[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53510-53514]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16935]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2022-0155; FF07CAMM00-FXES111607MWA07]


Marine Mammal Protection Act; Stock Assessment Reports for the 
Pacific Walrus Stock and Three Northern Sea Otter Stocks in Alaska

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act and its 
implementing regulations, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, after 
consideration of comments received from the public have revised the 
marine mammal stock assessment reports (SARs) for the Pacific walrus 
(Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and for each of the three northern sea 
otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) stocks in Alaska. We now make these four 
final revised SARs available to the public.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may view the final revised stock 
assessment reports at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-R7-
ES-2022-0155, or you may request copies from the contact in FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles Hamilton, Marine Mammals 
Management, by telephone at 907-786-3804; by email at 
[email protected]; or by mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
MS-341, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK, 99503. 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: In accordance with 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, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 
have developed four final revised marine mammal stock assessment 
reports (SARs) for species in Alaska. These revised SARs are for the 
Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and for each of the three 
stocks of the northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in Alaska--
the Southwest, Southcentral, and Southeast stocks.

Background

    Under the MMPA and its implementing regulations, we regulate the 
taking, possession, transportation, purchasing, selling, offering for 
sale, exporting, and importing of marine mammals. One of the goals of 
the MMPA is to ensure that each stock of marine mammals occurring in 
waters under U.S. jurisdiction does not experience a level of human-
caused mortality and serious injury (M/SI) that is likely to cause the 
stock to be reduced below its optimum sustainable population level 
(OSP). The MMPA defines the OSP 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'' (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 the 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, maximum net productivity rate, and 
current population trend; (3) an estimate of the annual human-caused M/
SI by source and, for a strategic stock, other factors that may be 
causing a decline or impeding recovery of the stock; (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 level 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.'' (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] (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) [ESA], 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)).

Summary of Revised Stock Assessment Reports

    In accordance with Section 117(c) of the MMPA, the Service reviews 
the stock assessments for the Pacific walrus and Southwest stock of the 
northern sea otter annually (strategic stocks) and at least once every 
3 years for the Southcentral and Southeast stocks of the northern sea 
otter (non-strategic stocks). If we determine that new information 
(such as new abundance estimates) indicates that a revision is 
warranted, we will propose a revision. In 2021,

[[Page 53511]]

based on new information that had become available, the Service 
initiated revisions of these SARs, and once completed, presented them 
to the Alaska Regional Scientific Review Group (SRG) for their comment 
and review.
    The Service also published a notice in the Federal Register 
informing the public of the availability of these draft revised SARs 
and seeking public comment (88 FR 7992, February 7, 2023). These final 
revised SARs incorporate the comments and suggestions provided to the 
Service by the SRG and the public, as appropriate.
    The following table summarizes the final revised SARs for the 
Pacific walrus and the Southwest, Southcentral, and Southeast stocks of 
the northern sea otter, listing each stock's Nmin, 
Rmax, Fr, PBR, annual estimated human-caused 
mortality and serious injury, and status.

 Summary of Final Revised Stock Assessment Reports for the Pacific Walrus and for the Southwest, Southcentral, and Southeast Stocks of the Northern Sea
                                                                          Otter
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                                                                                                    M/SI
                                                                                        ---------------------------
                     Stock                         Nmin      Rmax       Fr        PBR      Fishery/                             Stock status
                                                                                             other     Subsistence
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Pacific Walrus.................................   214,008      0.06       0.5     3,210            <1        4,210  Strategic.
Northern Sea Otter (NSO) Southwest Stock.......    41,666      0.29      0.38     2,296            <1          176  Strategic.
NSO Southcentral Stock.........................    19,854      0.29      0.75     2,159            <1          389  Nonstrategic.
NSO Southeast Stock............................    21,187      0.29      0.75     2,304            <1          851  Nonstrategic.
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Revisions to Northern Sea Otter, Southeast Stock SAR

    On March 31, 2023, the Service released a technical report, 
``Northern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) Population Abundance and 
Distribution across the Southeast Alaska Stock Summer 2022.'' This 
report provides details of a stock-wide sea otter population survey 
that was conducted May through June 2022. The collected data was 
combined with all available prior population survey data from the 
Southeast stock in an integrated population model, which provided 
updated assessments of sea otter population abundance, trends through 
time, and carrying capacity. We have incorporated the results from this 
technical report into this final revised SAR and included the updates 
to NMIN and PBR in the chart above. Although these values 
slightly decreased, the status of the stock has not changed and remains 
non-strategic.

