200 



I further asked what efforts have been made by or through the State 

 Department to change, and specifically to strengthen, the authorities 

 of the International Whaling Commission. 



What information has been developed by your department regard- 

 ing the killing of marine mammals in international waters by nations 

 which are not parties to the existing international agreements. 



I have not yet received a reply from Secretary Rogers. 



Are you aAvare of this letter, Mr. McKernan ? 



Mr. McKernan. Yes, I am. It has recently come to me, and we are 

 in the process at tlie present time of providing the answers as best 

 we can to the questions you have raised. 



Mr. DiNGELL. Then 1 will ask unanimous consent that my letter to 

 the Secretary, and the response, when it arrives — and I assume you 

 will move expeditiously — will be inserted in the record at this partic- 

 ular point. And without objection, it is so ordered. 



(The letter referred to follows :) 



August 17, 1971. 

 Hon. Christian Herter. 



Special Assistant to the Secretary for Environmental Affairs, Department of 

 State, Washington, B.C. 

 Dear Mr. Secretary: Whi'e I am not quite certain as to the assignments of 

 responsibility within your Department, I am reasonably sure that you will have 

 already familiarized yourself with the problems involved with the protection of 

 whales, seals and other ocean mammals. 



I undersltand that there has been considerable discussion already on the possi- 

 bility of including the question of ocean mammal protection in the agenda for the 

 1972 conference. 



You will, therefore, be interested in knowing that my Subcommittee has sched- 

 uled hearings on several bills on the subject of marine mammal protection, 

 chiefly H.R. 6558 and H.R. 10420, beginning Thursday. September 9, 1971. Conies 

 of these bills have already been sent to the Department of State through oflScial 

 channels, but I wanted to bring these to your specific attention and to ask that 

 you let us have your views on this question. oflScially or unofficially, as you wish. 

 The disappearance or low population levels of certain species of marine 

 mammals would clearly have implications for the ecosystems of which these 

 mamma's have been a significant part. Also, the level of po'Uition of the world's 

 oceans will unquestionably have some effect UDon them which might well be to 

 increase the environmental stress limiting their growth and survival rates. 

 We wiU he most in^^erested in your reaction to these bills. 

 With every good wish. 

 Sincerely, 



John D. Dingell, 

 Subcommittee on Fisheries 



and Wildlife Conservation. 



Department of State, 



Washington, B.C. 

 Hon. John D. Dingell, 



Chairman, Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation, House of 

 Representatives, Washington, B.C. 



Dear Mr. Chairman : This is in response to your letter of August 17 requesting 

 Mr. Christian A. Herter's views on the problems involved with the protection of 

 marine mammals and the several bills on the subject of marine mammal pro- 

 tection scheduled for hearings before your committee on September 9th. 



The Denartment considers that the policy of the United States should provide 

 for the conservation and protection of marine mammals in order to maintain 

 their population at optimum levels and to ensure that no species is ^threatened 

 with extinction. We are therefore in sympathy with efforts by Congress to con- 

 serve and protect marine mammals. 



The Department has prepared draft renorits on H.R. 6558 and H.R. 10420. The 

 oflScial reports will be forwarded upon completion of the necessary review. 



