[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 140 (Friday, July 19, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37761-37763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-18367]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment on
Development of a Bilateral Agreement Between the United States and
Russia for the Conservation of Polar Bears and Notice of Public
Meetings To Seek Comments
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability and public meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability to the public of a
draft Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding the proposal to develop a
United States/Russia Bilateral Agreement for the Conservation of Polar
Bears in the Chukchi/Bering Seas. The Chukchi/Bering Seas and a portion
of the Eastern Siberian Sea stock of polar
[[Page 37762]]
bears, hereafter referred to as the Alaska-Chukotka population, is
shared between Russia and the United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, the agency responsible for management and conservation of
polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the United States, proposes to develop
a conservation agreement for the Chukchi/Bering Seas stock of polar
bears as part of the Service's natural resource stewardship
responsibilities in the management and conservation of this
international resource. This notice also announces two public meetings
that will be held by the Service to consider the draft EA.
DATES: Written comments on the draft EA should be submitted no later
than September 17, 1996. Two public meetings are scheduled to promote
discussion of the draft EA. The public meetings will be held as
follows:
1. August 14, 1996, 7:30 p.m., Anchorage, Alaska.
2. August 21, 1996, 10 a.m., Washington, DC.
ADDRESSES: To request a copy of the draft EA or to submit comments,
contact Supervisor, Marine Mammals Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99503 (telephone 907/
786-3800; FAX 907/786-3816). The location of public meetings follows:
1. In Anchorage, Alaska: Wilda Marston Theater, 1st floor, Loussac
Library, 3600 Denali Street.
2. In Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, Main Interior
Building Auditorium, 1849 C Street NW.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Scott Schliebe, Marine Mammals Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 800/362-5148 or 907/786-3812.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1973, Canada, Denmark (on behalf of
Greenland), Norway, Russia, and the United States signed the
international Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (1973
Agreement). Each country is obligated to develop conservation programs
to comply with the 1973 Agreement. The United States relies largely on
the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to comply with the terms of the
1973 Agreement. Also, in 1988 a local Native-to-Native subsistence
users agreement was developed between the Inupiat of the North Slope
Borough in the United States and the Inuvialuit of the Northwest
Territories, Canada, to provide further protection for the shared
Beaufort Sea polar bear population. No such agreement exists for the
Alaska-Chukotka population that is shared between the United States and
Russia. Section 113(d) of the 1994 Amendments to the Marine Mammal
Protection Act states, ``. . . the Secretary of the Interior, acting
through the Secretary of State and in consultation with the Marine
Mammal Commission and the State of Alaska, shall consult with the
appropriate officials of the Russian Federation on the development and
implementation of enhanced cooperative research and management programs
for the conservation of polar bears in Alaska and Russia. . . .'' The
Service, in consultation with the Department of State, the Marine
Mammal Commission, and the State of Alaska proposes to enter into a
government-to-government Bilateral Conservation Agreement with the
Russian Federation,; and the Natives from Alaska and Chukotka, Russia,
plan to enter into a Native-to-Native implementation agreement for the
Alaska-Chukotka population.
The draft EA describes three alternatives for entering into
conservation agreements. The purpose of the agreements is to unify
management regimes, regulate take, enhance protection for polar bears
and their habitat, and provide for non-consumptive uses such as eco-
tourism, as well as consumptive uses.
Alternative 1 is the status quo where the U.S. Federal Government
takes no new action. It describes three possible scenarios: (a) Neither
country takes action; (b) Russia takes action independent of the U.S.;
or (c) an Alaska/Chukotka Native-to-Native agreement is implemented.
Under the first scenario, each country would retain its current
conservation and management strategies. In Russia, the existing ban on
polar bear hunting would likely remain in effect, and unquantified
hunting would continue to pose a threat to the population. In Alaska,
subsistence take of polar bears would continue provided the population
remains non-depleted. Ongoing habitat protection would continue through
the existing system of reserves in Russia, and parks and refuges in
Alaska, and other existing authorities.
