43 



still listed as endangered under the ESA are the two stocks 

 of North Pacific gray whales. The eastern North Pacific (or 

 "California") stock was heavily exploited by whalers in the last 

 half of the 19th century. The present stock size (21,113) is 

 approximately equal to the size of the 1846 population (15,000 to 

 20,000). Population growth rate is 3.2 percent per year despite 

 a subsistence catch of 167 whales per year in the Russian 

 Federation. In light of this recovery, the Secretary of Commerce 

 has recommended that the stock be removed from the ESA's list of 

 endangered and threatened wildlife. The Western Pacific stock of 

 gray whales remains endangered. 



1988 AMENDMENTS TO THE MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT 



The 1988 amendments to the MMPA included section 114, which 

 allowed an interim exemption to the moratorium on the taking of 

 marine mammals incidental to commercial fishing operations 

 through September 30, 1993. The interim exemption resulted from 

 an agreement between the environmental community and the fishing 

 industry and allowed commercial fishing to continue while NMFS 

 gathered needed information on the extent of interactions between 

 commercial fishing operations and marine mammals. This 

 information is necessary to assess the impact of commercial 

 fishing operations on marine mammal stocks. 



