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be conducted by the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce, 

 in consultation the Marine Mammal Commission. It would be 

 undertaken with assistance from affected interest groups, 

 including Alaskan Natives and coastal communities located on 

 the Bering Sea. Research on subsistence issues would be 

 conducted, on request, under contract with qualified Alaska 

 Native organizations. The goal of this research would be to 

 obtain baseline data on Bering Sea resources, establish long- 

 term monitoring programs, and investigate the causes of and 

 potential solutions to the species declines already documented 

 in this region. Specific attention would be provided to 

 marine mammal and marine bird populations, and fish and 

 shellfish stocks. This research would be undertaken in 

 locations in Alaska where researchers will have access to the 

 ecosystem studied, and where the affected environmental 

 systems can be monitored. 



This proposal advances a national and international 

 agenda. As Secretary Babbitt has declared in his proposal to 

 establish the National Biological Survey, it is essential to 

 establish "an anticipatory, proactive biological science 

 program to enable land and resource managers to develop 

 comprehensive ecosystem management strategies to minimize 

 conflicts, litigation, and economic costs." 6 



5 Preaa Releaae, Department of the Interior, 3 (Apr. 8, 1993). 



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