MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1998 



Figure 13. Crabeater seals, the most abundant marine mammal species in the world, rest on an Antarctic 

 ice floes. (Photograph courtesty of Ron Naveen, Oceanites, Inc.) 



the possible environmental impacts of their activities 

 in 1998-1999 in accordance with regulations promul- 

 gated by the agency. 



As noted in previous reports, the Antarctic Treaty 

 Parties have adopted guidelines for visitors to Antarc- 

 tica and for those individuals and companies organiz- 

 ing and conducting tours and other non-governmental 

 activities in the Antarctic. If the tour industry and 

 individual visitors comply with these guidelines, 

 tourism is unlikely to have adverse impacts on marine 

 mammals or other components of the Antarctic 

 environment, at least in the short term. However, 

 over time, repeated visits could possibly have adverse 

 cumulative effects on the physical features and biota 

 of some areas. Recognizing this, the Commission, in 

 cooperation with the Department of State, contracted 

 in 1994 for a study to determine whether the Antarctic 

 tour industry was aware of, and complying with, the 

 guidelines adopted by the Treaty Parties. In addition, 

 the National Science Foundation provided funding in 

 1994 for a study to characterize the physical and 

 biological features of representative sites in the 

 Antarctic typically visited by shipborne tourists and to 



determine whether periodic visits by trained observers 

 aboard tour ships can be used to detect possible 

 cumulative effects of tourism. Subsequently, logistic 

 support, funding, and other assistance were provided 

 by the Environmental Protection Agency, Argentina, 

 Chile, Germany, and the United Kingdom. 



The study results have been published in part in 

 two documents: (1) Compendium of Antarctic Visitor 

 Sites: A Report to the Governments of the United 

 States and the United Kingdom; and (2) The Oceanites 

 Site Guide to the Antarctic Peninsula. The compen- 

 dium includes descriptions, data on fauna and flora, 

 orientation maps, and photographs of representative 

 sites in the Antarctic Peninsula being visited by 

 tourists. The site guide provides a summary of this 

 information for use by tourists, tour operators, and 

 expedition staff. The compendium makes a number 

 of recommendations for actions to help meet the 

 impact assessment and monitoring requirements of the 

 Environmental Protocol. 



[The compendium can be obtained from the U.S. State 

 Department, Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs, and 



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