed text in that country. At the end 

 of 1998, it was believed that approval by the Russian 

 Federation would shortly be forthcoming. At that 

 time, the U.S. State Department will enter into 

 consultations with other parties to the 1973 Agreement 

 for the Conservation of Polar Bears before forwarding 

 the bilateral U.S. -Russian agreement to the Senate for 

 its advice and consent. 



Polar Bear Trophy Imports 



Amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection 

 Act enacted in 1994 allowed the Secretary of the 

 Interior to issue permits to import sport-hunted polar 

 bear trophies from Canada. Such permits may be 

 issued under section 104(c)(5) of the Act to authorize 

 the importation of legally acquired polar bear parts 

 (other than internal organs), provided that the Secre- 

 tary, in consultation with the Marine Mammal Com- 

 mission, makes the following findings: 



• Canada has a monitored and enforced sport- 

 hunting program consistent with the purposes of 

 the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar 

 Bears; 



• Canada has a sport-hunting program based on 

 scientifically sound quotas ensuring the mainte- 

 nance of the affected population stock at a sus- 

 tainable level; 



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