[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 24, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4162-4167]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01242]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XC506]


Draft 2022 Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports

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

ACTION: Notice; request for comments and new information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 the draft 2022 SARs. NMFS 
is also requesting new information for strategic stocks that were not 
updated in 2022.

DATES: Comments must be received by April 24, 2023.

ADDRESSES: The 2022 draft SARs are available in electronic form via the 
internet at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/draft-marine-mammal-stock-assessment-reports.
    Copies of the Alaska Regional SARs may be requested from Nancy 
Young, Alaska Fisheries Science Center; copies of the Atlantic, Gulf of 
Mexico, and Caribbean Regional SARs may be requested from Elizabeth 
Josephson, Northeast Fisheries Science Center; and copies of the 
Pacific Regional SARs may be requested from Jim Carretta,

[[Page 4163]]

Southwest Fisheries Science Center (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
below).
    You may submit comments on this document, identified by NOAA-NMFS-
2022-0130, by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2022-0130 in the Search box. 
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter 
or attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Dr. Zachary Schakner, 
Protected Species Science Branch, Office of Science and Technology, 
National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910-3226, Attn: Stock Assessments.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Zachary Schakner, Office of Science 
and Technology, 301-427-8106, [email protected]; Nancy Young, 
206-526-4297, [email protected], regarding Alaska regional stock 
assessments; Elizabeth Josephson, 508-495-2362, 
[email protected], regarding Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and 
Caribbean regional stock assessments; or Jim Carretta, 858-546-7171, 
[email protected], regarding Pacific regional stock assessments.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Section 117 of the 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, including the U.S. Exclusive 
Economic Zone (EEZ). These stock assessment reports (SARs) 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 (M/SI) from all sources, descriptions of 
the fisheries with which the stock interacts, and the status of the 
stock. Initial SARs 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. 
The term ``strategic stock'' means a marine mammal stock: (A) for which 
the level of direct human-caused mortality exceeds the potential 
biological removal level or PBR (defined by the MMPA 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 optimum sustainable population); (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 
(ESA) within the foreseeable future; or (C) which is listed as a 
threatened species or endangered species under the ESA or is designated 
as depleted under the MMPA. NMFS and FWS are required to revise a SAR 
if the review indicates that the status of the stock has changed or can 
be more accurately determined.
    In order to ensure that marine mammal SARs constitute the best 
scientific information available, the updated SARs under NMFS' 
jurisdiction are peer-reviewed within NMFS Science Centers and by 
members of three regional independent Scientific Review Groups 
established under the MMPA to independently advise NMFS and the FWS. As 
a result of time involved in the assessment of new scientific 
information, revision, and peer-review of the SARs, the period covered 
by the 2022 draft SARs is 2016 through 2020. While this represents a 
time lag, the extensive peer review process ensures the SARs are based 
upon the best scientific information available.
    NMFS reviewed the status of all marine mammal strategic stocks and 
considered whether significant new information was available for all 
other stocks under NMFS' jurisdiction. As a result of this review, NMFS 
revised reports for 25 stocks in the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific 
regions to incorporate new information. The 2022 revisions to the SARs 
include proposed revisions to stock structures, updated or revised 
human-caused M/SI estimates, and updated abundance estimates. 
Additionally, revised stock structure is proposed for all North Pacific 
humpback whale stocks and Southeast Alaska harbor porpoises following 
the process outlined in NMFS' procedural directive (NMFS 2019). 
Proposed revisions to stock structure and the addition of new reports 
resulted in five newly designated strategic stocks and three newly 
designated non-strategic stocks. No stocks changed in status from 
``non-strategic'' to ``strategic.'' Eight Western North Atlantic common 
bottlenose dolphin stocks changed from ``strategic'' status to ``non-
strategic.''
    NMFS solicits public comments on the draft 2022 SARs. To ensure 
NMFS is aware of new information relevant to all strategic stocks, NMFS 
also requests new information for strategic stocks that were not 
updated in 2022. Specifically, new relevant information could include 
peer-reviewed information on human-caused M/SI, fishery interactions, 
abundance, distribution, population structure, habitat concerns, and 
other information on emerging concerns for strategic stocks that could 
be incorporated into the SARs.

