404 



The Department of State must be more forceably directed than H.R. 

 10420 states in developing broad international agreements. The enact- 

 ment of a moratorium would severely limit such negotiations, whereas 

 recrional management plans might prove widely acceptable. Despite 

 assertions to the contrary, the State Department has not pursued these 

 matters with sufficient vigor. , . ., t ^ ^- i 



Prof. A. G. Bannikov, a Russian, at a meeting of the International 

 Union on the Conservation of Nature and Natural in January 1968, 

 said: 



It is high time to raise a question about the protection of the Arctic ecosystem 

 as a whole as a specific complex which functions in extreme conditions and can 

 be easily destroyed by man. (lOUN Bull. 2(7) :54, April-June 1968.) 



We agree with this statement. 



6. ESTABLISHING A MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION AND ITS SCIENTIFIC 



ADVISORY COMMITTEE 



Almost every aspeot of this bill calls for decisionmaking on a high 

 level. Because flexible management requires frequent scientific updat- 

 ing, a Scientific Advisory Committee is needed. Members of the Marine 

 Mammal Commission should serve limited terms and should consult 

 frequently with all agencies. Federal and State, which manage marine 

 mammals. How this Commission should report its results and findings 

 is not spelled out in sufficient detail, however. The Commission will 

 obviously have access to proprietary information which should not be a 

 matter of public scrutiny. Candid discussions, the cooperation of in- 

 dustry, and certain international negotiations are not matters for lay 

 examination. 



Yet the Commission and its work must be highly visible. In short, it 

 will succeed or fail, depending upon the trust we place in it and upon 

 the calibre of the appointees. 



Reasons for the National Wildlife Federation's opposition to a 

 Scientific Advisory Committee are obscure to us. It is clear, 

 however, that the committee should be composed of qualified marine 

 mammalogists, marine ecologists, and population biologists. We 

 strongly endorse the idea of such a conunittee, which would be in a 

 position to bring expertise into the deliberations. The idea that this 

 committee's recommendations be made public is laudatory. 



This concludes our general remarks. Most of the points we make are 

 considered favorably within H.R. 10420. We are aware that many 

 changes have already been suggested to you, both in wording and in 

 philosophy. We will not consider these in detail, but there are some 

 matters which deserve specific comment. 



First, it is important that the taking of marine mammals incident 

 to commercial fishing operations be regulated. We feel that all in- 

 dividuals or groups taking marine mammals should be brought under 

 permit. While testimony from the American Tunaboat Association 

 has indicated that "U.S. fishermen and the porpoise have been learn- 

 ing to live together," we are all aware that the mortality of propoises 

 in tuna nets has been by the hundreds of thousands. Assertions that 

 the problem is on the way to solution are not yet backed by sufficient 

 fact. Industry collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmos- 

 pheric Administration must be visibly increased, and this problem 



