[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 6, 1996)] [Notices] [Pages 40819-40821] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-20026] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [I.D. 020696C] Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team Meeting AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of establishment of a Large Whale Take Reduction Team. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The following individuals have been invited to participate on a Take Reduction Team (TRT) to address bycatch of large baleen whales, specifically the northern right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) and the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the following fisheries: The Gulf of Maine/U.S. mid-Atlantic lobster trap/pot fishery, the mid- Atlantic coastal gillnet fishery, the southeastern U.S. Atlantic shark gillnet fishery, and the Gulf of Maine sink-gillnet fishery. These large whale marine mammal stocks are considered strategic under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) because they are listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and because the level of human-caused mortality is greater than their Potential Biological Removal (PBR) levels. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Kathy Wang, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, (813) 570-5312, or Dr. Sal Testaverde, Northeast Regional Office, NMFS, (508) 281-9254, or Michael Payne, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 713-2322. [[Page 40820]] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 30, 1994, the 1994 Amendments to the MMPA were signed into law. Section 117 of the MMPA requires that NMFS complete stock assessment reports for all marine mammal stocks within U.S. waters. Each stock assessment report is required to categorize the status of the stock as one that either has a level of human-caused mortality and serious injury that is not likely to cause the stock to be reduced below its optimum sustainable population; or is a strategic stock, with a description of the reasons therefore; and estimate the PBR level for the stock, describing the information used to calculate it, including the recovery factor. Stock Assessment Reports and the calculated PBR were published by NMFS in July 1995. The MMPA defines a ``strategic stock'' as a marine mammal stock for which the level of direct human-caused mortality exceeds the PBR level; 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 (ESA) within the foreseeable future; which is listed as a threatened species or endangered species under the ESA, or is designated as depleted under the MMPA. The MMPA further defines the term ``potential biological removal,'' or 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 optimum sustainable population.'' Description of Fisheries to be Reviewed by Large Whale TRT Gulf of Maine, U.S. mid-Atlantic lobster trap/pot fishery: Based on a review of 1990-1994 large whale entanglement reports received by the agency and new information received about the prosecution of the lobster fishery, the inshore and offshore fisheries were proposed to be combined into a single fishery, the Gulf of Maine/U.S. mid-Atlantic lobster trap/pot fishery, and proposed to be placed in Category I in the 1997 List of Fisheries (LOF) (see 61 FR 37035, July 16, 1996). Serious injuries and/or mortalities to large whales are known to occur in this fishery. An examination of large whale entanglement records were reviewed at 61 FR 37035, July 16, 1996. Based on this analysis the annual serious injury and mortality across all fisheries for humpback and northern right whale stocks interacting with this fishery exceeded 10 percent of the PBR for both of these species. The single record of a serious injury and/or mortality of a northern right whale, and 11 records of serious injury and/or mortality of humpback whales, were reported for this fishery from 1990-1994. These records represent a minimum serious injury and/or mortality rate (from a 5-year average) of 0.2 per year for northern right whales, and 2.2 per year for humpback whales. This rate is greater than 1 percent but less than 50 percent of the PBR for humpback whales, which would have resulted in a proposed reclassification of this fishery to a Category II fishery under the MMPA. However, the rate is equal to 50 percent of the PBR for northern right whales; therefore this fishery was proposed to be placed in Category I in the 1997 LOF. In addition to the one right whale entanglement used in the above analysis, the agency has received several reports of right whale entanglements prior to 1990 and after 1994 which are or may be attributable to the lobster fishery. U.S. mid-Atlantic coastal gillnet fishery: Between 1989 and 1992, 31 humpback whales stranded from New Jersey through Virginia (Wiley et. al, 1995). Most of these strandings occurred between the Chesapeake Bay and Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Strandings increased from February through April, and 25 percent had scars consistent with net entanglement. Between 1990 and 1996, 10 humpbacks stranded in Virginia; three animals had rope abrasion injuries consistent with entanglement in gillnets. This fishery includes, but is not limited to, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic sturgeon, black drum, bluefish, herring, menhaden, scup, shad, striped bass, sturgeon, weakfish, white perch, yellow perch, dogfish, and monkfish (see 61 FR 37035, July 16, 1996). NMFS proposed that the geographic definition for the mid-Atlantic coastal gillnet fishery to be bounded on the east by the 72 deg.30' W. long. line, running south from the southern Long Island shoreline, and on the south by a line drawn from the North Carolina-South Carolina border east to the 72 deg.30' line (61 FR 37035, July 16, 1996). New England multispecies sink-gillnet fishery: Strategic marine mammal species/stocks seriously injured/killed in this fishery (fishery defined in the New England Multispecies fisheries Management Plan) include several humpback whales and a northern