[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 223 (Thursday, November 19, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64228-64229]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30833]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 216

[I.D. 110998A]


Regulations Governing the Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals; 
Threatened Fish and Wildlife; Cook Inlet Beluga Whales

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to conduct a status review and request for 
information.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is initiating a status review of the Cook Inlet beluga 
whale (Delphinapterus leucas) to determine whether designation under 
the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) or a change in listing 
classification under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is warranted. 
NMFS intends to undertake the review in conjunction with the Alaska 
Beluga Whale Committee and the Cook Inlet Marine Mammal Council. The 
review will give consideration to the current status of Cook Inlet 
belugas, their distribution, abundance and trends, food habits, 
biohealth parameters, and reproductive parameters. The effects of the 
Native subsistence harvest, and the potential effects of other humanly 
induced impacts, as well as beluga natural mortality will also be 
examined. To ensure that the review is comprehensive, NMFS is 
requesting that interested parties submit pertinent information and 
comments regarding

[[Page 64229]]

the status of the Cook Inlet beluga whale.

DATES: Comments and information must be received by January 19, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Comments and information should be addressed to Chief, 
Marine Mammal Division (PR2), Office of Protected Resources, National 
Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 
20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Zimmerman, Protected Resources 
Management Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, (907) 586-7235; Brad Smith/
Barbara Mahoney, Protected Resources Management Division, Alaska 
Region, NMFS, (907) 271-5006; or Margot Bohan, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS (301) 713-2322.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4 of the ESA and 50 CFR part 424 
contain provisions that allow the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to 
add to or change the species' listing classification on the U.S. List 
of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife when necessary. MMPA section 115 
contains similar provisions regarding determinations on the status of 
species pursuant to the MMPA. Currently, the Cook Inlet beluga whale is 
on the candidate species list under the ESA. The candidate species list 
serves to notify the public that NMFS has concerns regarding the 
species that may warrant an ESA threatened or endangered listing in the 
future. Ideally, the candidate list facilitates voluntary conservation 
efforts prior to a need for listing under the ESA. If the Secretary 
determines that there is substantial scientific or commercial 
information to indicate that a change in listing classification may be 
warranted, a status review is conducted. NMFS intends to undertake a 
review of the Cook Inlet population of beluga whales in collaboration 
with the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee and the Cook Inlet Marine Mammal 
Council.

Background

    Beluga whales are a circumpolar species. They are found in the 
waters of Canada, Alaska, Russia, Norway and Greenland. In Alaska, five 
populations are currently recognized and are found seasonally in (1) 
the Beaufort Sea, (2) the eastern Chukchi Sea, (3) the eastern Bering 
Sea, (4) Bristol Bay; and (5) Cook Inlet.
    The Cook Inlet belugas make up a small, geographically isolated 
remnant population. In fact, the habitat range used by belugas in Cook 
Inlet appears to be decreasing. At present, the animals seem to 
concentrate near river mouths in the northern part of the inlet during 
much of the year. Limited sightings have occurred elsewhere in the 
recent past.
    Because Cook Inlet belugas are geographically isolated, 
perturbations that are humanly-induced could have a dramatic effect on 
the population. The summer concentrations of this beluga population are 
exposed to the largest industrialized coastal area and to the largest 
human component in Alaska.
    NMFS data indicate that the Cook Inlet population may also be 
declining in number. There are thought to be approximately 500 beluga 
whales in Cook Inlet, based on data collected between 1994 and 1998. 
The index count from the 1998 survey was the lowest reported to date 
and demonstrates a downward trend that has been ongoing over the last 4 
years.
    An increasing amount of information has revealed serious threats to 
this population. With its currently estimated rates of natural 
mortality and Native harvest, there is concern that the beluga 
population in Cook Inlet cannot be sustained by annual recruitment. 
Specifically, there is concern that Native subsistence harvests are 
exceeding sustainable removal levels. NMFS believes that maintaining a 
healthy beluga population and ensuring the long-term sustainability of 
a beluga whale subsistence harvest in Cook Inlet is in the best 
interest of all parties concerned. However, if present harvest levels 
continue to greatly exceed recruitment, the beluga whale population in 
Cook Inlet could become severely depleted in the foreseeable future. 
Effective actions must be developed and implemented soon to address 
such pressing conservation and management issues.
    In light of these factors, NMFS is initiating a formal and 
comprehensive review of the status of the Cook Inlet beluga whale 
through a cooperative process with the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee 
and the Cook Inlet Marine Mammal Council. NMFS will obtain the best 
available information regarding the population's condition and 
sustainability to determine whether it warrants a depleted designation 
under the MMPA or a threatened or endangered listing under the ESA, or 
both.

Biological Information Solicited

    To ensure that the review is comprehensive and is based on the best 
available data, NMFS is soliciting information and comments from any 
interested person concerning the status of Cook Inlet beluga whales. It 
is requested that data, information, and comments be accompanied by (1) 
supporting documentation, such as maps, logbooks, bibliographic 
references, personal notes, or reprints of pertinent publications and 
(2) the name of the person submitting the data, his/her address, and 
any association, institution, or business that the person represents.

    Dated: November 12, 1998.
Ann D. Terbush,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-30833 Filed 11-18-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F