Under the second scenario, Russia could sanction hunting
independent of cooperation with the U.S. This would likely increase the
numbers of polar bears removed from the population and could have an
impact on the availability of the polar bears for subsistence hunters
in Alaska.
Under the third scenario, Alaska and Chukotka Natives could enter
directly into cooperative agreements with each other without formal
participation from their respective Federal governments. Such an
agreement would not have official standing, harvest level restrictions
would not be binding, and research and monitoring programs, habitat
protection, and enforcement would continue to be conducted unilaterally
by the governments of each country or as a part of existing
international programs. Varying degrees of participation and
coordination with Natives from each country would occur.
In Alternative 2, a unilateral cooperative agreement within each
country between the Federal government and Natives would be developed.
International bilateral conservation and co-management strategies would
not be initiated. Subsistence hunting in Alaska would continue provided
the population remains at a non-depleted level, and harvest level
restrictions would not be binding. The population status could be
affected by the level of unquantified hunting in Russia, and lack of
enforcement. Research, monitoring, and enforcement would continue at
current levels with little or no bilateral coordination. In Alaska,
habitat protection would rely on the existing legal authority of the
MMPA and other legislation.
The preferred alternative (Alternative 3) of the draft EA describes
a bilateral management scenario where a government-to-government
agreement establishes the guiding framework and ultimate oversight role
for an Alaska-Chukotka Native-to-Native agreement. A harvest system
would be established by an international joint commission composed of
one Federal and one Native representative from each country. Harvest
levels would be binding. Joint research and management, population and
harvest monitoring, enforcement, and habitat protection would be the
primary elements of the agreement. Alternative 3 is the preferred
alternative because it provides the basis for a comprehensive and
coordinated conservation program. The agreement would provide guidance
for the Russian and American governments and Native entities to manage
the shared population stock, and it would support Russian efforts to
curb threats to polar bears associated with illegal, unquantified
hunting and lack of enforcement. A government-to-government bilateral
agreement would also ensure closer coordination and involvement in
management decisions by the primary users, namely the Native peoples of
Alaska and Chukotka.
The Service requests interested persons to submit comments,
information, and suggestions concerning
[[Page 37763]]
these actions. Copies of the draft EA and this notice will be
distributed to persons who have expressed a prior interest in this or
related polar bear conservation issues. Copies are available upon
request at the location under the ADDRESSES section. As identified
above in the DATES Section, the Service will also conduct two public
meetings to promote discussion of the draft EA. Comments and materials
received in response to this action will be available for public
inspection at this address during normal working hours of 8:00 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Discussions regarding development of a unified management approach
between Russia and the United States were initiated in Sochi, Russia in
October 1988, at the International Union for Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources (IUCN) Polar Bear Specialists Group Meeting. Further
talks occurred in May 1990, and correspondence supporting the
development of a bilateral agreement followed. Between 1992 and 1995,
protocols of agreement were developed between the natural resources
agencies of the respective countries and the Native users of Alaska and
Chukotka. During this period numerous discussions between the Service
and Native representatives occurred on the possible development of a
government-to-government conservation agreement and a companion Native-
to-Native agreement. These agreements would be consistent with the
terms of the 1973 Agreement and include the principles of sustainable
yield, support for research and the collection of biological
information and local knowledge, and habitat protection. In April 1994,
a ``Protocol of Intentions Between the Indigenous Peoples of Chukotka
and Alaska on the Conservation, Protection, Management, and Study of
the Bering and Chukchi Seas Shared Polar Bear Population'' was signed.
In the United States representatives of the Service, the Department of
State, the Department of the Interior, the Marine Mammal Commission,
the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the North Slope Borough, the
Alaska Nanuuq Commission, and the Audubon Society have met several
times to discuss principles for a draft conservation agreement. The
need for public input and review led to the development of the draft EA
in June 1996. The Service plans to submit a request to the Department
of State for authority to enter into formal negotiations with Russia,
pending the consideration of public comments and development of a final
EA.
Dated: July 16, 1996.
Gary Edwards,
Assistant Director--Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 96-18367 Filed 7-18-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M