North Pacific Humpback Whale Stocks

    The three existing North Pacific humpback whale stocks (Central 
North Pacific and Western North Pacific stocks contained in the Alaska 
regional SAR and the CA/OR/WA stock contained in the Pacific regional 
SAR) are proposed to be replaced by five stocks to better align with 
the 2016 listing of humpback whale distinct population segments (DPSs) 
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA, 81 FR 62260, September 8, 2016). 
While the criteria for determining stocks under the MMPA and DPSs under 
the ESA are different, these units are both based on the best 
scientific information available and consider population structure, 
which, in some cases, may result in the units being equivalent in 
practice.
    In revising North Pacific humpback whale stock structure, NMFS 
followed the process outlined in its procedural directive 02-204-03: 
Reviewing and Designating Stocks and Issuing Stock Assessment Reports 
under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (NMFS 2019). NMFS evaluated 
multiple lines of evidence, including genetics and movement data, to 
identify three demographically independent populations (DIPs), as well 
as four ``units'' that may contain one or more DIPs (Martien et al. 
2021, Taylor et al. 2021, Wade et al. 2021, Oleson et al. 2022). From 
these DIPs and units, NMFS proposes designating five new humpback whale 
stocks in the North Pacific: the Western North Pacific, Hawai'i, and 
Mexico-North Pacific stocks contained in the Alaska regional SAR; and 
the Mainland Mexico-CA-OR-WA and the Central America/Southern

[[Page 4164]]

Mexico-CA-OR-WA stocks contained in the Pacific regional SAR.

Western North Pacific Humpback Whale Stock

    NMFS evaluated the ESA-listed Western North Pacific (WNP) DPS as a 
potential stock under the MMPA and found strong lines of evidence 
(movements and genetics) that it is composed of multiple DIPs (Oleson 
et al. 2022). At present, two units can be defined: the Philippines/
Okinawa-Northern Pacific unit that winters near the Philippines and 
Okinawa and summers primarily off the Russian mainland, and the Mariana 
Islands/Ogasawara-Northern Pacific unit that winters off the Mariana 
Archipelago and other unidentified areas and summers off the Commander 
Islands and other feeding grounds off the Russian coast in the Bering 
Sea. It is possible that these units contain multiple DIPs, but the 
available data and analyses are not sufficient to evaluate that 
possibility at this time. Given the lack of data on distribution, 
movement, and abundance of these two units, there is no clear 
conservation benefit to splitting the humpback whales that belong to 
the WNP DPS into two MMPA stocks. Thus, the humpback whales that belong 
to the WNP DPS listed under the ESA are proposed to comprise a single 
stock under the MMPA.
    The proposed WNP humpback whale stock (contained in the Alaska 
SAR), contains the WNP DPS, which is listed as endangered under the ESA 
(81 FR 62259, September 2016, Oleson et al. 2022) and would, therefore, 
be considered a strategic and depleted stock under the MMPA. The 
abundance estimate was derived from a reanalysis of the 2004-2006 
Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpback 
Whales in the North Pacific (SPLASH) data (Wade 2021). The annual 
human-caused M/SI is estimated for the entire stock (4.46, which 
exceeds the calculated stock-wide PBR of 3.4), as well as for the 
portion of the stock that spends time in U.S. waters (0.06, which is 
below the calculated U.S.-only PBR of 0.2); however, observers have not 
been assigned to several U.S. fisheries that are known to interact with 
this stock, and bycatch in foreign fisheries is often unreported or 
data are not available, making the estimated M/SI an underestimate.

