Preface- Minke whales, harp and hooded seals: Major predators in the North Atlantic ecosystem

Preface he North Atlantic Marine Manunal Commission is proud to present Minke whales, Harp and Hooded Seals: Major Predators in the North Atlantic Ecosystem, the second volume in the series NAMMCO Scientific Publications. This volume is edited by Gisli A. Vikingsson, Senior Scientist at the Marine Research Institute, Reykjavik, Iceland, and current Chairman of the NAMMCO Scientific Conunittee, and Finn O. Kapel, former Deputy Director of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, now retired. T The NAMMCO Scientific Publications series was established to make available in published, peer-reviewed form, scientific papers which have contributed to the work carried out by the NAMMCO Scientific Committee. The NAMMCO Scientific Committee provides scientific advice on marine mammal species and stocks in the North Atlantic in response to requests forwarded to it by the Council ofNAMMCO. Each volume therefore has a theme, reflecting the nature of the original request for advice. The first volume, entitled Ringed Seals in the North Atlantic, was published in 1998. commercially important fish stocks." In response, the Scientific Committee formed a Working Group on the Role of Minke Whales, Harp Seals and Hooded Seals in North Atlantic Ecosystems, which met in Troms0, Norway in March 1997. The Working Group included members of the Scientific Committee and invited experts from Canada, Iceland, Norway and Denmark. The working papers developed for this meeting formed the basis of this volume, but other contributions relevant to the focus of the volume are included as well. The Scientific Committee of NAMMCO believes that this volume represents a valuable contribution to the evolving literature on predation and multi-species interactions in marine environments. The committee also hopes that it will encourage further research on the ecological role of marine mammals in the North Atlantic ecosystem. Further information on this and other volumes in the NAMMCO Scientific Publications series is available from the NAMMCO Secretariat. May 2000 In 1996, the NAMMCO Council requested the Scientific Committee "to focus its attention on the food consumption of three predators in the North Atlantic: the minke whale, the harp seal and the hooded seal, with a particular emphasis on the study of the potential implications for Daniel G. Pike (Series Editor), Scientific Secretary North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission University ofTroms0 N-9037 Troms0, Norway ------------------------------------------------------- 3 NAMMeD Scientific Publications, Volume 2  (...truncated)