[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 80 (Friday, April 25, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20201-20202]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-10738]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Marine Mammals; Stock Assessment Reports

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of completion and availability of draft revised marine 
mammal stock assessment reports; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), 
the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has developed draft revised marine 
mammal stock assessment reports for the southern sea otter in 
California, the northern sea otter in Washington State, and the Florida 
and Antillean stocks of West Indian manatees from the southeastern 
United States and Puerto Rico, respectively. The draft revised reports 
are available for public review and comment. Copies of the revised 
guidelines upon which the reports are based are also available for 
review. FWS stock assessment reports for polar bears, Pacific walrus, 
and northern sea otters in Alaska are not being revised at this time.

DATES: Comments must be received by July 24, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft revised stock assessment reports and the 
revised guidelines are available from the Division of Fish and Wildlife 
Management Assistance, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Room 840-ARLSQ, 
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22203. Copies of the FWS's 
final 1995 stock assessment reports for polar bears, Pacific walrus, 
and northern sea otters in Alaska are also available from this same 
address.
    Comments on the draft revised stock assessment reports for West 
Indian manatees should be sent to Robert Turner, Manatee Coordinator, 
US Fish and Wildlife Service, 6620 South Point Drive, South, Suite 310, 
Jacksonville, Florida 32216.
    Comments on the draft revised stock assessment reports for southern 
sea otters in California and northern sea otters in Washington State 
should be sent to Carl Benz, Sea Otter Coordinator, US Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, California 
93003.
    Any new information, inquiries, or comments on the FWS's final 
stock assessment reports of October 4, 1995, for polar bears, Pacific 
walrus, and northern sea otters in Alaska should be sent to David 
McGillivary, Supervisor, Office of Marine Mammals Management, US Fish 
and Wildlife Service, 1011 E. Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jeff Horwath in the FWS's Division of Fish and Wildlife Management 
Assistance, Arlington, Virginia at (703) 358-1718. For information 
about West Indian manatees, contact Robert Turner at (904) 232-2580 or 
FAX: (904) 232-2404. For information about southern sea otters in 
California and northern sea otters in Washington State, contact Carl 
Benz at (805) 644-1766 or FAX: (805) 644-3958. For information about 
polar bears, Pacific walrus, and northern sea otters in Alaska, contact 
David McGillivary at (907) 786-3800 or FAX: (907) 786-3816.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 117 of the MMPA (16 USC 1361-1407) 
required the FWS and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to 
prepare stock assessment reports for each marine mammal stock that 
occurs in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States. In late 
1995, the FWS issued final stock assessment reports as required, and 
announced their completion and public availability in a Federal 
Register notice on October 4, 1995 (60 FR 52008). These reports 
contained information regarding the distribution and abundance of the 
stocks, population growth rates and trends, estimates of human-caused 
mortality from all sources, descriptions of the fisheries with which 
the stocks interact, and the status of each stock.
    Section 117 of the MMPA also requires the FWS and the NMFS, 
consistent with any new information that indicates that the status of a 
stock has changed or can be more accurately determined, to revise these 
reports annually for strategic stocks of marine mammals and every three 
years for stocks determined to be non-strategic. In accordance with 
these statutory provisions, the FWS has reviewed all eight of its final 
stock assessment reports from 1995, and determined that it would be 
appropriate at this time to revise reports for two stocks of west coast 
sea otters and two stocks of West Indian manatees in order to 
incorporate new information that was not available in 1995. Although 
the FWS has decided to revise these reports, the status of the four 
stocks has not changed. Both West Indian manatee stocks and the 
southern sea otter stock in California are still classified as 
strategic, while the northern sea otter stock in Washington State is 
still classified as non-strategic.
    For polar bear, Pacific walrus, and northern sea otter in Alaska, 
the FWS has determined that no significant new information is available 
that would provide substantial benefit to these stocks, or necessitate 
revising stock assessment reports at this time. However, the FWS will 
continue to gather pertinent information on these stocks, and 
reconsider whether to revise these stock assessment reports during the 
next review/revision cycle. Individuals wishing to submit such 
information can do so by sending it to the name and address identified 
in the ADDRESSES Section above.
    Table 1 in this notice summarizes (in bold print) the four draft 
revised stock assessment reports. The table lists the four stocks, 
their geographic range, regional designation, minimum abundance 
estimate, Potential Biological Removal level, annual estimated average 
human-caused mortality, and the status of the stock. Table 1 also 
repeats information from the FWS's Federal Register notice of October 
4, 1995, for the four marine mammal stocks in Alaska for which the FWS 
has decided not to revise the stock assessment reports at this time.