Hawai'i Humpback Whale Stock

    NMFS evaluated the Hawai'i DPS identified under the ESA as a 
potential stock under the MMPA and found strong lines of evidence 
(movements and genetics) that indicate the Hawai'i DPS contains at 
least two units: the Hawai'i-southeast Alaska/northern British Columbia 
DIP (Hawai'i-SEA/NBC DIP) and the Hawai'i-North Pacific unit (Hawai'i-
NorPac unit) (Wade et al. 2021). There may be sufficient data to 
delineate further DIPs within the Hawai'i -NorPac unit, but the 
photographic data have not been fully stratified in the way required to 
evaluate additional putative DIPs (Wade et al. 2021). Given the lack of 
a current abundance estimate for the Hawai'i-NorPac unit and spatial 
information on this unit in Hawaiian waters, there is no clear 
conservation benefit to splitting the humpback whales that belong to 
the Hawai'i DPS into two MMPA stocks. Thus, the humpback whales that 
belong to the Hawai'i DPS identified under the ESA are proposed to 
comprise a single stock under the MMPA (81 FR 62259, September 2016).
    The proposed Hawai'i humpback whale stock (contained in the Alaska 
SAR) includes the Hawai'i DPS of humpback whales (81 FR 62259, 
September 2016).Wade et al. 2021), which is not listed under the ESA. 
The proposed Hawai'i stock of humpback whales does not include whales 
from any listed DPSs and, therefore, would not be considered depleted 
nor strategic under the MMPA due to its ESA status. It would also not 
be strategic because total annual human-caused M/SI (19.6) does not 
exceed the proposed stock's PBR (127). The draft SAR presents a new 
estimate of abundance that was derived from a species distribution 
model and represents the peak abundance of humpback whales around the 
main Hawaiian Islands during 2020 (Becker et al. 2022). Because the 
estimate is derived from the model output for a specific one-month time 
period, this may under-represent the full abundance of whales that 
overwinter in the region because individual whales may not have a very 
long residence time in Hawai'i.

Mexico-North Pacific and Mainland Mexico--CA-OR-WA Humpback Whale 
Stocks

    NMFS evaluated the ESA-listed Mexico DPS as a potential stock under 
the MMPA and found strong lines of evidence (movements and genetics) 
for two units within the Mexico DPS: a DIP composed of whales that 
winter in the waters off mainland Mexico (MMex) and summer off of the 
contiguous U.S. West Coast, referred to as the MMex-CA/OR/WA DIP 
(Martien et al. 2021), and a unit of humpback whales that winter in 
mainland Mexico and the Revillagigedo Archipelago and summer in more 
northerly waters (mainly in Alaska and to a lesser extent in Russia), 
referred to as the Mex-NPac unit (Martien et al. 2021). Available 
movement data suggest the existence of multiple DIPs within the Mex-
NPac unit, but the photographic data have not been stratified in the 
way required to formally evaluate additional putative DIPs (Martien et 
al. 2021). NMFS evaluated the conservation and management benefits and 
risks associated with managing these humpback whales and determined 
that managing these two units as separate stocks under the MMPA 
provides greater potential conservation benefit than managing them as a 
single stock that contains the entire DPS. Thus, the humpback whales 
that belong to the Mexico DPS are proposed to comprise two stocks under 
the MMPA: the Mex-NPac stock and the MMex-CA-OR-WA stock.
    The proposed Mex-NPac humpback whale stock (contained in the Alaska 
SAR) includes the portion of the humpback whales from the Mexico DPS 
that winter in mainland Mexico and the Revillagigedo Archipelago and 
mainly summer in Alaska and to a lesser extent in Russia (Bettridge et 
al. 2015, Martien et al. 2021). The Mexico DPS is listed as threatened 
under the ESA; and, therefore, the proposed Mex-NPac humpback whale 
stock would be considered depleted and strategic under the MMPA. The 
minimum population estimate for the stock is considered unknown; and, 
therefore, PBR is undetermined. The annual human-caused M/SI in U.S. 
waters is estimated to be 0.56 whales.
    The proposed MMex-CA-OR-WA humpback whale stock (contained in the 
Pacific SAR) includes the portion of the humpback whales from the 
Mexico DPS that winter in the waters off mainland Mexico and summer off 
of the contiguous U.S. West Coast (Bettridge et al. 2015, Martien et 
al. 2021). The Mexico DPS is listed as threatened under the ESA; and, 
therefore, the proposed MMex-CA-OR-WA humpback whale stock would be 
considered depleted and strategic under the MMPA. The draft SAR 
presents a new estimate of abundance derived from the difference 
between the mark-recapture estimate for humpbacks off the U.S. West 
Coast (Calambokidis and Barlow 2020) and the Central America/Southern 
Mexico--CA-OR-WA humpback whale stock (Curtis et al. 2022). The 
estimated annual human-caused M/SI is 30.7 humpback whales, which does 
not exceed the proposed stock's PBR (32.5).

