189 



These general themes were repeated in individual discussions 

 pertaining to the relationship between marine mammal optimum 

 sustainable population levels, the general impact of human 

 activities on the marine environment, and the conseguences of 

 pollution on the health and stability of the marine 

 environment. 



The legislative history of the Act demonstrates that when 



Congress chose to seek the "Optimum Sustainable Population" 



("OSP") of marine mammals, it was responding to testimony 



regarding the importance of considering the animals part of a 



larger ecosystem. Dr. G. Carleton Ray of the Marine Mammal 



Council suggested Congress use ecosystems to define OSP. As 



he stated before the House Subcommittee on Fisheries and 



Wildlife Conservation: 



The concept of "sustainable yield" is important 

 and it is clear that such a yield must not be 

 calculated merely in economic terms . . . what 

 is "optimum" from the point of view of economic 

 yield may not be optimum in terms of a species 

 or population in its environment. A part of 

 the difficulty in management practice is that 

 it has been in terms of human needs, rather 

 than in terms of the needs of ecological 

 balance within a natural ecosystem. 24 



Dr. Ray continued, "[w]hen we are speaking of just plain 

 scientific fact and biology you cannot always protect an 

 animal by protecting the animal. You have to protect this 



24 House Hearings at 401-02. 



(19653-0001/DA940590.060) -19- 