    Dated: April 18, 1997.
John G. Rogers,
Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[[Page 20202]]



 Table 1.--Summary of FWS Stock Assessment Reports for Marine Mammals That Occupy Waters Under U.S. Jurisdiction. (Note: Draft Revised Stock Assessment 
                                                                 Data is in Bold Print.)                                                                
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                                                                                                                Annual                                  
                                                                                                              estimated     Annual fishing-             
           Species                Stock area        SRG       FWS     N(min)    R(max)    F(r)      PBR     average human-       caused       Strategic 
                                                  region    region                                              caused         mortality        status  
                                                                                                              mortality                                 
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West Indian manatee-Florida    Southeastern      ATL              4     2,229      0.04     0.1         4  49 \1\.........  <1.............  Yes.       
 stock.                         U.S.A..                                                                                                                 
West Indian manatee-Antillean  Puerto Rico.....  ATL              4       101      0.04     0.1         0  2..............  Unknown........  Yes.       
 stock.                                                                                                                                                 
Southern sea otter-California  Central           PAC              1     2,295      0.06     0.1  \2\ N/AP  Unknown \3\....  Unknown \4\....  Yes.       
 stock.                         California and                                                                                                          
                                San Nicolas                                                                                                             
                                Island.                                                                                                                 
Northern sea otter-Washington  Neah Bay to       PAC              1       430      0.12     0.5        12  Unknown \5\....  Unknown \4\....  No.        
 stock.                         Destruction                                                                                                             
                                Island, WA.                                                                                                             
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Polar bear-Chukchi/Bering      Chukchi and       AKA              7  \6\ N/AV  \6\ N/AV     1.0  \6\ N/AV  55.............  0..............  No.        
 Seas stock.                    Bering Seas-                                                                                                            
                                Alaska and                                                                                                              
                                Russia.                                                                                                                 
Polar bear-Beaufort Sea stock  Beaufort Sea-     AKA              7     1,579      0.06     1.0    \7\ 72  63.............  0..............  No.        
                                Alaska and                                                                                                              
                                Canada.                                                                                                                 
Sea otter-Alaska stock.......  Alaska..........  AKA              7   100,000       0.2     1.0    10,000  506............  <1.............  No.        
Pacific walrus...............  Alaska and        AKA              7   188,316      0.08     1.0     7,533  5,894..........  16.............  No.        
                                Russia.                                                                                                                 
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\1\ Estimated average human-caused mortality for the West Indian manatee-Florida stock from 1984 to 1992. The estimated average annual human caused     
  mortality from 1974 to 1992 is 36 animals.                                                                                                            
\2\ N/AP indicates Not Applicable. Although the PBR level for the southern sea-California stock was calculated to be 6, their incidental take is not    
  governed under Section 118 of the 1994 amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act.                                                                
\3\ Unknown. Human-caused mortalities of sea otters have been attributed to drowning in gill nets and lobster/crab pots, shootings, boat collisions,    
  disease, and oil spills. However, data are insufficient for estimating annual losses. See stock assessment report for additional information.         
\4\ Unknown. Observer coverage is inadequate to estimate annual fishery mortality.                                                                      
\5\ Unknown. Sea otters in Washington State are susceptible to the same sources of human-caused mortality as they are in California.                    
\6\ N/AV indicates Not Available.                                                                                                                       
\7\ Adjusted upwards to 72 animals from the calculated PBR of 48 to reflect the approximate 2 male: 1 female sex ratio of the harvest. See stock        
  assessment report for additional information.                                                                                                         

[FR Doc. 97-10738 Filed 4-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M