MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1998 



States participation in future work under this program 

 appears likely to be a substantial improvement over its 

 participation in the production of the initial reports. 



The work and findings of the Arctic Monitoring 

 and Assessment Program Working Group are of 

 interest and concern to the Commission because 

 pollutant levels in several marine mammal species 

 found in the Arctic are high and may be affecting both 

 the animals and the Alaska Natives who rely on them 

 for subsistence purposes. This subject is discussed in 

 greater detail in Chapter VI. 



Another topic of great concern to the Commission 

 is climate change and its possible effects on the Arctic 

 environment. Alaska Natives have expressed con- 

 cerns about observed changes in sea ice cover and 

 strucuire and in the condition of marine mammals. 

 The Arctic Council expects the Arctic Monitoring and 

 Assessment Program Working Group to work with the 

 Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working 

 Group to assess the effects of climate change on 

 Arctic ecosystems. Coordination between the two 

 groups was discussed at several meetings in 1998 and, 

 at its meeting in Helsinki, the Arctic Monitoring and 

 Assessment Program Working Group proposed a 

 mechanism for the joint production of assessments of 

 climate change and of ultraviolet radiation and their 

 impacts in the Arctic. The Conservation of Arctic 

 Flora and Fauna Working Group is expected to agree 

 to the proposed approach. 



Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna 



The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna 

 Working Group provides a distinct forum for scien- 

 tists, indigenous people, and conservation managers to 

 exchange data and information on issues such as 

 shared species and habitats and to collaborate, as 

 appropriate, for more effective research, sustainable 

 utilization, and conservation. The Alaska Office of 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service has lead responsibility 

 for U.S. participation in the working group. 



As noted in previous Commission reports, the 

 working group has made significant progress in a 

 number of areas. Although the working group did not 

 meet in 1998, the Arctic Council in its Iqaluit Decla- 

 ration endorsed the "Strategic Plan for the Conserva- 



tion of Arctic Biological Diversity" prepared by the 

 group and provided to the Arctic Council for consid- 

 eration. The plan is intended to implement the 

 "Cooperative Strategy for the Conservation of Biolog- 

 ical Diversity in the Arctic Region" presented to and 

 adopted in concept by the ministers of the Arctic 

 Environmental Protection Strategy at their meeting in 

 Aha, Norway, in June 1997. The plan emphasizes 

 five objectives: enhancing efforts to monitor Arctic 

 biodiversity; conservation of Arctic genetic resources, 

 species, and their habitats; establishing protected areas 

 as needed; managing activides outside protected areas; 

 and providing conservation information to those 

 making socioeconomic decisions. 



The working group intends to use the plan to 

 develop a more focused approach to its work. To this 

 end, the Arctic Council in Iqaluit asked the working 

 group to prepare a report on the status and trends of 

 Arctic biodiversity. The report will highlight key 

 issues and provide background information to be used 

 in identifying conservation needs and formulating and 

 assessing the effectiveness of conservation measures. 

 Plans for producing the report are expected to be 

 discussed in detail at the working group meeting in 

 Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, in April 

 1999. 



As noted in the Commission's report in 1997, the 

 efforts of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna 

 Working Group to date have focused largely on the 

 terrestrial environment. On 23 December 1997 the 

 Commission wrote to the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service recommending that it consider asking the 

 working group to develop a plan for assessing and 

 monitoring the status and trends of ringed and bearded 

 seals throughout the Arctic. In its reply of 26 January 

 1998 the Service acknowledged the importance of ice 

 seals to the indigenous people of the Arctic and 

 indicated its intent to commence discussions within the 

 Service, and with Conservation of Arctic Flora and 

 Fauna and Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Pro- 

 gram representatives to develop such a plan. 



Coordination with other programs of the Arctic 

 Council will be a significant challenge for the Conser- 

 vation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group over 

 the next few years. As noted above, the Conservation 

 of Arctic Flora and Fauna and Arctic Monitoring and 



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