[[Page 4165]]

Central America/Southern Mexico-CA-OR-WA Humpback Whale Stock

    NMFS evaluated the ESA-listed Central America DPS as a potential 
stock under the MMPA and found strong lines of evidence (movements and 
genetics) that the Central America DPS contains a single DIP: the 
Central America/Southern Mexico-CA/OR/WA (CenAm/SMex-CA/OR/WA) DIP 
(Taylor et al. 2021). Thus, the humpback whales that belong to the 
Central America DPS identified under the ESA are proposed to comprise a 
single stock under the MMPA.
    The proposed CenAm/SMex-CA-OR-WA humpback whale stock (contained in 
the Pacific SAR) includes the Central America DPS of humpback whales, 
which is listed as endangered under the ESA (Bettridge et al. 2015, 
Taylor et al. 2021) and would, therefore, be considered depleted and 
strategic under the MMPA. The draft SAR presents a new estimate of 
abundance derived from spatial capture-recapture methods based on 
photographic data of whales wintering in southern Mexico and Central 
America between 2019 and 2021 (Curtis et al. 2022). The estimated 
annual human-caused M/SI is 18.4, which exceeds the proposed stock's 
PBR (2.6).

Alaska Reports

    NMFS reviewed new information for 35 existing stocks (including all 
of the strategic stocks) in the Alaska Region and updated information 
or developed new reports for nine stocks under NMFS' jurisdiction: four 
strategic stocks (Southern Southeast Alaska Inland Waters harbor 
porpoise, Western North Pacific humpback whales, Mexico-North Pacific 
humpback whales, and Western Arctic bowhead whales) and five non-
strategic stocks (Eastern Bering Sea beluga whales, Eastern North 
Pacific Alaska Resident killer whales, Northern Southeast Alaska Inland 
Waters harbor porpoise, Yakutat/Southeast Alaska Offshore Waters harbor 
porpoise, and Hawai'i humpback whales). A list of the new or revised 
SARs in 2022 for the Alaska region is presented in Table 1, followed by 
a summary of the more notable revisions for particular stocks within 
the Alaska region aside from humpback whales (see above). Information 
on the remaining Alaska region stocks can be found in the final 2021 
SARs (Muto et al. 2022).

  Table 1--List of Marine Mammal Stocks in the Alaska Region Revised in
                                  2022
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Strategic stocks                   Non-strategic stocks
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Bowhead whale, Western Arctic    Beluga whale, Eastern
 *.                                       Bering Sea.*
 Harbor porpoise, Southern        Killer whale, Eastern
 Southeast Alaska Inland Waters           North Pacific Alaska
 [dagger].                                Resident.*
 Humpback whale, Mexico-North     Harbor porpoise,
 Pacific [dagger].                        Northern Southeast Alaska
                                          Inland Waters.[dagger]
 Humpback whale, Western North    Harbor porpoise,
 Pacific [dagger].                        Yakutat/Southeast Alaska
                                          Offshore Waters.[dagger]
                                          Humpback whale,
                                          Hawai'i.[dagger]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Includes updated abundance estimates.
[dagger] Denotes a new stock.

Southeast Alaska Harbor Porpoises

    The Southeast Alaska harbor porpoise stock is proposed to be split 
into three stocks, all contained within one SAR: the Northern Southeast 
Alaska (N-SEAK) Inland Waters, Southern Southeast Alaska (S-SEAK) 
Inland Waters, and Yakutat/Southeast Alaska (Y-SEAK) Offshore Waters 
harbor porpoise stocks. In revising stock structure, NMFS followed the 
process outlined in its procedural directive 02-204-03: Reviewing and 
Designating Stocks and Issuing Stock Assessment Reports under the 
Marine Mammal Protection Act (NMFS 2019). Multiple lines of evidence 
(genetics, trends in abundance, and discontinuous distribution) 
supported delineation of two DIPs within the inland waters of southeast 
Alaska. Until additional information is available to evaluate potential 
structure within the offshore waters, the remaining harbor porpoise 
offshore in southeast Alaska were grouped into a single unit (Zerbini 
et al. 2022). NMFS evaluated the conservation and management benefits 
and risks associated with managing these harbor porpoise and determined 
that managing the two DIPs and single unit as separate stocks under the 
MMPA provides greater potential conservation benefit than managing them 
as a single stock. Thus, the Southeast Alaska harbor porpoise stock is 
proposed to be split into three stocks corresponding with the DIPs and 
unit identified in Zerbini et al. (2022). The draft SAR presents 
abundance estimates for the proposed N-SEAK and S-SEAK harbor porpoise 
stocks, derived from a vessel survey in 2019. A current abundance 
estimate is not available for the proposed Y-SEAK stock.
    The draft SAR includes a reassessment of human-caused M/SI to 
reflect the new proposed stock boundaries. The annual human-caused M/SI 
estimated for the proposed N-SEAK Inland Waters stock (5.6) does not 
exceed the calculated PBR (13 Also, the N-SEAK Inland Waters stock is 
not designated as depleted under the MMPA nor listed as threatened or 
endangered under the ESA. Therefore, the N-SEAK Inland Waters stock of 
harbor porpoise is not classified as a strategic stock.
    The annual human-caused M/SI estimated for the proposed S-SEAK 
Inland Waters stock (7.4) exceeds the calculated PBR (6.1); therefore, 
the stock would be considered strategic. However, the S-SEAK Inland 
Waters stock is not designated as depleted under the MMPA nor listed as 
threatened or endangered under the ESA. A current abundance estimate 
for the proposed Y-SEAK stock is not available.