Our Response to Comments

    In addition to comments from the SRG, the Service also received 
comments on the draft SARs from the Marine Mammal Commission, the 
Eskimo Walrus Commission, and two members of the public. We present 
substantive issues raised in those comments that are pertinent to all 
four SARs first, and then comments pertinent to the Pacific walrus, and 
then the three stocks of northern sea otters in Alaska, along with our 
responses below.

Comments Pertinent to All Four Stock Assessment Reports

    Comment 1: Final SARs for these four stocks were last published on 
April 21, 2014 (79 FR 22154). The Service should take all steps 
necessary to adhere to the schedule set forth in Section 117(c) of the 
MMPA for revising SARs.
    Service Response to Comment 1: The Service conducts timely reviews 
of the stock assessment reports in accordance with Section 117(c)(1) of 
the MMPA, which directs the Service to review SARs on an annual basis 
for ``strategic'' stocks, an annual basis for stocks ``for which 
significant new information is available,'' and every three years for 
all other stocks. The Service is required to revise SARs only if such 
review indicates that ``the status of the stock has changed or can be 
more accurately determined.'' (16 U.S.C. 1386(c)(2). If, as a result of 
its review, the Service determines that the status of the stock has 
changed or can be more accurately determined, then the Service will 
propose a revision.

Comments Pertinent to the Pacific Walrus

    Comment 2: Given the future uncertainty of the Pacific walrus' 
viability due to the effects of climate change, the Fish and Wildlife 
Service should be required to enforce the PBR number for the Pacific 
walrus and allow no more than that number to be taken.
    Service Response to Comment 2: The most recent population 
information suggests that subsistence walrus harvests are occurring at 
sustainable levels. We acknowledge that climate change is impacting 
walrus sea ice habitats, which could lead to a future population 
decline. If the population starts to decline due to environmental 
conditions, managers and subsistence users will need to work closely 
together to ensure that harvest levels remain sustainable. The Service 
is in the process of developing a projection model based on the best 
available estimates of population size, growth rate, and carrying 
capacity to help inform harvest management decisions under an array of 
potential climate change and anthropogenic disturbance scenarios. 
Section 119(a) of the MMPA provides for the development of co-
management agreements with Alaska Natives for the subsistence use of 
marine mammals, and tribally based hunting ordinances provide a 
potential mechanism for self-regulation of harvest.
    Comment 3: The draft SAR states: ``By the 1980s, walrus researchers 
were concerned that the population had exceeded its natural carrying 
capacity . . .''. The draft SAR also notes that ``in 1980 the 
population was estimated to be 254,890 with a 95% confidence level for 
184,000-344,000''. The latest estimate in 2017 has very similar 
numbers, 257,193 and 171,138-366,366. Is there a similar concern that 
the natural carrying capacity has been reached or exceeded?
    Service Response to Comment 3: Fluctuations in density-dependent 
vital rates over the past several decades suggest that the carrying 
capacity of the ecosystem has likely shifted over time. Declining 
reproductive and calf survival rates in the 1980s suggest that the 
population may have approached or exceeded carrying capacity. 
Population models suggest a decline in abundance may have occurred 
through the 1980s and 1990s, which lessened over time as reproductive 
and calf survival rates rose in a density[hyphen]dependent manner. The 
most recent information on walrus vital rates does not indicate that 
the population is in a food limited status at the present time.
    Comment 4: The harvest reporting correction factor for Pacific 
walrus is over 30 years old and the struck and lost

[[Page 53512]]

