Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Proposed Rule To Designate Critical Habitat for the Central America, Mexico, and Western North Pacific Distinct Population Segments of Humpback Whales, 54354-54391 [2019-21186]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 54354-54391]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21186]



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Vol. 84

Wednesday,

No. 196

October 9, 2019

Part III





 Department of Commerce





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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration





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50 CFR Parts 223, 224, and 226





 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Proposed Rule To 
Designate Critical Habitat for the Central America, Mexico, and Western 
North Pacific Distinct Population Segments of Humpback Whales; Proposed 
Rule

Federal Register / Vol. 84 , No. 196 / Wednesday, October 9, 2019 / 
Proposed Rules

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 223, 224, and 226

[Docket No. 190925-0039]
RIN 0648-BI06


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Proposed Rule To 
Designate Critical Habitat for the Central America, Mexico, and Western 
North Pacific Distinct Population Segments of Humpback Whales

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

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the NMFS, propose to designate critical habitat for the 
endangered Western North Pacific distinct population segment (DPS), the 
endangered Central America DPS, and the threatened Mexico DPS of 
humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) pursuant to section 4 of the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA). Areas proposed as critical habitat 
include specific marine areas located off the coasts of California, 
Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Based on consideration of national 
security and economic impacts, we also propose to exclude multiple 
areas from the designation for each DPS. We are soliciting comments on 
all aspects of the proposed critical habitat designations and will 
consider information received prior to making final designations.

DATES: Comments must be received by December 9, 2019. Requests for 
public hearings must be made in writing by November 25, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit data, information, or comments on this 
document, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2019-0066, and on the supplemental 
documents by either of the following methods:
    Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic comments via the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2019-0066, click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, 
complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
    Mail: Submit written comments to Endangered Species Division, 
Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 
East West Highway (SSMC3), Silver Spring, MD 20910, Attn: Humpback 
Whale Critical Habitat Proposed Rule.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
might 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. We will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).
    Documents supporting this proposed rule, which include a Draft 
Biological Report (NMFS 2019a), a Draft Economic Analysis (IEc 2019a), 
and a Draft Section 4(b)(2) Report (NMFS 2019b), are available on the 
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D= NOAA-
NMFS-2019-0066.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Manning, NMFS, Office of 
Protected Resources 301-427-8466.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3(5)(A) of the ESA defines critical 
habitat as (i) the specific areas within the geographical area occupied 
by the species, at the time it is listed, on which are found those 
physical or biological features (I) essential to the conservation of 
the species and (II) which may require special management 
considerations or protection; and (ii) specific areas outside the 
geographical area occupied by the species at the time it is listed, 
upon a determination by the Secretary that such areas are essential for 
the conservation of the species. (16 U.S.C. 1532(5)(A)). Conservation 
is defined in section 3(3) of the ESA as the use of all methods and 
procedures which are necessary to bring any endangered species or 
threatened species to the point at which the measures provided pursuant 
to this Act are no longer necessary (16 U.S.C. 1532(3)). Section 
3(5)(C) of the ESA provides that, except in those circumstances 
determined by the Secretary, critical habitat shall not include the 
entire geographical area which can be occupied by the threatened or 
endangered species.
    Section 4(b)(2) of the ESA requires the Secretary to designate 
critical habitat for threatened and endangered species on the basis of 
the best scientific data available and after taking into consideration 
the economic impact, the impact on national security, and any other 
relevant impact of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. 
This section also grants the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) 
discretion to exclude any area from critical habitat if he determines 
the benefits of such exclusion outweigh the benefits of specifying such 
area as part of the critical habitat. However, the Secretary may not 
exclude areas if such exclusion will result in the extinction of the 
species (16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(2)).
    Once critical habitat is designated, section 7(a)(2) of the ESA 
requires Federal agencies to ensure that actions they authorize, fund, 
or carry out are not likely to destroy or adversely modify that habitat 
(16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2)). This requirement is additional to the section 
7(a)(2) requirement that Federal agencies ensure their actions are not 
likely to jeopardize the continued existence of ESA-listed species. 
Specifying the geographic location of critical habitat also facilitates 
implementation of section 7(a)(1) of the ESA by identifying areas where 
Federal agencies can focus their conservation programs and use their 
authorities to further the purposes of the ESA. See 16 U.S.C. 
1536(a)(1). Critical habitat requirements do not apply to citizens 
engaged in actions on private land that do not involve a Federal 
agency.
    This proposed rule summarizes relevant information regarding the 
biology and habitat use of humpback whales, the methods used to develop 
the three proposed critical habitat designations, and the proposed 
critical habitats for the Central America (CAM), Mexico (MX), and 
Western North Pacific (WNP) DPSs of humpback whales. The following 
supporting documents provide more detailed discussions of information 
and analyses that contributed to the conclusions presented in this 
proposed rule: Draft Biological Report (NMFS 2019a), Draft Economic 
Impact Analysis (IEc 2019a), and Draft Section 4(b)(2) Report (NMFS 
2019b). These supporting documents are referenced throughout this 
proposed rule.
    As detailed in the sections that follow, the specific occupied 
areas proposed for designation as critical habitat for the WNP DPS of 
humpback whales contain approximately 78,690 square nautical miles 
(nmi\2\) of marine habitat within the North Pacific Ocean, including 
areas within the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. Specific occupied 
areas proposed for designation as critical habitat for the CAM DPS of 
humpback whales contain approximately 48,459 nmi\2\ of marine habitat 
within the North Pacific Ocean, specifically within the portions of the