Beluga Whale, Eastern Bering Sea Stock

    NMFS withdrew the final 2020 EBS beluga whale SAR to allow for 
consultation with NMFS co-management partner, the Alaska Beluga Whale 
Committee, and is subsequently revising the SAR in 2022. The revised 
report contains an updated best estimate of abundance, derived from a 
2017 aerial line-transect survey and corrected for various biases, of 
12,269 beluga whales. This is an increase from the 2000 estimate of 
6,994, which was considered to be an underestimate. Other sources of 
potential negative bias may still affect the estimate but additional 
information is necessary for further refinement. The estimated annual 
human-caused M/SI (227) is less than the calculated PBR (267). Also, 
the Eastern Bering Sea stock is not designated as depleted under the 
MMPA nor listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA. Therefore, 
the Eastern Bering Sea stock of beluga whales is not classified as a 
strategic stock.

Atlantic Reports

    In 2022, NMFS reviewed all stocks in the Atlantic region for new 
information

[[Page 4166]]

(including the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. territories in 
the Caribbean) under NMFS' jurisdiction and revised reports for 11 
stocks (Table 2). Since the time the previous SAR was published for the 
Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock of Bryde's whale, the stock has been 
recognized as a distinct species known as Rice's whale, (Balaneoptera 
ricei) (Rosel et al. 2021) and its ESA species designation has been 
updated (86 FR 47022, DATE). Therefore, the Northern Gulf of Mexico 
Bryde's whale SAR has been updated to reflect the name changes and is 
now the Northern Gulf of Mexico Rice's whale SAR. The remaining 
revisions to SARs in the Atlantic region consist primarily of updated 
abundance estimates and revised human-caused M/SI estimates for common 
bottlenose dolphin stocks. Eight Western North Atlantic common 
bottlenose dolphin stocks changed from ``strategic'' status to ``non-
strategic.'' A list of the new or revised SARs in 2022 for the Atlantic 
region is presented in Table 2, followed by a summary of the more 
notable revisions for particular stocks within the Atlantic region. 
Information on the remaining Atlantic region stocks can be found in the 
final 2021 SARs (Hayes et al. 2022).

  Table 2--List of Marine Mammal SARs in the Atlantic Region Revised in
                                  2022
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Strategic stocks                   Non-strategic stocks
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 North Atlantic right whale....   Common bottlenose
                                          dolphin, Northern South
                                          Carolina Estuarine System
                                          Stock.*
 Rice's whale (previously         Common bottlenose
 Bryde's whale).                          dolphin, Charleston Estuarine
                                          System Stock.
                                          Common bottlenose
                                          dolphin, Northern Georgia/
                                          Southern South Carolina
                                          Estuarine System Stock.
                                          Common bottlenose
                                          dolphin, Central Georgia
                                          Estuarine System Stock.
                                          Common bottlenose
                                          dolphin, Southern Georgia
                                          Estuarine System Stock.
                                          Common bottlenose
                                          dolphin, Jacksonville
                                          Estuarine System Stock.
                                          Common bottlenose
                                          dolphin, Indian River Lagoon
                                          Estuarine System Stock.*
                                          Common bottlenose
                                          dolphin, Biscayne Bay Stock.
                                          Common bottlenose
                                          dolphin, Florida Bay Stock.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Includes updated abundance estimates.

