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# 1, 1996


"WE ARE WATCHING A DEMOGRAPHIC FIASCO"

"OH, HUSH THEE, MY BABY"  
Oh! hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us,
And black are the waters that sparkled so green.
The moon, o'er the combers, looks downward to find us
At rest in the hollows that rustle between.
Where billow meets billow, there soft be thy pillow;
Ah, weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease!
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee,
Asleep in the arms of the slow-swinging seas.
Redyard Kipling
On 1996 September 7, U.S.- Russia Marine Mammals Workshop opened in Kamchatka.
We asked Doctor V. Burkanov, Head of Kamchatrybvod to tell us about this meeting.
Elena FEDCHENKO
In 1977 an Agreement on Environment Protection was made between the USA and the USSR. Under this Agreement a great work on protection, research, and observation of sea otter was carried out. Current population of this marine mammal in the Commander Islands is 6 thousand individuals. That allows us to speak of full recovery of sea otter population in the Commander Islands and of only natural fluctuation. The same can be said of sea otter in Southern Kamchatka and in the Kuril Islands.
Now Steller sea lion. In the end of 80-th population of Steller sea lion greatly diminished in the USA and in our region. Both American and Russian scientists suggested explaination that decline in population in their area had been caused by migration of animals due to some climatic and ecological reasons. But after collecting and exchanging information it became clear that population of Steller sea lion dramatically decreased all over the Northern Pacific. And the reasons were absolutely unknown.
True, the reasons cannot be very definitely explained today as well. In 1989 the first joint aerial survey in the North America and Kamchatka- Kuril area was carried out by American and Russian scientists. Complex estimation of state of Steller sea lion population in the Northern Pacific was made. All factors effecting the number of population were analysed. Thus some hypotheses appeared explaining decrease in Steller sea lion population. But none of them can be fully accepted and proved. A lot of reasons can be thought of as effecting the marine mammal population: changes in ecolocigal system, climate warming up or getting colder and some other phenomena.
Nowadays sea pollution is one of the most important problems. The Baltic sea, for example, is so polluted by waste of chemical production that seal females are loosing their breeding abilities. Situation in our area is not that bad but more and more often we see that sea is polluted by fishing gear and packing materials. At rookeries of Steller seal lion and fur seal some animals can be found wrapped with pieces of nets and trawls. And quite often animals die unable to get rid of nets lost by fishermen. I have my own idea of the reasons causing decline in population of Steller sea lion. I think that we observe a demographic «downfall» of the breed of animals living in the past decades, when a great number of animals died in fish trawls. In 1970-th in Kamchatka waters in every trawl catch there were about 20-30 Steller sea lions many of which died. Technical equipment of vessels was at very low level. Winches were of low power and the trawls were open at the water surface turning out to be traps for the animals. Nowadays not that many marine mammals get in trawls and die. First, number of Steller sea lions has cut down by 5-8 times and, second, technical equipment of vessels became much better. Folding trawls are used for fishing reducing per cent of damaged animals.
The first Russian--Japanese expedition was organized in July 1996 to estimate Steller sea lion population in the South-West of Kamchatka and in the Kuril Islands, to tag pups and to analyse survival of animals. Interest of scientists from Hokkaido and Tokyo to Steller sea lion is explained by the fact that in winter time the marine mammals migrate to the coasts of Japan and in search of fish they come close to traps and drifting nets. Damaging fishing gear animals cause losses for the fishermen and very often die themselves. There is a hypothesis that animals get damaged and die in Japanese trawls but we do not have any statistical information on that. Japanese scientists believe that mutual work will result in some positive, in this aspect, changes in Japanese Law. It should be mentioned that Japanese specialists pay their attention not only to Steller sea lion. Their great concern is Japanese sea lion, population of which is considered completely destroyed, in contrast to Californian sea lion, population of which is rather high. There is information that sometimes Japanese sea lions are met nearby Korea coasts, but in Korea marine mammals are not protected by the Law. It is quite possible that some individuals of that animal could be found in other areas. Scientists think that it could be a good idea to have these animals brought to Japan and placed in oceanarium in order to preserve them as a rare species of marine mammals.

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