SAVING THE GRAY AND BOWHEAD WHALES

SEPTEMBER 16, 1976.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mrs. SULLIVAN, from the Committee on Merchant Marine and
Fisheries, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H.R. 15445]

The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 15445) to save the gray whale, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.

The amendments are as follows:

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:

That this Act may be cited as the "Save the Gray and Bowhead Whales Act". SEC. 2. The Congress finds that—

(1) whales form a resource which is of esthetic and scientific value to mankind, and are a vital part of the marine ecosystem;

(2) whales have been overexploited by commercial whalers for many years, severely reducing several species, including the California gray whale and the bowhead whale;

(3) the California gray whale has been designated the official California State marine mammal;

(4) the California gray whale provides esthetic enjoyment to millions of Americans;

(5) energy development and other commercial activities along the west and Arctic coast of North America have caused significant concern as to their impact on the gray and bowhead whale;

(6) the California gray whale and the bowhead whale, protected by special treaty for several decades, may be again threatened by harassment and habitat destruction and;

(7) there is inadequate knowledge of the ecology, habitat requirements, and population dynamics of the California gray whale and the bowhead whale and factors which influence their healthy maintenance and development as species.

SEC. 3. The Secreary of Commerce, in consultation with the Marine Mammal Commission and the coastal States, shall make comprehensive studies of the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) and the bowhead whale (Balacna mysticetus) taking into consideration, among other things, the distribution, migrations, and population dynamics of these mammals and the effects of habitat destruction, disease, pesticides and other chemicals, disruption of migration patterns, and food shortages on them, for the purpose of developing adequate and effec