[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]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-C