right whale (see 60 FR 67063, December 28, 1995). The geographic definition for the southern boundary of the Northeast Multispecies sink gillnet fishery has been proposed to be changed from 71 deg.40' W. long. to 72 deg.30' W. long. (61 FR 37035, July 16, 1996). Southeastern U.S. Atlantic shark gillnet fishery: A right whale calf was observed in February, 1994, about ten miles off of Jacksonville, Florida, with cuts nearly severing each fluke from the leading edge, back. Additional injuries across the blowhole and head area were similar to injuries observed on right whales entangled in gillnet gear in New England. Researchers believe that the calf was entangled in gillnet gear, and then hauled back into the fishing vessel's props as the gear was being retrieved. Trent and Parshley's 1995 description of net retrieval in the shark gillnet fishery over the stern of gillnet vessels is consistent with this theory. The gillnets are set and retrieved at night, they are set in an east-west direction crossing whale pathways, and the vessels are large enough to tow a small calf. Given these data, and the precarious status of the northern right whale, this fishery will be reviewed by this TRT. List of invited participants: Section 118(f) of the MMPA requires NMFS to establish a TRT to prepare a draft Take Reduction Plan (TRP) designed to assist in the recovery or prevent the depletion of each strategic marine mammal stock that interacts with certain fisheries. Section 118(f)(6)(C) requires that members of the TRTs have expertise regarding the conservation or biology of the marine mammal species that the TRP will address, or the fishing practices that result in the incidental mortality and serious injury of such species. The MMPA further specifies that members of the TRT shall include representatives of Federal agencies, each coastal state with fisheries that interact with the species or stock, appropriate regional fishery management councils, interstate fisheries commissions, academic and scientific organizations, environmental groups, all commercial and recreational fisheries groups and gear types which incidentally take the species or stock, Alaska Native organizations, or Indian tribal organizations, and others as deemed appropriate. As a result of stock assessment reports developed under section 117 of the MMPA, and an extended interview process conducted by a NMFS- contracted facilitator, NMFS has asked the following individuals to be a member of the TRT, which will focus on reducing bycatch of northern right whales and humpback whales taken as bycatch in the Gulf of Maine/ U.S. mid-Atlantic lobster trap/pot fishery, the mid-Atlantic coastal gillnet fishery, the southeastern U.S. Atlantic shark gillnet [[Page 40821]] fishery, and the Gulf of Maine sink-gillnet fishery: Kathy Wang, NMFS, SER; Sal Testaverde, NMFS, NER; Michael Payne, NMFS, Office of Protected Resources; Bill Brooks, Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Philip Coates, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries; Chris Finlayson, Maine Department of Marine Resources; Mike Harris, Georgia Department of Natural Resources; William (Pete) Jensen, Maryland Department of Natural Resources; Jack Travelstead, Virginia Marine Resources Commission; Mike Street, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries; Jeff Goodyear, University of British Columbia; Robert Kenney, University of Rhode Island; Scott Kraus, New England Aquarium; David Laist, Marine Mammal Commission; David Mattila and Charles Mayo, Center for Coastal Studies; Mark Swingle, Virginia Marine Science Museum; Chris Croft, Environmental Solutions International; Ellie Dorsey, Conservation Law Foundation; Hans Neuhauser, Georgia Land Trust Service Center; David Wiley, International Wildlife Coalition; Nina Young, Center for Marine Conservation; Sharon Young, The Humane Society of the U.S.; Patricia Fiorelli, New England Fishery Management Council; Tom Hoff, Mid- Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Bill Adler, Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association; Dick Allen, Atlantic Offshore Fishermen's Association; Ron Hauck, southeast gillnet representative; Mike Baker, Southeast Shark Gillnet Association; Chris Hickman, mid-Atlantic coastal gillnet representative; Bill Foster, mid-Atlantic coastal gillnet representative; Bob MacKinnon, Massachusett's Netters Association; John Our, Jr., Cape Cod Gillnetters Association; Terry Stockwell, Maine Gillnetters Association; and Pat White, Maine Lobstermen's Association. Other individuals from NMFS, state and Federal agencies, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans-Canada, may be present as observers, or for their scientific expertise. The TRT will be facilitated by Abby Dilley, The Keystone Center, Washington, D.C. This Take Reduction Team will hold its first meeting to develop a TRP as described in the MMPA focusing on reducing bycatch in these fisheries in September in Boston, Massachusetts. The date, time and location of this meeting will be announced in a subsequent notice published in the Federal Register and each person invited to participate will be notified by the facilitator by letter. NMFS fully intends to convene a TRT process in a way that provides for national consistency yet accommodates the unique regional needs and characteristics of any one team. TRTs are not subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 App. U.S.C.). Meetings are open to the public. References Wiley, D. N., R. A. Asmutis, T. D. Pitchford and D. R. Gammon. 1994. Stranding and mortality of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the mid-Atlantic and southeast United States, 1985- 1992. Fishery Bulletin 93: 196-205. Trent, L. and D.Parshley. 1995. The shark drift gillnet fishery off the east coasts of Florida and Georgia, 1993-1995. Draft report prepared for Marine Fisheries Review. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1387 Dated: August 1, 1996. Rennie S. Holt, Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources. [FR Doc. 96-20026 Filed 8-1-96; 3:37 pm] BILLING CODE 3510-22-F