[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47445-47446]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-16625]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2022-0031; FF04E00000-223-FXES11130400000]


Marine Mammal Protection Act; Stock Assessment Reports for Two 
Stocks of West Indian Manatee

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, 
as amended, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have 
developed a revised draft marine mammal stock assessment report (SAR) 
for two West Indian manatee stocks, the Florida manatee stock 
(Trichechus manatus latirostris) and the Puerto Rico stock of Antillean 
manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus). We now make both revised draft 
SARs available for public review and comment.

DATES: Comments on the revised draft SARs must be received by November 
1, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Document availability: You may view the revised draft SARs 
and the lists of references at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket 
No. FWS-R4-ES-2022-0031, or these documents may be requested as 
described under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Comment submission: You may submit comments on the revised draft 
SARs by one of the following methods:
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-R4-ES-2022-0031, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 
5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia 22041-3803.
     Electronic submission: Federal eRulemaking Portal at: 
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting 
comments to Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2022-0031. We will post all comments 
at https://www.regulations.gov. You may request that we withhold 
personal identifying information from public review; however, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so. See Request for Public 
Comments for more information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Florida manatee stock: Lourdes Mena, 
USFWS Florida Ecological Services Field Office, 7915 Baymeadows Way, 
Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL, by telephone (904-731-3134), or by email 
([email protected]).
    Puerto Rico manatee stock: Edwin Mu[ntilde]iz, USFWS Caribbean 
Ecological Services Field Office, P.O. Box 491, Boquer[oacute]n, PR, by 
telephone (786-244-0081), or by email ([email protected]).
    Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or 
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals 
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within 
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in 
the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus 
latirostris) and the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) are 
both subspecies of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), whose 
range includes the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, the 
Caribbean Sea, and northern South America. We announce the availability 
for review and comment of draft marine mammal stock assessment reports 
(SARs) for two stocks of the West Indian manatee: the Florida manatee 
stock and the Puerto Rico stock of Antillean manatees.

Background

    Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 
16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and its implementing regulations in the Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR part 18, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (Service) regulates the taking; import; and, under certain 
conditions, possession; transportation; purchasing; selling; and 
offering for sale, purchase, or export, of marine mammals. One of the 
MMPA's goals is to ensure that stocks of marine mammals occurring in 
waters under U.S. jurisdiction 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 under the MMPA as the number of animals that 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 (16 U.S.C. 1362(9)).
    To help accomplish the goal of maintaining marine mammal stocks at 
their OSPs, section 117 of the MMPA requires the Service and the 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to prepare a SAR for each 
marine mammal stock that occurs in waters under U.S. jurisdiction. A 
SAR must be based on the best scientific information available; 
therefore, we prepare it in consultation with regional scientific 
review groups established under section 117(d) of the MMPA. Each SAR 
must include:
    1. A description of the stock and its geographic range;
    2. A minimum population estimate, current and maximum net 
productivity rate, and current population trend;
    3. An estimate of the annual human-caused mortality and serious 
injury by source and, for a strategic stock, other factors that may be 
causing a decline or impeding recovery;
    4. A description of commercial fishery interactions;
    5. A categorization of the status of the stock; and
    6. An estimate of the potential biological removal (PBR) level.
    The MMPA defines the PBR 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 (16 U.S.C. 
1362(20)). 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. This can be written as:
PBR = (Nmin)(\1/2\ of the Rmax)(Fr)

    Section 117 of the MMPA also requires the Service and NMFS to 
review the SARs (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. If our review of the status of a stock 
indicates that it has changed or may be more accurately determined, 
then the SAR must be revised accordingly.
    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 
PBR 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 (ESA; 16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), within the foreseeable future; or (c) which is 
listed as a threatened or endangered species under the ESA, or is 
designated as depleted under the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1362(19)).

Stock Assessment Report History for Two Stocks of West Indian Manatee

    The SARs for the Florida and Puerto Rico stocks of the West Indian 
manatee were last revised in 2014. Because the West Indian manatee is 
listed as a

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threatened species under the ESA, both stocks are considered strategic. 
Therefore, the Service reviews the stock assessment annually. The 
Service has determined stock assessment revisions are warranted for 
both stocks because the status of the stocks can be more accurately 
determined at this time.

Summary of Draft Stock Assessment Report for Two Stocks of West Indian 
Manatee

    The following table summarizes some of the information contained in 
the draft SARs for the Florida and Puerto Rico stocks of the West 
Indian manatee, which includes the stocks' Nmin, 
Rmax, Fr, PBR, and annual estimated human-caused 
mortality and serious injury. The status of both stocks is assessed as 
strategic. After consideration of any public comments we receive, the 
Service will revise and finalize the SARs, as appropriate. We will 
publish a notice of availability and summary of the final SARs, 
including responses to submitted comments.
    In March 2021, the Service declared an Unusual Mortality Event 
(UME) along the Atlantic coast of Florida for the Florida stock. The 
event, which began in December 2020 and is ongoing, is associated with 
phytoplankton blooms and seagrass loss in the Indian River Lagoon. The 
effect of the UME on population size and trend is not known at this 
time but will be assessed in the future based on new abundance 
estimates that are being developed and additional population modeling. 
We are working closely with our conservation partners to monitor and 
address the UME. No UME has been declared for the Puerto Rico stock.

                      Summary--Draft Revised Stock Assessment Reports for the Florida and Puerto Rico Stocks of West Indian Manatee
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                                                                                               Annual estimated  human-caused
      West Indian manatee stock           NMIN         RMAX          FR          PBR             mortality  (5-year average)            Stock status
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Florida manatees....................        8,237        0.062          0.5       127.67  144.8 (Years 2014-2018).................  Strategic.
Antillean manatees (Puerto Rico)....          319         0.04          0.4         2.55  4 (Years 2015-2019).....................  Strategic.
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Request for Public Comments

    If you wish to comment on the revised draft SARs, you may submit 
your comments by any of the methods described in ADDRESSES. Please 
identify which revised draft SAR you are commenting on, make your 
comments as specific as possible, confine them to issues pertinent to 
the revised draft SAR, and explain the reason for any changes you 
recommend. Where possible, your comments should reference the specific 
section or paragraph that you are addressing. The Service will consider 
all comments that are received before the close of the comment period 
(see DATES).
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
become part of the administrative record for these revised draft SARs. 
Before including your address, telephone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that 
your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, 
may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in 
your comments to withhold from public review your personal identifying 
information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

References

    A complete list of references used in the revision of the draft 
SARs is available on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov under 
Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2022-0031 and upon request from the Florida 
Ecological Services Field Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

Authority

    The authority for this action is the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.)

Stephen Guertin,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-16625 Filed 8-2-22; 8:45 am]
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