The FAO/UNEP Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Management, and Utilization of Marine Mammals*

UNEP: The FAO/UNEP Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Management, and Utilization of Marine Mammals*

INTRODUCTION

Marine mammals have been hunted by man for their fat, meat, skins, and other products for thousands of years. Some species have been completely exterminated as a direct result of man's activities. The Steller's sea cow, for example, slaughtered by sailors and hunters of the eighteenth century, became extinct in 1768. During the last couple of centuries, pressures on sea mammals have gradually increased so that many marine mammals now face inevitable extinction unless an urgent programme of management is put into immediate operation and unless the world accords the conservation of sea mammals an urgent priority. A number of factors are currently contributing to the decline of marine mammals in many parts of the world. Human numbers are burgeoning, putting increasing pressure on resources and space. Depletion or destruction of habitat has resulted in the loss of some species. The Caribbean monk seal and the Mediterranean monk seal are severely endangered. As man encroaches onto their habitat, the marine mammals retreat, and their numbers decline accordingly. Methods of hunting marine mammals have become more sophisticated in recent times. The traditional hunting techniques of indigenous people and the simple methods of commercial hunters have both been replaced by efficient modern firearms. The Eskimos, for example, no longer hunt walrus and the beluga whale with traditional harpoons, but with riHes. In the oceans, modern techniques of detection and hunting by explosive harpoons have reduced the large whale populations to levels so low that they may never recover. Factory ships are able to process the huge carcasses of whales into pet food, human food, and components of the cosmetic industry in a few hours. ,

* EDITORS' NoTE.-The responsibility for UNEP's Marine Mammal Programme changed recently from the Environmental Management Service to the recently formed Oceans and Coastal Areas Programme Activity Centre. OCA/PAC replaces the former Regional Seas Programme. This report was compiled by B. Kendall, of UNEP's Information Service, in liaison with B. Nielsen, Programme Officer for Living Aquatic Resources, and S. Keckes, Director of Oceans and Coastal Areas Programme Activity Centre, UNEP. For a detailed discussion of UNEP's Regional Seas Programme, see Peter S. Thacher and Nikki Meith, "Approaches to Regional Marine Problems: A Progress Report on UNEP's Regional Seas Program," Ocean Year- book 2, ed. Elisabeth Mann Borgese and Norton Ginsburg (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980), pp. 153-82. For information on the Regional Seas Programme's activities in the Indian Ocean region, see Meera Pathmarajah and Nikki Meith, "A Regional Approach to Marine Envi- ronmental Problems in East Africa and the Indian Ocean," Ocean Yearbook 5, ed. Elisabeth Mann Borgese and Norton Ginsburg (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985), pp. 162-91. In an increasingly hungry world, some marine mammals have come under attack from indigenous hunters who prize their meat. Others are killed by fishermen who consider them to be a threat to the fish stocks that they are eager to exploit. Sea mammals accused of stealing fish from nets or causing damage to nets come under further attack. The death of large numbers of dolphins as a result of the yellowfin tuna industry (referred to as "incidental killing") has caused a large public outcry. Marine mammals of all kinds, from large whales to small porpoises, become entangled in nondegradable nets and drown. In some cases, breeding colonies have been disturbed with heavy mortality. Pollution is also causing a decline in numbers. For example, abortion in sea lions along the California coast and seals in the Baltic has been linked to abnormally high levels of PCBs in seawater. These are some of the problems facing marine mammals around the world and the reasons why populations of many species are on the decline.

WHAT ARE MARINE MAMMALS?

For the purposes of the FAO/UNEP Plan of Action, the term marine mammal includes those mammals which spend all, or a large proportion, of their time in the sea and obtain their food predominantly from it. The term also includes a few species whose ancestors were marine but which have moved back into fresh water. There are several groups of marine mammals.

The Cetaceans (whales and dolphins)

This term covers two groups: 1. Odontoceti (toothed cetaceans). This includes the sperm whale and all the dolphins, including the larger species of dolphin commonly referred to as whales, killer whale, bottlenose whale, pilot whale, etc. 2. Mysticeti (baleen whales). This group includes five "rorquals" (blue, fin, Bryde's, sei, and minke), the humpback, right whales, and grey whale. All members of this group are totally marine. They mate, give birth to young, and rear their young entirely at sea.

The Pinnipeds (seals, sea lions)

This term also covers two groups: 1. Otarüdae. The walking or eared seals: fur seals, sea lions, walruses. 2. Phocidae. The crawling or earless seals, including elephant seals, monk seals, and many others. The members of this group usually come to shore for breeding. Mating, the birth of pups, and nurturing of young for the first few months of life take place on land.

Sirenia (sea cows)

These are all tropical mammals which live in coastal habitats. All are totally herbivorous and are the only herbivorous sea mammals.