[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 47 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 12514]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5782]



[[Page 12514]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 021600B]


Notice of Availability of Final Stock Assessment Reports

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

ACTION: Notice of completion and availability of revised marine mammal 
stock assessment reports; response to comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS has incorporated public comments into revisions of marine 
mammal stock assessment reports (SARs). The 1999 revisions of the 
reports are now complete, and copies of the final 1999 SARs are 
available to the public.

ADDRESSES: Send requests for printed copies of reports to: Chief, 
Marine Mammal Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-
3226, Attn: Stock Assessments.
    Copies of the regional reports may also be requested from:
    Anita Lopez, Alaska Fisheries Science Center (F/AKC), NMFS, 7600 
Sand Point Way, NE BIN 15700, Seattle, WA 98115-0070 (Alaska);
    Richard Merrick, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water St., 
Woods Hole, MA 02543 (Atlantic); and
    Tim Price, Southwest Regional Office (F/SWO3), NMFS, 501 West Ocean 
Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213 (Pacific).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Eagle, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, at (301) 713-2322, ext. 105, Anita Lopez (206) 526-
4045, regarding Alaska regional stock assessments; Tim Price, (562) 
980-4020, regarding Pacific regional stock assessments; or Richard 
Merrick, (508) 495-2311, or Steven Swartz, (305) 361-4487, regarding 
Atlantic regional stock assessments.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 117 of the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act (MMPA) (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) required NMFS and the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (FWS) to prepare stock assessments for each stock of 
marine mammals that occurs in waters under the jurisdiction of the 
United States. These reports must contain information regarding the 
distribution and abundance of the stock, population growth rates and 
trends, estimates of annual human-caused mortality from all sources, 
descriptions of the fisheries with which the stock interacts, and the 
status of the stock. Initial reports were completed in 1995.
    The MMPA also requires NMFS and FWS to review these reports 
annually, or every 3 years for non-strategic stocks, and revise them if 
the status of the stock has changed or can be more accurately 
determined. These updated reports represent the 1999 revisions of 
reports for which NMFS is responsible.
    Draft 1999 SARs were made available for a 90-day public review and 
comment period on May 28, 1999 (64 FR 29000). Prior to release for 
public review and comment, NMFS subjected the draft reports to internal 
technical review and to review by regional Scientific Review Groups 
established under the MMPA. Following the close of the comment period, 
NMFS revised the reports as needed to prepare final 1999 SARs. Printed 
copies may be obtained by request (see ADDRESSES).

Response to Comments

    NMFS received one comment on the 1999 draft SARs. The affected 
report was revised to reflect the following response.
    Comment: The draft report ignores a significant new analysis of 
Western North Atlantic right whale mortality and population growth, 
recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of 
Sciences.
    Response: The findings regarding right whale survival in the 
referenced article were incorporated into the final 1999 right whale 
SAR. Specifically, the decline in crude survival probability is 
referenced in the Current Population Trend, and Potential Biological 
Removal sections. Further, these findings will be incorporated into 
future revisions of the right whale report and used in the estimation 
of maximum net productivity for this stock.

    Dated: March 2, 2000.
Art Jeffers,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-5782 Filed 3-8-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F