[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 124 (Thursday, June 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35428-35429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12561]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA34


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 reviewed the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regional 
marine mammal stock assessment reports (SARs) in accordance with the 
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). SARs for marine mammals in the 
Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regions were revised according to new 
information. NMFS solicits public comments on draft 2007 SARs.

DATES:  Comments must be received by September 26, 2007.

ADDRESSES:  The 2007 draft stock assessment reports are available in 
electronic form via the Internet at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/sars/.
    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 Gordon Waring, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 
Water St., Woods Hole, MA 02543.
    Copies of the Pacific Regional SARs may be requested from Jim 
Carretta, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8604 La Jolla Shores 
Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037-1508.
    Send comments or requests for copies of reports to: Chief, Marine 
Mammal and Sea Turtle 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 301-427-2526 or via email to 
[email protected].

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; Gordon Waring, 508-495-2311, e-mail 
[email protected], regarding Atlantic regional stock assessments; 
or Jim Carretta, 858-546-7171, e-mail [email protected], regarding 
Pacific regional stock assessments.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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 
occurring 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 (SRGs), reviewed the status of marine mammal stocks as required 
and revised reports in the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regions to 
incorporate new information. NMFS solicits public comments on the draft 
2007 SARs.

Alaska Reports

    Twelve reports (11 strategic stocks and one non-strategic stock) 
were revised, and 24 reports were not revised. Most revisions included 
updates of abundance and mortality estimates and did not indicate a 
change in status of the affected stocks. The abundance of AT1 killer 
whales was reduced from eight to seven whales because one animal has 
not been seen in recent years and is presumed to have died.
    The ``Status of Stock'' section of the gray whale, western North 
Pacific stock, was updated to show that the best available scientific 
information indicates the stock is within its Optimum Sustainable 
Population levels. The gray whale stock was estimated to be between 71 
percent and 102 percent of its current carrying capacity in 2002.
    The ``Habitat Concerns'' sections of the reports for Steller sea 
lions, western U.S. stock, and northern fur seals, Eastern Pacific 
stock, were expanded. Threats to the Steller sea lion stock were 
presented in a draft recovery plan released for public review and 
comment in May 2006 (71 FR 29919, May 24, 2006), and a summary of these 
threats was included in the revised SAR. For northern fur seals, the 
SAR was updated to include recent information, including the overlap in 
sizes of fish taken by fur seals and by commercial fishing.

Atlantic Reports

    Fifty-six reports (16 strategic and 40 non-strategic) were revised 
in the Atlantic region, including all reports for marine mammals in the 
Gulf of Mexico. Two reports were not revised. Most updates were to 
include new abundance and mortality estimates and did not change the 
status of the affected stocks. The status of harbor porpoise, Gulf of 
Maine/Bay of Fundy stock, was updated to be strategic because human-
caused mortality and serious injury have increased and PBR has 
decreased since the last mortality and abundance estimates were 
completed.

[[Page 35429]]

Pacific Reports

    Twenty-nine reports (9 strategic and 20 non-strategic) were revised 
in the Pacific region. Thirty-two reports were not revised. Most 
revisions included updates of mortality or abundance estimates and did 
not result in a change in status of the affected stocks.
    A new stock of false killer whales (Palmyra Atoll) has been added 
to this year's reports to reflect the availability of new genetic 
information for this species in the Pacific Islands Region. Both the 
Hawaii and Palmyra Atoll false killer whale stocks are included in a 
single report, labeled the ``Pacific Islands Region Stock Complex''. 
The reasons for combining stocks into one species report are to 
consolidate general text about the species and present all stock-
specific abundance and mortality information on false killer whales 
within waters under the jurisdiction of the United States in a single 
report.
    The status of two stocks (California/Oregon/Washington short-finned 
pilot whales and California long-beaked common dolphins) has changed 
from ``not strategic'' to ``strategic''. The change resulted from new 
estimates of abundance, which have decreased for both stocks since the 
last revision, and updates of incidental fishery mortality levels, 
which increased for long-beaked common dolphins.
    The name of the stock previously referred to as ``East North 
Pacific Humpback Whale'' has been changed to ``California/Oregon/
Washington Humpback Whale''. Recent genetics information confirms that 
the stock is demographically independent from other aggregations of 
humpback whales in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean; therefore, the 
feeding aggregation is appropriately identified as a separate stock. 
The new stock identity did not substantially modify the PBR of the 
stock because, in accordance with NMFS' guidelines for preparing SARs, 
the PBR had been estimated by using the abundance of whales in this 
aggregation. However, the revised abundance estimate is slightly 
higher, which resulted in a slight increase in PBR.

    Dated: June 22, 2007.
Helen M. Golde,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-12561 Filed 6-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S