is based on data collected over 50 years ago; these are not reliable 
for calculating current harvest data. These should be studied with the 
cooperation of the Eskimo Walrus Commission and its communities.
    Service Response to Comment 4: We agree that the harvest reporting 
correction factor and the struck and lost rates should be studied with 
the cooperation of the Eskimo Walrus Commissions and its communities. 
Imperfect harvest reporting and unknown struck and lost rates 
associated with modern hunting practices create uncertainty with 
respect to true harvest removal levels. For the purpose of the SAR, we 
use the best available information to account for these factors. We 
have also applied a conservative (0.5) recovery factor in our PBR 
calculation to account for these uncertainties. Improving harvest 
removal estimates is a top management priority for this species that 
can only be addressed through a collaborative effort with subsistence 
hunters and leaders.
    Comment 5: There is considerable overlap between commercial 
fisheries and walrus as their use of terrestrial haulouts and foraging 
by swimming longer distances increase. Commercial fisheries and 
shipping disturbances in both U.S. and Russian waters must be 
considered more carefully.
    Service Response to Comment 5: While direct mortality or injury 
associated with interactions with commercial fishing gear is rare, 
marine (and air) traffic occurring near coastal walrus haulouts is an 
emerging conservation and management concern. Disturbances associated 
with marine vessels and other human activities can disrupt resting and 
foraging patterns and lead to trampling related injuries and 
mortalities. The Service and partners conduct annual outreach and 
education campaigns to raise awareness about the sensitivity of 
walruses to disturbances and distribute guidance to commercial 
fishermen, mariners and aircraft pilots about how to avoid disturbances 
to walruses. The Service has provided clarifying language in the final 
revised SAR for the Pacific walrus recognizing the potential future 
impacts of commercial fisheries and shipping on the stock.
    Comment 6: The statement that ``Although subsistence harvest rates 
are declining and appear to be within a sustainable range at present'' 
should be explained because it exceeds the PBR.
    Service Response to Comment 6: Indigenous harvest rates are 
declining and harvest rates have not prohibited the Pacific walrus 
population from being ``at or near its OSP range.'' The language in the 
final revised SAR has been edited to explain that harvest 
sustainability was determined by other analyses rather than the PBR 
formula, based on a Bayesian Belief Network model by MacCraken et al. 
(2017). We also note that the PBR formula includes a conservative 
correction factor (FR value) due to uncertainty associated 
with estimates of human caused mortality.
    Comment 7: Please provide a clearer explanation of how the value of 
the recovery factor (FR) was selected when calculating 
Potential Biological Removal (PBR).
    Service Response to Comment 7: The final revised SAR includes 
additional language explaining that a conservative FR value 
of 0.5 has been adopted in consideration of uncertainty associated with 
estimates of human caused removals and a petition to consider listing 
walruses under the ESA.
    Comment 8: Incomplete harvest reporting and potentially high rates 
of strike-and-loss during subsistence harvest of Pacific Walrus should 
be addressed in more detail.
    Service Response to Comment 8: The final revised SAR includes 
additional language acknowledging the issue of under-reporting of 
harvest and tentative plans to engage in a collaborative effort in key 
walrus harvest communities to refine harvest estimates.

Comments Pertinent to Northern Sea Otter Stocks

    Comment 9: The Service used a recovery factor (FR) for 
the Southwest stock that was reduced by 20% (reduced from 0.5 to 0.4) 
to account for uncertainty around human-caused removals. However, the 
FR for the Southeast and Southcentral stocks was reduced by 
25% (reduced from 1 to 0.75). Are there differences in uncertainty 
surrounding human-caused removals across the three stocks are or are 
they similar? If similar, the Service should use the same FR 
across the stocks for standardization.
    Service Response to Comment 9: The uncertainty in human-caused 
mortality is similar across all three stocks. In the final revised SAR, 
we have updated the Southwest SAR to reduce the FR value in 
the Southwest stock to match the reduction in the Southcentral and 
Southeast stocks by 25%. The updated Southwest stock FR is 
0.38. We have updated the Potential Biological Removal (PBR) 
calculation based on this change, which resulted in an updated PBR of 
2,296 sea otters for the Southwest stock.
    Comment 10: The Service makes statements about sea otter population 
trends in the five management units (MU) of the Southwest stock, but 
this is problematic given the relatively limited historical data, 
overlapping confidence intervals for population estimates, and 
differences in the frequency, methods, and timing of population surveys 
within each MU. Additionally, in many of the surveys listed, the 
Service does not clearly indicate if the survey was aerial or boat-
based, the time of year the survey was conducted. We recommend the 
Service add more survey details in each MU section, limit conclusions 
about stock abundance and status, and add statements of how the Service 
plans to address these concerns to provide more consistency across the 
five MUs in the Southwest stock.
    Service Response to Comment 10: We have edited each of the sections 
summarizing population surveys for the five Management Units (MU) to 
provide additional details on the season, month the survey was 
conducted, survey platform, and analytical approach. We provide 
additional details about differences in methodology and how this 
affects our ability to accurately describe the magnitude of increases 
or decreases in each MU. The Service plans to develop integrated 
population models to incorporate the various population surveys across 
the five MUs in a single analytical framework, following a similar 
approach developed for the Southeast stock of northern sea otters 
(Eisaguirre et al. 2021, 2023, Schuette et al. 2023). This approach 
will allow the Service to better account for methodological differences 
across the five MUs to provide a more comprehensive view of sea otter 
population abundance, distribution, and trends through time.
    Comment 11: The estimates of human-caused mortality and serious 
injury (M/SI) in the SARs for the Southwest, Southcentral, and 
Southeast Alaska stocks of northern sea otters are based almost 
entirely on subsistence harvest data collected by FWS's marking, 
tagging, reporting program (MTRP). However, it is unclear whether or 
not all subsistence harvests are reported, and some M/SI of sea otters 
from other sources (e.g., illegal and unreported hunting) likely 
occurs. We recommend the Service develop a method for quantifying 
unreported harvest and include that information in the SARs.
    Service Response to Comment 11: The Service acknowledges there is 
an information gap pertaining to unreported harvest of sea otters. MTRP 
harvest reporting data collection was initiated in 1989 and is ongoing. 
MTRP data is the most comprehensive data set

