At present, eight species of whales, including all baleens, sperm, finback, 

 and sei, are on the endangered species list maintained by the BSFW. In a 

 move to ease predatory pressures on these marine mammals, the Secretary 

 of Commerce ended commercial whaling in the United States on Decem- 

 ber 31, 1971, and the Secretary of the Interior prohibited the importation of 

 whale products. Even though the industry had dwindled to only one opera- 

 tion by the end of 1971, the United States has committed itself to prevent- 

 ing the extinction of these and other endangered species. 



The U.S. delegation to the International Whaling Commission Meeting 

 last year led efforts to establish more effective regulations for conservation 

 of the three species of whales being taken under Commission regulations. 

 Although success was limited, quotas were reduced by 20 percent, and both 

 Russia and Japan tentatively agreed to allow observers from other nations 

 to accompany their whaling fleets and insj>ect their land-based operations 

 during the 1972-73 season. The United States will provide observers through 

 the Department of Commerce. 



In addition to the whales, the BSFW Endangered Species Lists include 

 the dugong, two varieties of manatees, several kinds of shoreline birds-of- 

 prey and migratory waterfowl, marine turtles and tortoises, and two species 

 of fish found in the Great Lakes. Although reduction in the populations of 

 several of these can be attributed to hunting and exploitation, others, such as 

 the brown pelican on our west coast, have suffered most from changes and 

 degradation of their habitats and food supplies. 



During 1971, the United States also coordinated initiatives with the 

 Soviet Union, Canada, Mexico, and other nations aimed at protecting en- 

 dangered sp>ecies which live in the Arctic or migrate along the west coast. 

 Further, final preparations for a plenipotentiary negotiating conference on 

 wildlife conservation in Washington in 1972 are well underway. All United 

 Nations member nations will be invited to participate. 



A treaty that would protect several species of seals living and breeding on 

 the pack ice and in the sea around Antarctica was also the subject of prelimi- 

 nary negotiations last year. A conference held in London, United Kingdom, 

 in Fe'bruary 1972 produced a draft convention on antarctic seals which will 

 be open for signature there from June through December 1972. The treaty 

 provides protection in the form of catch quotas, absolute bans on hunting 

 certain species, and closed seasons and zones. 



Public attention was caught last year by reports of high mortalities among 

 porpoises in the yellowfin tuna fishery. Tuna fishermen follow porpoises to 

 yellowfin schools and inevitably some of the marine mammals are trapped 

 by the seine nets. Last year, tests conducted by commercial fishermen in 

 cooperation with NOAA showed that mortality can be reduced about 75 per- 

 cent by using modified purse seines and porpoise-release techniques developed 

 by the tuna industry. 



As stated by the President in his Environmental Message of February 8, 

 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1969 does not provide the kind of man- 

 agement tools needed to act early enough to save a vanishing species. For 

 the present law to have any effect, native species of fish and wildlife must be 

 found to be actually "threatened with destruction." Current pending legis- 

 lation supporting the Presidential initiative (H.R. 13081, "Endangered 



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