[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 33 (Wednesday, February 19, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9457-9458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03528]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-BD12


Revision to Management Measures for the Subsistence Taking of 
Northern Fur Seals on St. George Island, AK

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to prepare a supplemental 
environmental impact statement (SEIS) in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The SEIS will evaluate proposed 
changes in the management of the northern fur seal subsistence harvest 
on St. George Island, AK. The SEIS will supplement the 2005 Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for Setting the Annual Subsistence 
Harvest of Northern Fur Seals on the Pribilof Islands. NMFS decided to 
prepare an SEIS because the proposed action would make substantial 
changes to the action analyzed in the 2005 EIS that are relevant to 
environmental effects.

ADDRESSES: The Final Environmental Impact Statement for Setting the 
Annual Subsistence Harvest of Northern Fur Seals on the Pribilof 
Islands is available on the NMFS Alaska Region Web page at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/protectedresources/seals/fur/eis/final0505.pdf. The report summarizing public comments received 
regarding proposed changes to the northern fur seal harvest regulations 
for St. George Island is available at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/protectedresources/seals/fur/analysis/ea0412.pdf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Williams, (907) 271-5117.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the subsistence harvest of the 
eastern Pacific stock of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) in 
the Pribilof Islands through co-management agreements and Federal 
regulations (at 50 CFR 216.71-74) established under the Fur Seal Act 
(FSA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The St. George co-
management agreement under section 119 of the MMPA is specific to the 
conservation and management of northern fur seals, with particular 
attention to the subsistence take and use of northern fur seals. Co-
management of the subsistence harvest of northern fur seals on St. 
George under the MMPA provides the mechanism and process for harvesters 
to communicate their subsistence needs and opportunities for scientific 
collaboration with NMFS.

St. George Island, AK

    St. George Island is a remote island located in the Bering Sea. St. 
George Island residents have a need for long-term sustainable use of 
northern fur seals for subsistence purposes of cultural continuity, 
food, clothing, arts, and crafts. Alaska Natives from St. George Island 
have a long history of harvesting fur seals for subsistence purposes 
prior to the United States' purchase of Alaska in 1867. Prior to the 
U.S. purchase of Alaska, the Aleuts harvested young of the year; U.S. 
records of these subsistence harvests of pups indicate thousands were 
harvested annually during the late 1800s and where viewed by Aleuts as 
one of their most valued traditional food sources. In the late 1800s, 
the fur seal population had declined due to the international pelagic 
harvest which killed mainly females on foraging trips; therefore, the 
U.S. government asked the Aleuts of the Pribilof Islands to stop 
harvesting young of the year. The population recovered by the mid-
1960s, but the pup harvest was never resumed to meet the subsistence 
needs of the Alaska Natives on St. George. The subsistence way of life 
has remained an important, consistent, and supporting factor in the 
personal, economic, and traditional character of St. George. A 
continued subsistence harvest preserves the traditional skills, 
cultural values, and knowledge, provides a traditional food source for 
Alaska Native residents, and enables the passing of tradition on to 
younger hunters. The Traditional Council of St. George petitioned NMFS 
to change the current subsistence harvest regulations because they 
prohibit the harvest of pups, which were an important traditional food 
source for their residents.

Proposed Action

    NMFS, in conjunction with the Pribilof Island Community of St. 
George Island, Traditional Council, proposes to use both harvester and 
scientific experience to develop best harvest practices, while creating 
firm regulatory measures to conserve the fur seal population and a 
sustainable subsistence harvest on St. George Island. The proposed 
action would change the management of subsistence harvest of northern 
fur seals on St. George Island based on a petition from the Traditional 
Council (75 FR 21233; April 23, 2010).
    The 2005 EIS analyzed setting the annual fur seal subsistence take 
ranges for St. George Island and St. Paul Island, as required by 
regulations. The new proposed action is specific to St. George Island 
and would maintain the established take range for St. George Island of 
300-500 subadult male seals. NMFS decided to prepare an SEIS because 
this new proposed action would make substantial changes to the action 
analyzed in the 2005 EIS that are relevant to environmental effects. 
Specifically, this new proposed action would allow the limited 
subsistence take of male northern fur seal young of the year.