[[Page 53513]]

available for legal harvest. The Service is considering options for 
accounting for unreported harvest in future population models. The 
Service has little empirical data to quantify the amount of illegal 
take associated with fisheries conflict. The Service is considering 
options for accounting for illegal takes in future population models.
    Comment 12: FWS discusses ``illegal'' takes of sea otters 
(including possession, transport, and sale of sea otter hides) in the 
SARs for the Southeast and Southwest stocks in the subsections on 
``Alaska Native Subsistence Harvest Information.'' However, referencing 
illegal takes of sea otters and illegal handling of sea otter hides in 
that subsection is inappropriate, given that taking of sea otters and 
other marine mammals by Alaska Natives for subsistence purposes and to 
create and sell authentic articles of handicrafts and clothing is not 
illegal as long as the taking is not conducted in a wasteful manner. We 
suggest the Service move the discussion of illegal takes of sea otters 
to a separate subsection within the ``Annual Human-Caused Mortality and 
Serious Injury'' section of the SARs (i.e., not the subsection on 
``Alaska Native Subsistence Harvest Information'').
    Service Response to Comment 12: We agree that these statements do 
not belong in this section. We have moved the statements related to 
illegal take to a new heading, `Illegal Take' under `Annual Human-
Caused Mortality and Serious Injury' in all of the northern sea otters 
SARs to make it clearer that there is a difference between legal take 
by Alaska Native peoples and the various forms of illegal take.
    Comment 13: In the ``Fisheries Information'' subsections, the draft 
SARs note that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) maintains 
an observer program to detect and estimate M/SI of marine mammals. The 
Alaska Marine Mammal Observer Program was designed specifically to 
collect data on marine mammal M/SI in nearshore salmon drift gillnet 
and set gillnet fisheries, where sea otters are at relatively high risk 
of entanglement. However, that program has not operated since 2013 and, 
when it was operating, observer coverage was low. As such, although the 
Service concludes that M/SI from fisheries is likely low, there are 
actually no reliable estimates of sea otter M/SI in the commercial 
fisheries that pose the highest entanglement risk to sea otters. We 
recommend that the Service coordinate with NMFS to ensure sufficient 
levels of observer coverage in all nearshore fisheries that may pose a 
significant entanglement risk to any of the three stocks of sea otters 
in Alaska. Observer coverage should be sufficient to (1) generate 
reliable estimates of serious injury and mortality, as required under 
section 118 of the MMPA, and (2) provide a basis for introducing 
measures to reduce sea otter bycatch if and as necessary.
    Service Response to Comment 13: As we state in the final revised 
SARs, the reported level of incidental take of sea otters from 
fisheries is very low, and it is difficult to state the total combined 
effect of fisheries, including whether the total fishery mortality and 
serious injury rate is insignificant and approaching a zero mortality 
and serious injury rate. The Service obtains fisheries related 
information from NMFS. The Service is supportive of initiatives to 
obtain more reliable information on incidental take from fisheries 
managed by NMFS, the State of Alaska, and local stakeholders. This will 
include strategies to gather information associated with State managed 
shellfisheries and mariculture activities, which are increasing across 
the State of Alaska.
    Comment 14: In the draft SARs, the discussion of Flannery et al. 
2021 suggests genetic information could be important for stock 
differentiation. Does Flannery et al. 2021 suggest a stock delineation 
different than that of the three stocks currently used by FWS?
    Service Response to Comment 14: No, this study does not suggest a 
different delineation, rather it recognizes that the inclusion of 
genetic variation among sea otter populations is important to define 
stock delineations and indicates that genetic differentiation among 
northern sea otters is clinal across their range (Larson et al. 2021, 
Flannery et al. 2021).
    Comment 15: In the draft SARs, a few different Rmax 
values from the scientific literature are described; the reports should 
clearly state which value for Rmax was selected and why.
    Service Response to Comment 15: We agree, the Service added 
language to all three final revised sea otter SARs to clarify that we 
used 0.29 as the value for Rmax, which is the maximum 
intrinsic rate of growth achievable by northern sea otters.
    Comment 16: Why is unknown subsistence harvest considered to be 
negatively biased when there are similar unknown mortalities associated 
with oil spills, boating, and mariculture?
    Service Response to Comment 16: The Service agrees with this 
comment, and we have removed this statement from all three final 
revised sea otter SARs.
    Comment 17: The draft SARs mention that there is uncertainty in the 
rate of human-caused mortality associated with increased development in 
the mariculture industry. Is there conflict between the northern sea 
otter stocks and the mariculture industry?
    Service Response to Comment 17: A recent report (Rehberg and 
Goodglick 2023) to the Service provides information on potential 
conflicts between sea otters and certain types of mariculture; however, 
negative interactions have only been reported in Kachemak Bay. The 
Service revised all three final sea otter SARs to reflect this 
information and promote awareness of mariculture as another source of 
uncertainty and potential conflict.
    Comment 18: Figures 2 and 3 in the Southcentral SAR should be 
revised to add clarity in the following ways: (1) remove the point-to-
point trend lines because abundance estimates with lines implies that 
we know for a fact what the population trajectory is between the 
points, and if a trend line is drawn, typically it should be a 
regression trend line. Although the trend lines would not be different 
from what is already there, this is more problematic in Figure 3, 
especially for Western Prince William Sound, because it seems to 
suggest that the ups and down of the abundance in the time series are 
real when, given the confidence intervals, they are most likely 
sampling variance; (2) clearly identify the name of the regions 
illustrated so that it is easier to match with previous tables and 
figures; and (3) do not use the same blue and green colors in Figures 2 
and 3 because they do not represent the same regions, and it is 
confusing.
    Service Response to Comment 18: We agree with all of the comments 
made about Figures 2 and 3 in the Southcentral SAR. We have created a 
single, revised figure that illustrates the same data originally 
presented in Figures 2 and 3, but in a simpler and easier to follow 
format. This new figure (Figure 2) now presents the three sub-regions 
as a series of independent estimates (not a line plot) from each survey 
area. This figure is in black and white (rather than in color) and now 
more closely matches the figure style used in the Southwest and 
Southeast Sea Otter SARs.
    Comment 19: The description of the contours of the critical habitat 
designated for the Southwest stock under the ESA is confusing because 
it is not clear which marine waters are included in the critical 
habitat designation.
    Service Response to Comment 19: The Service has revised this SAR by 
adding the following clarification: ``As part of the ESA listing 
decision, the Service designated 15,164 km\2\ (5,855 mi\2\) of