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California Current Ecosystem off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and 
California. Specific occupied areas proposed for designation as 
critical habitat for the MX DPS of humpback whales contain 
approximately 175,812 nmi\2\ of marine habitat within the North Pacific 
Ocean, specifically within portions of Bristol Bay, the Bering Sea, the 
Gulf of Alaska, and California Current Ecosystem.
    Based on consideration of economic impacts under section 4(b)(2) of 
the ESA, we propose to exclude approximately 44,119 nmi\2\ of marine 
habitat from the designation for the WNP DPS, approximately 12,966 
nmi\2\ of marine habitat from the designation for the CAM DPS, and 
approximately 30,527 nmi\2\ of marine habitat from the designation for 
the MX DPS. Based on consideration of national security impacts under 
section 4(b)(2) of the ESA, we also propose to exclude approximately 48 
nmi\2\ of marine habitat from the critical habitat designation for the 
MX DPS in Southeast Alaska; and we propose to exclude about 1,522 
nmi\2\ of marine habitat off the coast of Washington from the 
designations for the CAM and MX DPSs.

Background

    On September 8, 2016, we published a final rule that revised the 
listing of humpback whales under the ESA by removing the original, 
taxonomic-level species listing, and in its place listing four DPSs as 
endangered and one DPS as threatened (81 FR 62260). We also determined 
that nine additional DPSs did not warrant listing. Prior to this 
revision, the humpback whale had been listed as an endangered species 
in 1970 under the precursor to the ESA (the Endangered Species 
Conservation Act of 1969), and then transferred to the list of 
endangered species under the ESA. Although the ESA was later amended to 
require the designation of critical habitat for listed species, when 
humpback whales were originally listed, there was no statutory 
requirement to designate critical habitat for this species. Section 
4(a)(3)(A) of the ESA now requires that, to the maximum extent prudent 
and determinable, critical habitat be designated at the time of listing 
(16 U.S.C. 1533(a)(3)(A)). Pursuant to implementing regulations at 50 
CFR 424.12(g), critical habitat cannot be designated within foreign 
countries or in areas outside the jurisdiction of the United States. 
Thus, the listing of DPSs of humpback whales under the ESA in 2016 
triggered the requirement to designate critical habitat, to the maximum 
extent prudent and determinable, for those DPSs occurring in areas 
under U.S. jurisdiction--specifically, the CAM, MX, and WNP DPSs.
    In the proposed rule to revise the humpback whale listing, we 
solicited information that could inform a critical habitat designation 
(80 FR 22304; April 21, 2015), but we did not receive relevant data or 
information regarding habitats or habitat features in areas within U.S. 
jurisdiction. In the final rule to list five DPSs of humpback whales, 
we concluded that critical habitat was not yet determinable, which had 
the effect of extending by one year the statutory deadline for 
designating critical habitat (16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(6)(C)(ii)).
    On March 15, 2018, the Center for Biological Diversity, Turtle 
Island Restoration Network, and the Wishtoyo Foundation filed a 
complaint seeking court-ordered deadlines for the issuance of proposed 
and final rules to designate critical habitat for the CAM, MX, and WNP 
DPSs of humpback whales. See Center For Biological Diversity et al. v. 
National Marine Fisheries Service, et al., No. 3:18-cv-01628-EDL (N.D. 
Cal.). The parties entered into a settlement agreement with the 
approval and oversight of the court, and subsequently amended the dates 
