[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 112 (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32732-32734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12890]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R9-FHC-2008-N0085; 80221-1113-0000-L5]


Marine Mammal Protection Act; Stock Assessment Report

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft revised marine mammal stock 
assessment report for the southern sea otter in California; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), 
the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has developed a draft revised 
marine mammal stock assessment report for the southern sea otter 
(Enhydra lutris nereis) stock in the State of California, which is 
available for public review and comment.

DATES: Comments must be received by September 8, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft revised stock assessment report for the 
southern sea otter in California are available from the Field 
Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura Fish and Wildlife 
Office, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003; (805) 644-1766. 
It can also be viewed in Adobe Acrobat by navigating to the species 
information page for the southern sea otter at http://www.fws.gov/ventura.
    If you wish to submit comments on the draft revised stock 
assessment report for the southern sea otter in California, you may do 
so by any of the following methods:
    1. You may mail or hand-deliver (during normal business hours) 
written comments to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, 
Ventura, CA 93003.
    2. You may fax your comments to (805) 644-3958.
    3. You may send comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to 
fw8ssostock@fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: One of the goals of the MMPA is to ensure 
that stocks of marine mammals occurring in waters under the 
jurisdiction of the United States do not experience a level of human-
caused mortality and serious injury that is likely to cause the stock 
to be reduced below its optimum sustainable population level (OSP). OSP 
is defined as ``the number of animals which will result in the maximum 
productivity of the population or the species, keeping in mind the 
carrying capacity of the habitat and the health of the ecosystem of 
which they form a constituent element.''
    To help accomplish the goal of maintaining marine mammal stocks at 
their OSPs, section 117 of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361-1407) requires the 
Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to prepare 
stock assessment reports for each marine mammal stock that occurs in 
waters under the jurisdiction of the United States. These stock 
assessments are to be based on the best scientific information 
available and are, therefore, prepared in consultation with established 
regional scientific review groups. Each stock assessment must include: 
(1) A description of the stock and its geographic range; (2) a minimum 
population estimate, maximum net productivity rate, and current 
population trend; (3) an estimate of human-caused mortality and serious 
injury; (4) a description of commercial fishery interactions; (5) the 
status of the stock; and (6) the potential biological removal level 
(PBR). The PBR is defined as ``the maximum number of animals, not 
including natural mortalities, that may be removed from a marine mammal 
stock while allowing that stock to reach or maintain its OSP.'' The PBR 
is the product of the minimum population estimate of the stock 
(Nmin), one-half the maximum theoretical or estimated net 
productivity rate of the stock at a small population size 
(Rmax); and a recovery factor (Fr) of between 0.1 
and 1.0, which is intended to compensate for uncertainty and unknown 
estimation errors.
    Section 117 of the MMPA also requires the Service and the NMFS to 
review the stock assessment reports: (A) At least annually for stocks 
that are specified as strategic stocks; (B) at least annually for 
stocks for which significant new information is available; and (C) at 
least once every 3 years for all other stocks.
    A strategic stock is defined in the MMPA as a marine mammal stock: 
(A) For which the level of direct human-caused mortality exceeds the 
potential biological removal level; (B) which, based on the best 
available scientific information, is declining and is likely to be 
listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), within the foreseeable 
future; or (C) which is listed as a threatened or endangered species 
under the Endangered Species Act, or is designated as depleted under 
the MMPA.
    A summary of the draft revised stock assessment report for southern 
sea otters

[[Page 32733]]

in California is presented in Table 1. The table lists the stock's 
Nmin, Rmax, Fr, PBR, annual estimated 
human-caused mortality and serious injury, and status. After 
consideration of any public comments received, the Service will revise 
the stock assessment, as appropriate. We will publish a notice of 
availability and summary of the final stock assessment, including 
responses to comments we received.
    In accordance with the MMPA, a list of the sources of information 
or public reports upon which the assessment is based is included in 
this notice.