North Atlantic Right Whale, Western North Atlantic

    The new abundance estimate calculated for the western North 
Atlantic right whale stock is 338 individuals, which is a decrease from 
the previous estimate of 368 individuals contained in the final 2021 
report. This updated estimate is based on a published state-space model 
of the sighting histories of individual whales identified using photo-
identification techniques (Pace et al. 2017, Pace 2021). It reflects 
the overall low reproductive rate of the species and the impacts of the 
ongoing Unusual Mortality Event declared in 2017 (NMFS 2022), which, 
for the covered time period, includes 78 dead, seriously injured, or 
sub-lethally injured or ill whales (i.e., morbidity cases, which are 
now included in the SAR for the first time) primarily due to vessel 
strikes and entanglements in fishing gear.

Pacific Reports

    In 2022, NMFS reviewed all 85 stocks in the Pacific region (waters 
along the U.S. West Coast, within waters surrounding the main and 
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and within waters surrounding U.S. 
territories in the Western Pacific) for new information, and revised 
SARs for five stocks (four strategic and one non-strategic). A list of 
revised SARs in 2022 for the Pacific region is presented in Table 3. 
Information on the remaining Pacific region stocks can be found in the 
final 2021 SARs (Carretta et al. 2022). Following development of the 
draft 2022 SARs, NMFS published new population information for the 
Eastern North Pacific (ENP) gray whale. As a result, we plan to revise 
the ENP gray whale SAR in the 2023 cycle to incorporate the updated 
information.

  Table 3--List of Marine Mammal SARs in the Pacific Region Revised in
                                  2022
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Strategic stocks                   Non-strategic stocks
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Killer whale, Eastern North      Cuvier's beaked whale,
 Pacific Southern Resident *.             California/Oregon/Washington.
 Hawaiian monk seal.*
 Humpback whale, Central
 America/Southern Mexico-CA-OR-
 WA.[dagger]
 Humpback whale, Mainland
 Mexico-CA-OR-WA.[dagger]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Includes updated abundance estimates.
[dagger] Denotes a new SAR.

References

Becker, E.A., K.A. Forney, E.M. Oleson, A.L. Bradford, R. Hoopes, 
J.E. Moore, and J. Barlow. 2022. Abundance, distribution, and 
seasonality of cetaceans within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone 
around the Hawaiian Archipelago based on species distribution 
models. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-
PIFSC-131, 45 p.
Bettridge, S., Baker, C.S., Barlow, J., Clapham, P.J., Ford, M., 
Gouveia, D., Mattila, D.K., Pace, R.M., III, Rosel, P.E., Silber, 
G.K. and Wade, P.R. (2015). Status review of the humpback whale 
(Megaptera novaeangliae) under the Endangered Species Act. U.S. 
Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS NOAA-TM-NMFS-
SWFSC-540.
Calambokidis, J. and J. Barlow. 2020. Updated abundance estimates 
for blue and humpback whales along the U.S. West Coast using data 
through 2018, U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum 
NMFS-

[[Page 4167]]

