[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 80 (Friday, April 25, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20201-20202]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-10738]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Marine Mammals; Stock Assessment Reports
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of completion and availability of draft revised marine
mammal stock assessment reports; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA),
the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has developed draft revised marine
mammal stock assessment reports for the southern sea otter in
California, the northern sea otter in Washington State, and the Florida
and Antillean stocks of West Indian manatees from the southeastern
United States and Puerto Rico, respectively. The draft revised reports
are available for public review and comment. Copies of the revised
guidelines upon which the reports are based are also available for
review. FWS stock assessment reports for polar bears, Pacific walrus,
and northern sea otters in Alaska are not being revised at this time.
DATES: Comments must be received by July 24, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft revised stock assessment reports and the
revised guidelines are available from the Division of Fish and Wildlife
Management Assistance, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Room 840-ARLSQ,
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22203. Copies of the FWS's
final 1995 stock assessment reports for polar bears, Pacific walrus,
and northern sea otters in Alaska are also available from this same
address.
Comments on the draft revised stock assessment reports for West
Indian manatees should be sent to Robert Turner, Manatee Coordinator,
US Fish and Wildlife Service, 6620 South Point Drive, South, Suite 310,
Jacksonville, Florida 32216.
Comments on the draft revised stock assessment reports for southern
sea otters in California and northern sea otters in Washington State
should be sent to Carl Benz, Sea Otter Coordinator, US Fish and
Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, California
93003.
Any new information, inquiries, or comments on the FWS's final
stock assessment reports of October 4, 1995, for polar bears, Pacific
walrus, and northern sea otters in Alaska should be sent to David
McGillivary, Supervisor, Office of Marine Mammals Management, US Fish
and Wildlife Service, 1011 E. Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jeff Horwath in the FWS's Division of Fish and Wildlife Management
Assistance, Arlington, Virginia at (703) 358-1718. For information
about West Indian manatees, contact Robert Turner at (904) 232-2580 or
FAX: (904) 232-2404. For information about southern sea otters in
California and northern sea otters in Washington State, contact Carl
Benz at (805) 644-1766 or FAX: (805) 644-3958. For information about
polar bears, Pacific walrus, and northern sea otters in Alaska, contact
David McGillivary at (907) 786-3800 or FAX: (907) 786-3816.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 117 of the MMPA (16 USC 1361-1407)
required the FWS and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to
prepare stock assessment reports for each marine mammal stock that
occurs in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States. In late
1995, the FWS issued final stock assessment reports as required, and
announced their completion and public availability in a Federal
Register notice on October 4, 1995 (60 FR 52008). These reports
contained information regarding the distribution and abundance of the
stocks, population growth rates and trends, estimates of human-caused
mortality from all sources, descriptions of the fisheries with which
the stocks interact, and the status of each stock.
Section 117 of the MMPA also requires the FWS and the NMFS,
consistent with any new information that indicates that the status of a
stock has changed or can be more accurately determined, to revise these
reports annually for strategic stocks of marine mammals and every three
years for stocks determined to be non-strategic. In accordance with
these statutory provisions, the FWS has reviewed all eight of its final
stock assessment reports from 1995, and determined that it would be
appropriate at this time to revise reports for two stocks of west coast
sea otters and two stocks of West Indian manatees in order to
incorporate new information that was not available in 1995. Although
the FWS has decided to revise these reports, the status of the four
stocks has not changed. Both West Indian manatee stocks and the
southern sea otter stock in California are still classified as
strategic, while the northern sea otter stock in Washington State is
still classified as non-strategic.
For polar bear, Pacific walrus, and northern sea otter in Alaska,
the FWS has determined that no significant new information is available
that would provide substantial benefit to these stocks, or necessitate
revising stock assessment reports at this time. However, the FWS will
continue to gather pertinent information on these stocks, and
reconsider whether to revise these stock assessment reports during the
next review/revision cycle. Individuals wishing to submit such
information can do so by sending it to the name and address identified
in the ADDRESSES Section above.
Table 1 in this notice summarizes (in bold print) the four draft
revised stock assessment reports. The table lists the four stocks,
their geographic range, regional designation, minimum abundance
estimate, Potential Biological Removal level, annual estimated average
human-caused mortality, and the status of the stock. Table 1 also
repeats information from the FWS's Federal Register notice of October
4, 1995, for the four marine mammal stocks in Alaska for which the FWS
has decided not to revise the stock assessment reports at this time.
Dated: April 18, 1997.
John G. Rogers,
Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[[Page 20202]]
Table 1.--Summary of FWS Stock Assessment Reports for Marine Mammals That Occupy Waters Under U.S. Jurisdiction. (Note: Draft Revised Stock Assessment
Data is in Bold Print.)
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Annual
estimated Annual fishing-
Species Stock area SRG FWS N(min) R(max) F(r) PBR average human- caused Strategic
region region caused mortality status
mortality
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West Indian manatee-Florida Southeastern ATL 4 2,229 0.04 0.1 4 49 \1\......... <1............. Yes.
stock. U.S.A..
West Indian manatee-Antillean Puerto Rico..... ATL 4 101 0.04 0.1 0 2.............. Unknown........ Yes.
stock.
Southern sea otter-California Central PAC 1 2,295 0.06 0.1 \2\ N/AP Unknown \3\.... Unknown \4\.... Yes.
stock. California and
San Nicolas
Island.
Northern sea otter-Washington Neah Bay to PAC 1 430 0.12 0.5 12 Unknown \5\.... Unknown \4\.... No.
stock. Destruction
Island, WA.
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Polar bear-Chukchi/Bering Chukchi and AKA 7 \6\ N/AV \6\ N/AV 1.0 \6\ N/AV 55............. 0.............. No.
Seas stock. Bering Seas-
Alaska and
Russia.
Polar bear-Beaufort Sea stock Beaufort Sea- AKA 7 1,579 0.06 1.0 \7\ 72 63............. 0.............. No.
Alaska and
Canada.
Sea otter-Alaska stock....... Alaska.......... AKA 7 100,000 0.2 1.0 10,000 506............ <1............. No.
Pacific walrus............... Alaska and AKA 7 188,316 0.08 1.0 7,533 5,894.......... 16............. No.
Russia.
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\1\ Estimated average human-caused mortality for the West Indian manatee-Florida stock from 1984 to 1992. The estimated average annual human caused
mortality from 1974 to 1992 is 36 animals.
\2\ N/AP indicates Not Applicable. Although the PBR level for the southern sea-California stock was calculated to be 6, their incidental take is not
governed under Section 118 of the 1994 amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
\3\ Unknown. Human-caused mortalities of sea otters have been attributed to drowning in gill nets and lobster/crab pots, shootings, boat collisions,
disease, and oil spills. However, data are insufficient for estimating annual losses. See stock assessment report for additional information.
\4\ Unknown. Observer coverage is inadequate to estimate annual fishery mortality.
\5\ Unknown. Sea otters in Washington State are susceptible to the same sources of human-caused mortality as they are in California.
\6\ N/AV indicates Not Available.
\7\ Adjusted upwards to 72 animals from the calculated PBR of 48 to reflect the approximate 2 male: 1 female sex ratio of the harvest. See stock
assessment report for additional information.
[FR Doc. 97-10738 Filed 4-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M