[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 103 (Friday, May 28, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29000-29005]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-13433]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 033099C]
Notice of Availability of Draft Stock Assessment Reports
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS has revised the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific marine
mammal stock assessment reports in accordance with the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA). Draft revised 1999 reports are available for
public review and comment.
DATES: Comments must be received by August 26, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Send requests for printed copies of the draft Reports to:
Chief, Marine Mammal Division, Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD
20910-3226, Attn: Stock Assessments. Copies of the regional reports may
also be requested from Douglas P. DeMaster, Alaska Fisheries Science
Center (F/AKC), NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way, NE BIN 15700, Seattle, WA
98115-0070 (Alaska); Richard Merrick, Northeast Fisheries Science
Center, 166 Water St., Woods Hole, MA 02543 (Atlantic); and Irma
Lagomarsino, Southwest Regional Office (F/SWO3), NMFS, 501 West Ocean
Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213 (Pacific). Electronic copies of
the reports can be found at http://www.nmfs.gov/prot__res/mammals/
sa__rep/sar.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cathy Eisele, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, at (301) 713-2322, Douglas P. DeMaster (206) 526-4045,
regarding Alaska regional stock assessments; Irma Lagomarsino, (310)
980-4020, regarding Pacific regional stock assessments; or Richard
Merrick, (508) 495-2311, or Steven Swartz, (305) 361-4487, regarding
Atlantic regional stock assessments.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 117 of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et
seq.) requires NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to
prepare stock assessments reports for each stock of marine mammals that
occurs in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States. These
reports contain information regarding the distribution and abundance of
the stock, population growth rates and trends, estimates of annual
human-caused mortality from all sources, descriptions of the fisheries
with which the stock interacts, and the status of the stock.
The MMPA also requires NMFS and FWS to review these reports
annually for strategic stocks of marine mammals and at least every 3
years for stocks determined to be non-strategic. NMFS, in conjunction
with the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific Scientific Review Groups, has
reviewed the MMPA status of marine mammal stocks, and has revised
reports for which significant new information was available. Tables 1-3
contain lists of all the stock assessment reports which NMFS has
revised. Tables 1-3 also detail changes that have been made to their
estimated abundance, human-caused mortality, or other relevant items.
NMFS solicits public comments on these draft revised Alaska, Atlantic,
and Pacific reports.
NMFS has chosen to label these reports the 1999 Stock Assessment
Reports, as the intent is to finalize and publish these reports in
1999. It should be noted that the previous reports, labeled the 1998
Stock Assessment Reports, were finalized on February 19, 1999 (64 FR
8323).
Alaska Stocks
NMFS, in conjunction with the Alaska Scientific Review Group,
reviewed information available for all strategic stocks of Alaska
marine mammals under its authority, as well as for several other
stocks. A total of 13 of the 33 Alaska stock assessment reports were
revised for 1999 (Table 1). Most proposed changes to the stock
assessment reports incorporate new information into mortality
estimates. The revised stock assessment reports include western U.S.
Steller sea lions, eastern U.S. Steller sea lions, all five beluga
whale stocks (Cook Inlet, Bristol Bay, Eastern Bering Sea, Eastern
Chukchi Sea, and Beaufort Sea), western North Pacific humpback whales,
central North Pacific humpback whales, Baird's beaked whales,
Stejneger's beaked whales, and Cuvier's beaked whales. In addition, the
stock assessment report for the Eastern North Pacific transient killer
whale stock was revised and moved to the Pacific region document. The
new information on abundance and mortality did not change the status
(strategic or not) of any of these 13 Alaska stocks relative to the
last time the respective stock assessment report was revised (1996 or
1998).
Fishery mortality sections in the revised reports have been updated
to include observer program, fisher self-reporting, and stranding data
through 1997, where possible. Similarly, subsistence harvest
information through 1997 has been included for those stocks which are
taken by Alaska Natives for subsistence purposes. New abundance
estimates are available and have been included in the revised
assessments for two stocks: western U.S. Steller sea lions and Cook
Inlet beluga whales. New Potential Biological Removal level (PBR)
estimates have been calculated for those stocks having new abundance
estimates.