specified in the original order. The amended settlement agreement 
stipulates that NMFS must submit a proposed determination concerning 
the designation of critical habitat for these three DPSs to the Federal 
Register by September 26, 2019, and (to the extent a proposed rule has 
been published) a final rule by September 28, 2020.
    In 2018, a critical habitat review team (CHRT) was convened to 
assess and evaluate information in support of a critical habitat 
designation for the CAM, MX, and WNP DPSs of humpback whales, which 
occur within portions of U.S. waters in the North Pacific Ocean. The 
CHRT consisted of eight biologists from NMFS and two from the National 
Ocean Service (NOS), all of whom have expertise and experience in 
humpback whale research or management, experience in developing 
critical habitat designations, and/or expertise in geographic 
information systems (GIS, i.e., mapping). To determine potential 
critical habitat areas for the DPSs, the CHRT reviewed available data 
on humpback whales, including the global assessment of humpback whales 
and the status review that were completed in support of the ESA 
listings (Fleming and Jackson 2011, Bettridge et al. 2015), the 
proposed and final listing rules for humpback whales (80 FR 22304, 
April 21, 2015; 81 FR 62260, September 8, 2016), recent biological 
surveys and reports, and peer-reviewed literature. The CHRT also 
convened a workshop on May 22-23, 2018, at the NMFS Alaska Fisheries 
Science Center (AFSC) in Seattle, Washington, that brought together the 
CHRT members as well as 11 additional researchers from either the AFSC 
or other parts of NMFS. Several other individuals from external 
organizations (specifically, the Cascadia Research Collective (CRC), 
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, National Park Service, and Oregon 
State University) participated during portions of the workshop either 
in person or by video conference to present and discuss their relevant 
research. Data considered, analyses conducted, and conclusions reached 
by the CHRT are discussed in detail in the Draft Biological Report 
(NMFS 2019a). Information from that report is summarized in the 
sections that follow.

Species Description and Status of the DPSs

    Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski 1781) are large, 
baleen whales (family Balaenopteridae) that are found in all oceans 
across the globe. They range in color from black to gray with varying 
amounts of white on their bellies, flukes, and fins. Some patterns of 
color variation may occur among whales found in different geographic 
regions, but variations also occur among individual whales. Distinctive 
natural markings on the underside of the fluke along with other 
identifying features such as scars have been used to identify 
individual whales for decades by cetologists around the world. Also 
among their distinctive traits are their long flippers, which are 
knobbed on the leading edge, and both flippers and fluke are scalloped 
on the trailing edge.
    Humpback whales can weigh over 40 tons (Ohsumi 1966) and are, on 
average, 13-15 meters in length at maturity (Chittleborough 1965, 
Mikhalev 1997). Females are longer than males by about 1 to 1.5 meters 
(Chittleborough 1965). The oldest known humpback whale was estimated to 
be about 95 years old (Chittleborough 1965, Gabriele et al. 2010). 
Average generation time has been estimated to be 21.5 years (Taylor et 
al. 2007), and adult survival rate is estimated to be between 0.87-
1.00, depending on location and year (Barlow and Clapham 1997, 
Chaloupka et al. 1999, Mizroch et al. 2004).
    Humpback whales breed and calve in tropical/subtropical waters in 
the winter months, typically during January-May in the Northern 
hemisphere. Calving intervals are between 1 to 5 years but

