Commission Newsletter • Summer 2019

For about 1 penny per American per year, the Marine Mammal Commission has met its Congressional mandate to conserve marine mammals for over 40 years.  We work to ensure that marine mammal populations are restored and maintained as functioning elements of healthy marine ecosystems in the world's oceans.

2019 Annual Meeting: A Spotlight on Hawaiian Marine Mammal Topics The first day of the Commission's 2019 Annual Meeting. (Credit: Sam Simmons) The Marine Mammal Commission held its annual meeting in Kona, Hawai`i with a focus on the marine mammal science and management issues of the Hawaiian Islands and wider Pacific region. Presentations and session summaries are available on our 2019 Annual Meeting webpage , along with audio recordings of the sessions. Participants (in person and online) were encouraged to engage in the discussions following each session. The meeting opened with an overview of the region’s oceanography and marine mammal species and stocks, followed by sessions on spinner dolphins, Hawaiian monk seals, false killer whale and other odontocete fishery interactions, humpback whales and issues of the wider Pacific region. Presenters and panelists from federal and state agencies, fishermen, businesses, and NGOs represented a broad spectrum of interests. Our annual meetings illustrate the Commission’s unique ability, as a non-regulatory oversight agency, to convene a wide range of stakeholders to discuss some of the difficult challenges we face in aligning the needs of people with the conservation of marine mammals.

Alaska Co-management Review – Final Report Released! The Commission received a grant award in 2017 from the North Pacific Research Board to identify essential components and key impediments to effective co-management of marine mammals in Alaska (see the Co-management Review project webpage ). To conduct the review, the project leads assembled a Steering Committee comprised of Alaska Native Organization (ANO) representatives and federal resource managers with co-management experience to develop a working definition of co-management and to identify case-study ANOs to focus on for the review. From May to August 2018, the team conducted interviews with staff from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; members and staff of the Aleut Marine Mammal Commission, the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, and the Eskimo Walrus Commission; and held focus groups with Alaska Native hunters and resource users in Akutan, Atka, Gambell, Nome, Savoonga, St. Paul, and Utqiaġvik. A total of 70 people provided their views and perspectives on co-management. The review yielded findings and recommendations in seven different categories, summarized in the Co-management Review Fact Sheet , which were reviewed by the project Steering Committee and shared with interviewees and focal group participants before being finalized. Our hope is that the recommendations and corresponding actions in the final report will serve as a toolbox to be drawn from and customized as co-management partners work to improve the effectiveness of co-management relationships. View the Final Report Co-management of Marine Mammals in Alaska: A Case Study-Based Review

Commission Announces Recipients of FY19 Research Grants

Maintaining marine mammals as functioning elements of healthy ecosystems, and as resources for subsistence needs of Alaska Native communities, requires understanding the role of marine mammals in the ecosystem, as well as how they may be impacted by ongoing changes in the environment and human use of marine areas. This fiscal year (FY19) the Commission requested research proposals that targeted impacts of a changing ocean on marine mammals of importance to Alaska Natives and included meaningful engagement of representatives of Alaska Native communities or organizations. We are pleased to announce two projects selected for funding: Integration of Local or Traditional Knowledge and western science using a Bayesian approach for fully informed models Life without ice: perceptions of environmental impacts on marine mammals and subsistence users of St. Lawrence Island For more information, visit our 2019 Grant Awards webpage and check back in November for next year's request for proposals . A Pacific walrus mother and her calf. (Credit: Shutterstock)

Supporting Ocean Policy Conversations at CHOW 2019

Marine Mammal Commission Executive Director Peter Thomas moderating the "Whale Conservation in the 21st Century" session with invited speakers Keith Ellenbogen, Michael Moore, Tracy Romano, and Ed Lyman (L to R). (Credit: National Marine Sanctuary Foundation)

Soon after our discussions of Hawaiian and wider Pacific regional science and management issues at our Annual Meeting, Commission staff attended Capitol Hill Oceans Week ( CHOW ), the nation’s premier annual conference examining current marine, coastal and Great Lakes policy . This year the Commission sponsored a session titled “ Whale Conservation in the 21 st Century ,” moderated by Executive Director, Peter Thomas. Organized by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, CHOW 2019 featured sessions and panels related to oceans and human health, sustainable fisheries, conserving wildlife, and the impacts of climate change and other challenges on our oceans. Video recordings of the plenaries can be viewed here .

Hot Topics in Marine Mammal Conservation: West Coast Gray Whale Unusual Mortality Event

Since the North Pacific gray whale was delisted under the Endangered Species Act in 1994, the population has seen modest increases, from an estimated 23,000 to 27,000 individuals. However, this relative stability has not been without its setbacks. In 1999-2000 more than 650 gray whales died during an unusual mortality event (UME), and in May of this year, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) declared another gray whale UME along the west coast of North America from Mexico to Alaska. A total of 189 whales have stranded since January 1, 2019, but the exact number of deaths is unknown, as some are never found. For example, a study by Punt and Wade ( 2010 ) indicated that only 3.9-13.0% of the whales that died during the 1999-2000 die-off were found on land. Researchers are still working to determine the cause of the recent mortalities, but it is likely due to multiple factors. Whales exhibiting poor body condition may result from insufficient or poor quality prey, while ship strike and entanglement in fishing gear being additional threats along the migratory route. Teasing out the factors that have caused the current gray whale mortalities will require collaborative analyses among researchers along the migratory route, exemplifying the challenges to researchers and managers of determining the cumulative effects of various threats on marine mammal populations.

A stranded dead gray whale at Leadbetter Point State Park, Washington. (Credit: John Weldon, NOAA NMFS Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program permit)

Marine Mammal Commission scientific advisors, staff, and science in the news

Below are a few recent media highlights that reflect some of the ongoing scientific research, collaborations, and accomplishments of our world-renowned marine mammal scientists. For a reminder of our Commissioners, Committee of Scientific Advisors, and Staff, visit our website .  Vessel Speed Reductions in San Francisco Bay – Frances Gulland #OceanOptimism News – a National Marine Sanctuaries program has 45% of the ships over 300 tonnes, which enter San Francisco Bay, reducing speeds to protect large whales. Narwhal-Beluga Hybrid Confirmed – Randy Reeves Electrofishing as a Potential Threat to Freshwater Cetaceans – Peter Thomas Questions Surrounding Gray Whale Deaths – Frances Gulland Lessons from Bowhead Baleen – Robert Suydam  New Sub-Species of Pilot Whale – Robin Baird

Small boat fishing with electrofishing gear in the vicinity of an Irrawaddy dolphin mother and calf pair, Mahakam River, Indonesia (via Thomas et al. 2019, photo credit: D. Kreb, Yayasan Rasi).

Thank you for your continued support! We are committed to our mission under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and continue to work tirelessly on the responsible management of our shared marine resources. In the Federal Budget for fiscal year 2019, passed by Congress on February 25, the Marine Mammal Commission was funded at $3.516 million, a 2.5% increase from the levels of FY16, FY17, and FY18. The Commission appreciates the support received for the work that we have carried out over the past four decades. See our Chairman’s message for more details about the Commission’s status in the proposed budget for FY2020.

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