MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1998 



Basic Marine Research in the Antarctic 



The Antarctic Marine Living Resources Convention 

 Act of 1984 directs the National Science Foundation 

 to continue to support basic marine research in the 

 Antarctic. It also directs the Secretary of Commerce 

 to design and implement a directed research program 

 to support implementation of the Convention on the 

 Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. 

 As noted earlier, the National Science Foundation and 

 the National Marine Fisheries Service have coopera- 

 tively supported several long-term research programs. 

 Also, some logistic resources are shared through a 

 memorandum of agreement between the two agencies. 



The complementary research being supported by 

 the National Science Foundation includes (1) the 

 multi-disciplinary, long-term ecological research 

 program focused in the area around Palmer Station on 

 Anvers Island; and (2) individual research projects in 

 diverse subject areas including population biology, 

 community ecology, and adaptation of seals, pen- 

 guins, and other marine species. The long-term 

 ecological research program focuses on the inter- 

 annual variation in the extent of sea ice formation as 

 a physical determinant of spatial and temporal changes 

 in the structure and dynamics of key components of 

 the Antarctic marine food web, including microbes, 

 phytoplankton, krill, and Adelie penguins. 



The sixth annual oceanographic cruise in support 

 of the long-term ecological research program was 

 conducted in January 1998 in a grid extending from 

 Palmer Station south to Rothera Station. Studies 

 conducted between 1993 and 1997 showed that the 

 age and size at which krill reach maturity are highly 

 variable. The percentage of mature females that 

 reproduce in any year varies from about 10 percent to 

 more than 95 percent, with the highest percentage 

 reproducing the summer after springs with above- 

 average sea ice extent. The study results suggest that 

 reproduction in the relatively long-lived Antarctic krill 

 is flexible, with possible delays of one to several 

 years in the age of first reproduction and the potential 

 for skipping a year if environmental conditions are not 

 favorable. Studies of krill growth rates show correla- 

 tion with food quantity and quality, with diatoms 

 being preferred over other types of phytoplankton. 

 Data on both physical and biological oceanographic 



parameters are being collected and made available to 

 other researchers, including those involved in the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service's Antarctic Marine 

 Living Resources Research Program. 



Individual research projects providing complemen- 

 tary data include studies of the buoyancy and mor- 

 phology of Antarctic notothenoid fishes, the metabo- 

 lism of Antarctic fur seals, and the paleontology of 

 abandoned Adelie penguin rookeries. 



[Information concerning these programs can be 

 obtained from the Manager, Antarctic Biology and 

 Medicine Program, National Science Foundation, 

 Office of Polar Programs, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, 

 Arlington, VA 22230.] 



Conservation Issues in the Arctic 



Many species of marine mammals live seasonally 

 or year-round in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas 

 and coastal areas. They include polar bears; walrus- 

 es; ringed, bearded, harp, hooded, ribbon, and spotted 

 seals; narwhals; and bowhead, minke, fin, gray, and 

 beluga whales. The ranges of most of these species 

 include international waters and the territorial waters 

 of more than one country. Consequently, effective 

 conservation of these species and their habitats re- 

 quires cooperation among the Arctic nations. 



Some species of marine mammals are important 

 components of the cultures and diets of Alaska Na- 

 tives and other Arctic residents. Congress recognized 

 the importance of marine mammals to Alaska Natives 

 when it enacted the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 

 1972. Section 101(b) of the Act exempts Alaska 

 Natives from the Act's moratorium on the taking of 

 marine mammals as long as the taking is not wastefiil 

 and is done for subsistence purposes or to create and 

 sell authentic articles of Native handicraft or clothing. 

 In 1994 Congress added section 119 to the Act, 

 explicitly authorizing and encouraging the Secretaries 

 of Commerce and the Interior to develop agreements 

 with Alaska Native groups to cooperatively manage 

 species and populations of marine mammals that are 

 important to Native subsistence and cultures. 



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