Natacha et al -

In response to your question regarding research efforts associated with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the Marine Mammal Commission is monitoring closely all aspects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including response and assessment efforts. We are in close communication with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) - the two primary federal agencies involved in response and assessment for marine mammals and sea turtles. These agencies are preparing a detailed response to your query, which may take a few days to post.

In the interim, please note that there are a wide variety of assessment activities that are ongoing, including vessel and aircraft surveys in coastal and deepwater habitats, tagging and tracking studies, and deployment of passive acoustic monitors along the continental shelf from Texas to Florida, as well as an analysis of information and tissues from biopsy samples, stranded animals, and animals in rehabilitation. This information is being used to direct response efforts and to assess marine mammal movements and behavioral responses. NMFS and FWS have posted information on numbers of strandings, as well as response and assessment efforts, on their respective websites:

- NMFS Office of Protected Resources - www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/oilspill.htm

- NOAA Office of Response and Restoration - response.restoration.noaa.gov/, then click on BP Oil Spill icon

- US Fish and Wildlife Service - www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill/

Many researchers from the marine mammal research community have expressed an interest in doing research in the Gulf to help assess the spill’s impact on marine mammals, and the Marine Mammal Commission encourages additional research. Some researchers already have permits for work in the Gulf or on species potentially affected by the spill. The Marine Mammal Commission has encouraged NMFS' permit office to coordinate research being conducted by permit holders already authorized or seeking authorization to work on Gulf marine mammals, and to solicit specific details regarding planned research. Such coordination will help NMFS ensure that necessary research is being conducted, that unnecessary redundancy is being avoided, and that the added stress from research projects is being appropriately managed.

The Marine Mammal Commission will continue to support the activities of the various federal and state agencies involved in response and assessment. We have posted information about oil spills and their effect on marine mammals on the Commission’s website at www.mmc.gov. Once response and assessment efforts have been fully implemented, the Marine Mammal Commission likely will review those activities to assess their effectiveness and identify ways that regulatory agencies can improve their responses to future spill events.

Hope this is helpful,

Vicki Cornish

Energy Policy Analyst

Marine Mammal Commission

4340 East-West Highway

Bethesda, MD 20814

(301) 504-0087