SWFSC-634. https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/27104.
Carretta, J.V., E.M. Oleson, K.A. Forney, M.M. Muto, D.W. Weller, 
A.R. Lang, J. Baker, B. Hanson, A.J. Orr, J. Barlow, J.E. Moore, and 
R.L. Brownell Jr. 2022. U.S. Pacific marine mammal stock 
assessments: 2021. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical 
Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-663. https://doi.org/10.25923/246k-7589.
Curtis, K.A., J. Calambokidis, K. Audley, M.G. Castaneda, J. De 
Weerdt, A.J.G. Ch[aacute]vez, F. Garita, P. Mart[iacute]nez-
Loustalot, J.D. Palacios-Alfaro, B. P[eacute]rez, E. Quintana-Rizzo, 
R.R. Barragan, N. Ransome, K. Rasmussen, J. Urb[aacute]n R., F.V. 
Zurita, K. Flynn, T. Cheeseman, J. Barlow, D. Steel, and J. Moore. 
2022. Abundance of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) 
wintering in Central America and southern Mexico from a one-
dimensional spatial capture-recapture model. U.S. Department of 
Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-661. https://doi.org/10.25923/9cq1-rx80.
Hayes, S.A., Josephson, E., Maze-Foley, K., Rosel, P.E., Byrd, B., 
Chavez-Rosales, S., Cole, T.V., Garrison, L.P., Hatch, J., Henry, A. 
and Horstman, S.C., 2022. US Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico marine 
mammal stock assessments--2021. NOAA Technical Memomorandum NMFS NE. 
249.
Martien KK, Taylor BL, Archer FI, Audley K, Calambokidis J, 
Cheeseman T, De Weerdt J, Frisch Jordan A, Martinez-Loustalot P, 
Ortega-Ortiz CD, Patterson EM, Ransome N, Ruvelas P, Urban Ramirez 
J. 2021. Evaluation of the Mexican District Population Segment of 
Humpback Whales as units under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 
NOAA Technical Memorandum, NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-658. 18 p. 
doi:10.25923/nvw1-mz45.
Muto, M.M., V.T. Helker, B.J. Delean, N.C. Young, J.C. Freed, R.P. 
Angliss, N.A. Friday, P.L. Boveng, J.M. Breiwick, B.M. Brost, M.F. 
Cameron, P.J. Clapham, J.L. Crance, S.P. Dahle, M.E. Dahlheim, B.S. 
Fadely, M.C. Ferguson, L.W. Fritz, K.T. Goetz, R.C. Hobbs,Y.V. 
Ivashchenko, A.S. Kennedy, J.M. London, S.A. Mizroch, R.R. Ream, 
E.L. Richmond, K.E.W. Shelden, K.L. Sweeney, R.G. Towell, P.R. Wade, 
J.M. Waite, and A.N. Zerbini. 2022. Alaska marine mammal stock 
assessments, 2021. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical 
Memorandum NMFS-AFSC-441, 295 p.
NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service). 2019. Reviewing and 
Designating Stocks and Issuing Stock Assessment Reports under the 
Marine Mammal Protection Act. NMFS Procedure 02-203-04. Available 
at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/laws-and-policies/policy-directive-system.
Oleson, E.M., P.R. Wade, and N.C. Young. 2022. Evaluation of the 
Western North Pacific Distinct Population Segment of Humpback Whales 
as units under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. U.S. Department of 
Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-PIFSC-124, 27 p.
Rosel, PE, Wilcox, LA, Yamada, TK, Mullin, KD. A new species of 
baleen whale (Balaenoptera) from the Gulf of Mexico, with a review 
of its geographic distribution. Mar Mam Sci. 2021; 37: 577- 610.
Pace, R.M. 2021. Revisions and further evaluations of the right 
whale abundance model: improvements for hypothesis testing. U.S. 
Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE 269. 54 
pp.
Pace, R.M., III, P.J. Corkeron and S.D. Kraus. 2017. State-space 
mark-recapture estimates reveal a recent decline in abundance of 
North Atlantic right whales. Ecol. and Evol. 7:8730-8741. DOI: 
10.1002/ece3.3406.
Taylor B.L., K.K. Martien, F.I. Archer, K. Audley, J. Calambokidis, 
T. Cheeseman, J. De Weerdt, A. Frisch Jord[aacute]n, P. 
Mart[iacute]nez-Loustalot, C.D. Ortega-Ortiz, E. M. Patterson, N. 
Ransome, P. Ruvelas, and J. Urb[aacute]n Ram[iacute]rez. 2021. 
Evaluation of Humpback Whales Wintering in Central America and 
Southern Mexico as a Demographically Independent Population. U.S. 
Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-655.
Wade, P.R. 2021. Estimates of abundance and migratory destination 
for North Pacific humpback whales in both summer feeding areas and 
winter mating and calving areas. International Whaling Commission 
Report SC/68c/IA/03.
Wade, P.R., E.M. Oleson, and N.C. Young. 2021. Evaluation of Hawai'i 
distinct population segment of humpback whales as units under the 
Marine Mammal Protection Act. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA 
Technical Memorandum NMFS-AFSC-430, 31 p.
Zerbini, A.N., Parsons, K.M., Goetz, K.T., Angliss, R.P. and Young, 
N.C., 2022. Identification of demographically independent 
populations within the currently designated Southeast Alaska harbor 
porpoise stock. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical 
Memorandum NMFS-AFSC-448.

    Dated: January 18, 2023.
Evan Howell,
Director, Office of Science and Technology, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-01242 Filed 1-23-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P