                           Table 1.--Summary of Draft Revised Stock Assessment Report for the Southern Sea Otter in California
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                                                                                             Annual estimated average human-
                 Stock                       NMIN         RMAX          FR          PBR              caused mortality                Stock status
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Southern sea otters:
    Mainland California................        3,026         0.06          0.1            9  Unknown........................  Strategic.
    Mainland California San Nicolas               41         0.09          0.1            0  Unknown........................  Strategic.
     Island (CA).
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List of References

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contaminants in sea otters among populations in California and 
Alaska. M.S. thesis, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Bacon, C.E., W.M. Jarman, J.A. Estes, M. Simon, and R.J. Norstrom. 
1999. Comparison of organochlorine contaminants among sea otter 
(Enhydra lutris) populations in California and Alaska. Environ. 
Toxicology and Chemistry 18(3):452-458.
Bryant, H.C. 1915. Sea otters near Point Sur. California Department 
of Fish and Game Bull. 1:134-135.
Cameron, G.A., and K.A. Forney. 2000. Preliminary estimates of 
cetacean mortality in California/Oregon gillnet fisheries for 1999. 
Paper SC/S2/O24 presented to the International Whaling Commission, 
2000 (unpublished). 12 pp. Available from NMFS, Southwest Fisheries 
Science Center, P.O. Box 271, La Jolla, California, 92038, USA.
Carretta, J.V. 2001. Preliminary estimates of cetacean mortality in 
California gillnet fisheries for 2000. Paper SC/53/SM9 presented to 
the International Whaling Commission, 2001 (unpublished). 21 pp. 
Available from NMFS, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, P.O. Box 
271, La Jolla, California, 92038, USA.
Cronin, M.A., J. Bodkin, B. Bellachey, J.A. Estes, and J.C. Patton. 
1996. Mitochondrial-DNA variation among subspecies and populations 
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Estes, J.A. 1990. Growth and equilibrium in sea otter populations. 
J. Anim. Ecol. 59:385-401.
Estes, J.A., and R.J. Jameson. 1988. A double-survey estimate for 
sighting probability of sea otters in California. J. Wildl. Manage. 
52:70-76.
Estes, J.A., B.B. Hatfield, K. Ralls, and J. Ames. 2003. Causes of 
mortality in California sea otters during periods of population 
growth and decline. Marine Mammal Science 19(1):198-216.
Forney, K.A., S.R. Benson, and G.A. Cameron. 2001. Central 
California gill net effort and bycatch of sensitive species, 1990-
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Solutions, E.F. Melvin and J.K. Parrish, eds. Proceedings of an 
International Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, University of 
Alaska Sea Grant, Fairbanks, Alaska, 212 pp.
Hatfield, B.B., and J.A. Estes. 2000. Preliminary results of an 
evaluation of the potential threat to sea otters posed by the 
nearshore finfish trap fishery. Unpublished. 6 pp. + appendices.
Herrick, S.F., Jr., and D. Hanan. 1988. A review of California 
entangling net fisheries, 1981-1986. National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration Technical Memorandum. National Marine 
Fisheries Service. NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFC-108. 39 pp.
Jameson, R.J. 1989. Movements, home range, and territories of male 
sea otters off central California. Marine Mammal Science 5:159-172.
Jameson, R.J., and S. Jeffries. 1999. Results of the 1999 survey of 
the Washington sea otter population. Unpublished report. 5 pp.
Jameson, R.J., and S. Jeffries. 2005. Results of the 2005 survey of 
the reintroduced Washington sea otter population. Unpublished 
report. 6 pp.
Kannan, K., E. Perrotta, and N.J. Thomas. 2006. Association between 
perfluorinated compounds and pathological conditions in southern sea 
otters. Environmental Science & Technology 40:4943-4948.
Kannan, K., E. Perrotta, N.J. Thomas, and K.M. Aldous. 2007. A 
comparative analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and 
polychlorinated biphenyls in southern sea otters that died of 
infectious diseases and noninfectious causes. Archives of 
Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 53:293-302.
Kannan K., K.S. Guruge, N.J. Thomas, S. Tanabe, J.P. Giesy. 1998. 
Butyltin residues in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) 
found dead along California coastal waters. Environmental Science 
and Technology 32:1169-1175.
    Kooyman, G.L., and D.P. Costa. 1979. Effects of oiling on 
temperature regulation in sea otters. Yearly progress report, Outer 
Continental Shelf Energy Assessment Program.
    Kreuder, C., M.A. Miller, D.A. Jessup, L.J. Lowenstein, M.D. 
Harris, J.A. Ames, T.E. Carpenter, P.A. Conrad, and J.A.K. Mazet. 
2003. Patterns of mortality in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris 
nereis) from 1998-2001. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 39(3):495-509.
    Kreuder, C., M.A. Miller, L.J. Lowenstine, P.A. Conrad, T.E. 
Carpenter, D.A. Jessup, and J.A.K. Mazet. 2005. Evaluation of 
cardiac lesions and risk factors associated with myocarditis and 
dilated cardiomyopathy in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris 
nereis). American Journal of Veterinary Research 66:289-299.
    Laidre, K.L., R.J. Jameson, and D.P. DeMaster. 2001. An 
estimation of carrying capacity for sea otters along the California 
coast. Marine Mammal Science 17(2):294-309.
    Larson, S., R. Jameson, J. Bodkin, M. Staedler, and P. Bentzen. 
2002. Microsatellite DNA and mitochondrial DNA variation in remnant 
and translocated sea otter (Enhydra lutris) populations. J. Mammal. 
83(3):893-906.
    Mayer, K.A., M.D. Dailey, and M.A. Miller. 2003. Helminth 
parasites of the southern sea otter Enhydra lutris nereis in central 
California: abundance, distribution, and pathology. Diseases of 
Aquatic Organisms 53:77-88.
    Nakata, H., K. Kannan, L. Jing, N. Thomas, S. Tanabe, and J.P. 
Giesy. 1998. Accumulation pattern of organochlorine pesticides and 
polychlorinated biphenyls in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris 
nereis) found stranded along coastal California, USA. Environ. Poll. 
103:45-53.
    Ralls, K., T.C. Eagle, and D.B. Siniff. 1996. Movement and 
spatial use patterns of California sea otters. Canadian Journal of 
Zoology 74:1841-1849.
    Riedman, M.L., and J.A. Estes. 1990. The sea otter (Enhydra 
lutris): behavior, ecology, and natural history. U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Biol. Rep. 90(14). 126 pp.
    Riedman, M.L., J.A. Estes, M.M. Staedler, A.A. Giles, and D.R. 
Carlson. 1994. Breeding patterns and reproductive success of 
California sea otters. J. Wildl. Manage. 58:391-399.
    Sanchez, M.S. 1992. Differentiation and variability of 
mitochondrial DNA in three sea otter, Enhydra lutris, populations. 
M.S. Thesis, University of California Santa Cruz.
    Siniff, D.B., and K. Ralls. 1991. Reproduction, survival, and 
tag loss in

