[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 18, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-1092] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: January 18, 1994] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [I.D. 011094A] Whaling: Report of Independent Scientific Peer Review of the Catch Limit Algorithm of the International Whaling Commission's Revised Management Procedure AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; availability of report. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service has conducted an independent scientific peer review of the International Whaling Commission's Revised Management Procedure. This notice announces the availability of the report of the peer review panel and solicits comments on the report. DATES: Comments should be received by NMFS by March 4, 1994. ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the report of the peer review panel and comments on that report should be directed to: Dr. Michael P. Sissenwine, Senior Scientist for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Swartz (301) 713-2239. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At its 1993 Annual Meeting, the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) unanimously recommended that the Commission adopt a specific Revised Management Procedure (RMP), including a method for calculating catch quotas for commercial whaling--the ``catch limit algorithn'' (CLA). As part of the U.S. evaluation of the proposed procedure, NMFS conducted an independent scientific peer review of the RMP and its CLA during October 1993. This review assessed the performance and applicability of the RMP as a management tool by considering the rationale used to develop the RMP, the simulation trials conducted by the IWC's Scientific Committee, and the structure and content of the various components of the RMP as a means of addressing the stated goals of the IWC. In addition, the review addressed the data requirements for a monitoring program to assess the performance of the RMP, as was discussed by the IWC at its 1993 Annual Meeting in Kyoto, Japan. The review did not address any other questions related to commercial whaling or whaling policy. The Panel concluded that the Catch Limit Algorithm (CLA) appears to be robust and conservative in meeting the stated goals of the Commission in so far as the simulation trials that have been made to date are concerned. In the Panel's opinion, the testing procedure used is a valid one and the set of statistical standards used was adequate. The Panel concluded that, provided the required protocol of implementation trials and reviews is followed, the CLA could safely be used for a short period of time, after which a thorough review would be needed. However, the Panel also agreed that the range of simulation trials that have been made to date is not yet sufficiently extensive, in several regards, so as to gain its full confidence. It therefore recommended that additional robustness trials be made as part of the implementation process. Based on the results of the peer review, the preliminary view of the National Marine Fisheries Services is that it would seem reasonable from a scientific point of view for the IWC to adopt the RMP in principle, but that no quotas should be calculated until the additional implementation trials called for by the peer review panel are completed. By this notice NMFS is announcing the availability of this report and is seeking comments on it. Dated: January 10, 1994. C. Karnella, Acting Program Management Officer. [FR Doc. 94-1092 Filed 1-14-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-M