[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 166 (Wednesday, August 27, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51561-51563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21859]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 060903A]


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 revised the Alaska, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, and 
Pacific marine mammal stock assessment reports (SARs) in accordance 
with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Draft 2003 reports are 
available for public review and comment.

DATES: Comments must be received by November 25, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Send comments or requests for copies of reports to: Chief, 
Marine Mammal Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910-3226, Attn: Stock Assessments. Comments may also be 
sent via facsimile (fax) to 301-713-0376. NMFS will not accept comments 
submitted via e-mail or Internet.
    Copies of the Alaska Regional SARs may be requested from Robyn 
Angliss, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way, NE 
BIN 15700, Seattle, WA 98115-0070.
    Copies of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Regional SARs may be 
requested from Janeen Quintal, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 
Water St., Woods Hole, MA 02543 or Steven Swartz, Southeast Fisheries 
Science Center, 75 Virginia Beach Dr., Miami, FL 33149.
    Copies of the Pacific Regional SARs may be requested from Cathy 
Campbell, Southwest Regional Office, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, 
Long Beach, CA 90802-4213.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Eagle, Office of Protected 
Resources, 301-713-2322, ext. 105, e-mail [email protected]; Robyn 
Angliss 206- 526-4032, e-mail [email protected], regarding Alaska 
regional stock assessments; Janeen Quintal, 508-495-2252, e-mail 
[email protected], regarding Northwest Atlantic regional stock 
assessments; Steven Swartz, 305-361-4487, e-mail 
[email protected], regarding Mid-Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico 
regional stock assessments; or Cathy Campbell, 562-280-4060, e-mail 
[email protected], regarding Pacific regional stock 
assessments.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Access

    All stock assessment reports and the guidelines for preparing them 
are available via the Internet at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/PR2/Stock_Assessment_Program/sars.html.

[[Page 51562]]

Background

    Section 117 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) (16 U.S.C. 
1361 et seq.) requires NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(FWS) to prepare stock assessments for each stock of marine mammals 
that occurs in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States. 
These reports must contain information regarding the distribution and 
abundance of the stock, population growth rates and trends, estimates 
of annual human-caused mortality and serious injury from all sources, 
descriptions of the fisheries with which the stock interacts, and the 
status of the stock. Initial reports were completed in 1995.
    The MMPA requires NMFS and FWS to review the SARs at least annually 
for strategic stocks and stocks for which significant new information 
is available and at least once every 3 years for non-strategic stocks. 
NMFS and the FWS are required to revise a SAR if the status of the 
stock has changed or can be more accurately determined. NMFS, in 
conjunction with the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific Scientific Review 
Groups, reviewed the status of marine mammal stocks as required and 
revised reports for which new information was available. A summary of 
notable changes is described for each region below. Also, each regional 
set of stock assessment reports and a summary table of the changes made 
for 2003 are available on the Internet (see electronic access) and may 
be requested in hard copy form (see ADDRESSES). NMFS solicits public 
comments on the draft Alaska, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific 
reports.

Alaska Stocks

    NMFS revised 14 reports for marine mammal stocks in the Alaska 
Region, and the remaining 18 reports were not revised. Most revisions 
included incorporating new abundance or mortality estimates into the 
reports and did not change the status of the stock.
    Counts of northern fur seal pups in the Pribilof Islands declined 
more than 5 percent per year from 1998 to 2002. The abundance estimate 
of this stock is derived from pup counts and has also declined 
accordingly. The population estimate remains over 800,000 fur seals, 
direct human-caused mortality remains a small portion of the calculated 
PBR, and the stock remains identified as strategic due to its 
designation as depleted under the MMPA.
    The abundance estimates for Pacific white-sided dolphins, Central 
North Pacific stock, and Dall's porpoise, Alaska stock, are more than 8 
years old and are considered unreliable according to NMFS' guidelines 
for preparing marine mammal stock assessment reports (Wade and Angliss, 
1997). In accordance with the guidelines, the PBR for Pacific white-
sided dolphins has been changed to ``undefined''. The PBR for Dall's 
porpoise is not changed to ``undefined'' because recent surveys in part 
of the range suggest the population remains quite large, and a new 
abundance estimate is expected to be available in the near future. The 
recent surveys in a portion of the range are considered compelling 
evidence that the Dall's porpoise population in Alaska has not 
declined; therefore, continued use of the PBR is consistent with NMFS' 
guidelines for preparing marine mammal stock assessment reports.
    For humpback whales, Central North Pacific stock, the report was 
revised to include abundance, mortality, and PBR estimates for the 
Southeast Alaska feeding aggregation as well as for the entire stock. 
This change was based upon a recommendation from the Alaska SRG because 
humpback whales encountered in Southeast Alaska are likely to be part 
of the single feeding aggregation.

Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Stocks

    The SARs for marine mammal stocks in the Atlantic Ocean, including 
the Gulf of Mexico, contained revisions in 37 reports, and 20 reports 
were not revised. Most revisions were minor updates to abundance or 
mortality estimates and did not change the status of the affected stock 
of marine mammals.
    The new mean annual mortality estimate for common dolphins, Western 
North Atlantic stock, is 190, and the PBR for this stock remains 227. 
Consequently, the status of common dolphins, Western North Atlantic 
stock, was revised from strategic to non-strategic.
    A new abundance estimate for Cuvier's beaked whale, Northern Gulf 
of Mexico stock, is included in the 2003 draft SAR, and this new 
abundance estimate raises the PBR for the stock from 0.2 to 0.6. The 
section of the report on Human-Caused Mortality was revised to indicate 
that mortality of beaked whales has been associated with noise-
generating activities in the ocean, and there are many such activities 
within portions of the Gulf of Mexico where beak whales are 
distributed. The report leads to the conclusion that there is a 
potential for human-caused mortality to exceed the stock's PBR level; 
therefore, following a precautionary approach, the Status of Stock 
section of the SAR was revised to label this stock as strategic. This 
section was also revised to clarify that fishery-related mortality and 
serious injury remains unknown; however, such mortality and serious 
injury can be considered at insignificant levels approaching a zero 
mortality and serious injury rate.

Pacific Stocks

    The Pacific SARs contain revised stock assessments for 42 Pacific 
marine mammal stocks under NMFS' jurisdiction. Reports on the remaining 
14 Pacific region stocks were not revised. Most revisions consisted of 
updates to abundance or mortality estimates that did not affect the 
status of the stock or the classification of any fishery that interacts 
with the stock. Three revisions included more than minor updates.
    NMFS reinstated pygmy sperm whales (CA/OR/WA stock) to the list of 
marine mammal stocks for which a SAR is produced. Reinstatement was 
prompted by recent strandings of pygmy sperm whales, which indicate 
that pygmy sperm whales occur in waters under US jurisdiction more than 
rarely.
    Harbor porpoise (Monterey Bay stock) was re-classified from 
strategic to non-strategic. Re-classification resulted from reduced 
mortality incidental to set gillnet fisheries within Monterey Bay. In 
2001, the State of California largely closed gillnet fishing in the 
range of harbor porpoise under emergency regulations and made these 
regulations permanent in 2002.
    Short-finned pilot whales (CA/OR/WA stock) were re-classified from 
non-strategic to strategic. Although the point estimate for incidental 
mortality and serious injury decreased in this update, the minimum 
abundance estimates also decreased from 717 to 149. The reduction in 
abundance was due to no sightings of pilot whales in the 2001 survey. 
Because pilot whale distribution appears variable and is likely related 
to specific oceanographic conditions, the reduction in abundance is not 
likely an indication that the actual number of pilot whales has been 
reduced. NMFS has previously observed fluctuations in sightings (thus, 
fluctuations in abundance estimates) of pilot whales during abundance 
surveys. These fluctuations are likely due to pilot whale distribution 
being affected by specific oceanographic conditions that sometimes are 
within the survey area and sometimes not. Because NMFS has no 
biological basis to adjust this abundance estimate to account for 
fluctuations in oceanographic conditions, the abundance estimate is a 
pooled estimate that includes results

[[Page 51563]]

from surveys in 1996 and 2001. Thus, the lower abundance estimate 
likely reflects fluctuations in pilot whale distribution rather than 
fluctuations in the actual abundance of pilot whales.

    Dated: August 19, 2003.
Donna Wieting,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-21859 Filed 8-26-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S