[[Page 32734]]

California sea otters. Marine Mammal Science 7(3):211-229.
    Siniff, D.B., T.D. Williams, A.M. Johnson, and D.L. Garshelis. 
1982. Experiments on the response of sea otters, Enhydra lutris, to 
oil contamination. Biol. Conserv. 2: 261-272.
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Suggested guidelines for recovery factors for endangered marine 
mammals. Unpublished report submitted to the Pacific Scientific 
Review Group. 7 pp.
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leads to behavioral diversification and dietary specialization in 
sea otters. PNAS 105:560-565.
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and D.P. Costa. 2006. Population Dynamics and Biology of the 
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its Range. MMS OCS Study 2006-007. Coastal Research Center, Marine 
Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, 
California. MMS Cooperative Agreement Number 14-35-0001-31063.
    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2003. Final Revised Recovery 
Plan for the Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris nereis). Portland, 
Oregon. xi + 165 pp.
    Wendell, F.E., R.A. Hardy, and J.A. Ames. 1986. An assessment of 
the accidental take of sea otters, Enhydra lutris, in gill and 
trammel nets. California Department of Fish and Game, Mar. Res. 
Tech. Rep. 1991. Geographic variation in sea otters, Enhydra lutris. 
J. Mammal. 72(1):22-36.
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M.K. Maminov. 1991. Geographic variation in sea otters, Enhydra 
lutris. J. Mammal. 72(1):22-36.

    Dated: June 3, 2008.
H. Dale Hall,
Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E8-12890 Filed 6-9-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P