Atlantic Stocks
The 1999 Atlantic stock assessment reports (including the Gulf of
Mexico) were prepared by staff of the Northeast Fisheries Science
Center and Southeast Fisheries Science Center. NMFS staff presented the
Reports at the November 1998 meeting of the Atlantic Scientific Review
Group and subsequent revisions were based on their contributions and
constructive criticism.
Major revisions and updating of the stock assessment reports were
completed only for Atlantic Coast strategic stocks and Atlantic Coast
and Gulf of Mexico stocks for which significant new information was
available. The stock definitions were changed for four Atlantic stocks
(Sei whale; gray, harp and hooded seal) based on stock area definitions
used by international scientific organizations (i.e., the International
Whaling Commission and the International Council for Exploration of the
Sea).
Table 2 contains a summary, by species, of the information included
in the stock assessments, and also indicates those assessments that
have been revised since the 1998 publication. A total of 31 of the 60
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico stock assessment reports were revised for
1999. Most proposed changes incorporate new information into mortality
estimates. The revised stock assessment reports include 14 strategic
and 17 non-strategic stocks. Information on human interactions (fishery
and ship strikes) between the North Atlantic right whale, North
Atlantic humpback whale, and Canadian east coast minke whale stocks
were re-reviewed and updated. Further, the status of three western
North Atlantic stocks (Atlantic spotted dolphin, pantropical spotted
dolphin, and dwarf sperm whale) were changed to non-strategic because
the 5-year (1993-1997) mean annual mortalities in fishing operations
were below PBR. Conversely, the western North Atlantic stock of long-
finned pilot whale was changed to strategic.
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Pacific Stocks
NMFS reviewed new information pertaining to the status of all
stocks within the Pacific Region (including Hawaii) and, in
consultation with the Pacific Scientific Review Group, decided that
there was sufficient new information to warrant the revision of
assessment reports for 11 stocks (Table 3). The draft stock assessment
reports for 1999 include four written by staff of the National Marine
Mammal Laboratory: Oregon and Washington Coast Harbor Porpoise, Inland
Washington Harbor Porpoise, Eastern North Pacific Southern Resident
Killer Whale and Eastern North Pacific Transient Killer Whale. The
Southwest Fisheries Science Center personnel prepared stock assessments
for the following seven stocks: Hawaiian Monk Seal, Central California
Harbor Porpoise, Northern California Harbor Porpoise, Eastern North
Pacific Offshore Killer Whale, California/Oregon/ Washington Short-
finned Pilot Whale, California/Oregon/Washington Sperm Whale, and
California/Oregon/Washington-Mexico Humpback Whale.
In the draft 1999 stock assessment reports, fishery mortality
sections have been updated to include information on fishery mortality,
fisher self-reporting, and stranding data through 1997, where possible.
New abundance estimates are available and have been included for 10 of
the 11 stocks. Additional information on historic whaling has been
included for sperm whales, and several distribution maps have been
revised to include survey data through 1996 and to exclude data from
the 1970s and early 1980s that are now considered outdated. The
recovery factor was revised for four stocks (central California harbor
porpoise, California/Oregon/Washington short-finned pilot whale,
eastern North Pacific southern resident killer whale and eastern North
Pacific transient killer whale). The previous California/Oregon/
Washington Killer Whale stock has been eliminated, based on new
information on stock structure of eastern North Pacific killer whales.
The animals from this stock have now been divided among two other
stocks: (1) The existing Eastern North Pacific Transient stock, whose
range description has been expanded southward to include California,
and (2) a new `Eastern North Pacific Offshore' stock, ranging from
Southeast Alaska to California. The Eastern North Pacific Transient
Killer Whale stock, which was previously published in the stock
assessment reports for the Alaska Region, has also been moved and is
now included with the 1999 Pacific Region reports.
There were no changes in the status of any of the 11 Pacific Region
stocks, with four remaining strategic and seven non-strategic. The four
strategic stocks include three stocks of endangered species that are
automatically considered strategic, and the California/Oregon/
Washington short-finned pilot whale, for which a take reduction plan
has been implemented.
New information may become available during the comment period for
these draft stock assessment reports. This new information may be
incorporated into final stock assessment reports without additional
public review and comment if incorporation of the new information does
not change the status of the affected stock (e.g., strategic to non-
strategic).
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Dated: May 14, 1999.
Hilda Diaz-Soltero,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 99-13433 Filed 5-27-99; 8:45 am]
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