Purpose and Need

    The purpose of the proposed action is to manage the subsistence 
harvest of fur seals on St. George Island for the long-term sustainable 
use of northern fur seals for purposes of cultural continuity, food, 
clothing, arts, and crafts. This proposed action is necessary to 
fulfill Federal trust responsibilities under the MMPA and FSA. These 
trust responsibilities include the conservation of northern fur seals 
and the regulation of the subsistence harvests by Alaska Natives when 
the species used for subsistence purposes is listed as depleted under 
the MMPA. In addition, NMFS trust responsibilities include recognizing 
the nutritional and cultural needs of Alaskan Natives on St. George 
Island to the fullest extent possible consistent with applicable law, 
and to ensure that any subsistence harvest does not adversely affect 
the conservation of the depleted eastern Pacific stock of northern fur 
seals.

Proposed Alternatives

    The SEIS will evaluate two alternatives. Alternative 1 is the 
status quo subsistence harvest management. Federal regulations (1) 
limit the subsistence harvest to sub-adult male fur seals, (2) identify 
two specific hauling grounds from which fur seals may be taken, and (3) 
establish the period between June 23 and August 8 of each year during 
which fur seals may be taken for subsistence purposes.
    Alternative 2 would modify the northern fur seal subsistence 
harvest to (1) create a second harvest season in the autumn for taking 
of 150 young of the

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year male northern fur seals, (2) add new conservation controls to 
prevent female harvest mortality, (3) add new conservation controls to 
allow harvests only at those breeding areas capable of sustaining any 
harvest, and (4) encourage the development of best harvest practices 
within the co-management structure. These changes would allow for a 
regulated harvest of male young of the year and subadult northern fur 
seals to meet the subsistence needs described in the Traditional 
Council's petition.
    Under Alternative 2, NMFS and the Traditional Council would 
continue to co-manage the harvest consistent with new regulatory 
controls to reduce the accidental killing of females, reduce the 
concentration of the harvest, and prohibit harvest at small breeding 
areas, and would implement best harvest practices. The resulting 
modified harvest regime would reduce impacts to females, minimize 
harassment of non-target seals, and schedule harvesting to promote 
scientific coordination and monitoring along with reduction of repeated 
harassment at harvest locations. The best available scientific evidence 
suggests that preserving females in the population is essential to 
recovery. Historically, when the fur seal population has experienced 
more than minor levels of direct female mortality the estimated pup 
production in subsequent year(s) has declined. The best harvest 
practices would be reviewed each year by the Traditional Council and 
NMFS within the MMPA co-management structure.

Public Involvement

    Scoping is an early and open process for determining the scope of 
issues, alternatives, and impacts to be addressed in an EIS, and for 
identifying the significant issues related to the proposed action. A 
principal objective of the scoping and public involvement process is to 
identify a range of reasonable management alternatives that, with 
adequate analysis, will delineate critical issues and provide a clear 
basis for distinguishing among those alternatives and selecting a 
preferred alternative.
    NMFS began scoping for this issue when it received the petition 
from the St. George Traditional Council proposing changes in harvest 
regulations to better provide for cultural and traditional practices. 
On April 23, 2010, NMFS published a notice in the Federal Register and 
invited public comments on the petition (75 FR 21233). NMFS received no 
public comments during the 60-day comment period.
    NMFS also conducted scoping meetings to identify the issues to be 
analyzed. NMFS circulated notices requesting public input on the 
proposed changes, and scheduled public meetings in St. George and 
Anchorage, AK. These meetings were designed to (1) be an open, public 
process for identifying the scope of physical, biological, and social 
environmental issues related to the proposed action that should be 
addressed, and (2) provide people potentially affected by the action an 
opportunity to express their views and offer any suggestions they may 
have regarding the project. NMFS used the following techniques for 
public notice:
     Newspaper advertisements announcing public meetings and 
comment period,
     Online posting on NMFS Web site and community calendars 
announcing public meetings and comment period,
     Announcements via email listservs announcing public 
meetings and comment period, and
     Personal phone calls to stakeholders.
    The majority of comments NMFS received were from discussions during 
the St. George public meeting on May 27, 2011, which 14 people 
attended. No comments were received at the Anchorage public meeting on 
May 24, 2011, where only one person attended. NMFS received two letters 
from the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association and Mr. Larry Merculief 
of Seven Generations Consulting. Public comments included several 
detailed remarks emphasizing the cultural and historic context of the 
requested changes to subsistence harvest management. NMFS prepared a 
report that reviewed the comments received regarding proposed changes 
to the northern fur seal harvest regulations for St. George Island. The 
report is available on the NMFS Alaska Region Web site (see ADDRESSES).

    Dated: February 11, 2014.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-03528 Filed 2-18-14; 8:45 am]
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