[[Page 53514]]

nearshore waters as Southwest stock critical habitat, which occurs in 
nearshore marine waters ranging from the mean high tide line seaward 
for a distance of 100 meters or to a water depth of 20 meters (65.6 ft) 
(74 FR 51988).''
    Comment 20: In the Southwest SAR, consider whether there was an 
actual decline and then increase in the Bristol Bay MU because although 
the coefficients of variation (CVs) overlap across all three Southwest 
stock surveys, there are also differences among the survey methods.
    Service Response to Comment 20: The Service agrees that there may 
not have been an initial decline, and we have revised our discussion 
regarding this MU in the final revised SAR.
    Comment 21: The Southwest stock SAR states that: ``The best 
available information indicates that the Southwest stock in the 
Aleutian archipelago declined by up to 90 percent in the 1990s.'' What 
is the citation for the scientific literature that support this 
statement?
    Service Response to Comment 21: The Service has added the citation 
Doroff et al. 2003 as reference to support this statement in the final 
revised SAR.
    Comment 22: In the Southwest stock SAR, the Service should add a 
description of how mortality is distributed across the management units 
(MUs) (e.g., ~90% of the human-caused M/SI occurred around Kodiak, the 
MU with the largest abundance), or a qualitative sentence saying that 
distribution of mortality across MUs is something that the Service 
considered but that it does not seem to be a concern.
    Service Response to Comment 22: The Service added language to this 
final revised SAR to explain that 96% of the harvest occurs in the 
Kodiak, Kamishak, Alaska Peninsula MUs, where most people and sea 
otters are located.

References

    The complete list of references used for each of these revised SARs 
is available at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-
2022-0155 and upon request from the Alaska Marine Mammals Management 
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.).

Martha Williams,
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-16935 Filed 8-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P