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are more commonly between 2 to 3 years (Wiley and Clapham 1993, Steiger 
and Calambokidis 2000). Annual calving can occur but is rare (Straley 
1989). After an 11-12 month gestation period, calves are born in the 
low latitude breeding grounds (Matthews 1937). Lactation occurs for 
close to 11 months, with calves beginning to wean at around 6 months 
(in June or July in the Northern Hemisphere) and reaching full 
independence after about a year (Chittleborough 1958, 1965; Clapham and 
Mayo 1990).
    Males produce long, complex songs during the breeding season (Payne 
and Mcvay 1971), possibly to communicate their location and readiness 
to mate or to establish social order among males, or both (Tyack 1981, 
Darling and B[eacute]rub[eacute] 2001). Singing is typically heard on 
the breeding grounds but has also been detected during migration 
(Norris et al. 1999, Noad and Cato 2007) and on feeding grounds as well 
(Mattila et al. 1987, McSweeney et al. 1989, Clark and Clapham 2004, 
Stimpert et al. 2012, Magn[uacute]sd[oacute]ttir et al. 2014). While on 
breeding grounds, humpback whales rarely feed (Baraff et al. 1991).
    Around springtime, the whales typically migrate to temperate, 
higher latitude regions to feed and build up fat and energy reserves 
for the return migration, lactation, and breeding. Humpback whales feed 
on mainly euphausiids (krill) and small pelagic fishes (Nemoto 1957, 
1959; Klumov 1963; Rice 1963; Krieger and Wing 1984; Baker 1985; 
Kieckhefer 1992; Clapham et al. 1997).
    Humpback whales were commercially hunted for centuries throughout 
their range until the 1950s/60s. Reported catches from the 20th century 
suggest that humpback whales were distributed extensively throughout 
the North Pacific (Ivashchenko et al. 2015). Non-subsistence whaling 
was first prohibited by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 
1955 in the North Atlantic and then in the North Pacific and Southern 
Hemisphere in 1965 after a final commercial whaling season (NMFS 1991). 
The total catch of humpback whales exploited in the North Pacific in 
the 20th century is estimated to be just over 29,000 whales 
(Ivashchenko et al. 2017). By the time modern commercial whaling was 
officially ended (though not completely ceased), the total abundance of 
humpback whales in the North Pacific may have been as few as roughly 
1,000 whales (Rice 1978). Since the moratorium on commercial whaling, 
populations have been steadily increasing but some have not yet 
returned to historical abundance levels (Zerbini et al. 2006, Ford et 
al. 2009, Bettridge et al. 2015). Despite the official end of 
commercial whaling, some countries continue to engage in whaling 
practices.
    The CAM DPS is listed as endangered and has been most recently 
estimated to include 783 whales (CV = 0.170, Wade 2017). Entanglement 
in fishing gear and vessel collisions, in particular, were identified 
as the most significant threats to this DPS in the 2016 final listing 
rule (81 FR 62260, September 8, 2016). Within U.S. waters, whales of 
this DPS are observed off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and 
California.
    The MX DPS is listed as threatened and has been most recently 
estimated to have an abundance of 2,806 whales (CV = 0.055, Wade 2017). 
Entanglement in fishing gear, especially off the coasts of Washington, 
Oregon, and California, was identified as the primary threat to this 
DPS. Entanglement has been documented primarily in pot and trap gear 
but also in gillnets (Carretta et al. 2018). Other threats include ship 
strikes and persistent organic pollutants, although, at the time of 
listing, these threats were not considered to be significantly 
impacting the survival of this DPS (Fleming and Jackson 2011, Bettridge 
et al. 2015). More recently, Rockwood et al. (2017) estimated that the 
mortality due to ship strikes (22 per year) is greater than the 
estimated fishery bycatch and is equal to the potential biological 
removal (PBR) level for the California/Oregon/Washington stock of 
humpback whales (Carretta et al. 2018). (Humpback whales are separately 
identified and managed as ``stocks'' under the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act (MMPA, 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), a management unit that is not 
necessarily coextensive with a corresponding DPS under the ESA. PBR is 
defined under the MMPA as the maximum number of animals (not including 
natural mortalities) that may be removed from the stock while allowing 
that stock to reach or maintain its optimum sustainable population.) 
Whales within the MX DPS have a broad distribution within U.S. waters 
and occur along the coasts of Washington, Oregon, California, and 
Alaska.
    The WNP DPS is listed as endangered and has an estimated abundance 
of 1,066 whales (CV = 0.079, Wade 2017). There is a high degree of 
uncertainty regarding the threats to this DPS; however, entanglement in 
fishing gear likely represents a serious threat (Brownell et al. 2000, 
Baker et al. 2006). Other likely threats to this DPS include offshore 
energy development activities, vessel collisions, pollution, and food 
competition (with fisheries, Bettridge et al. 2015). Humpback whale 
meat has been identified in Korean markets, and it is possible that 
whaling could be posing a threat to this DPS (Brownell et al. 2000, 
Baker et al. 2006). Within U.S. waters, whales from this DPS have been 
observed in waters off Alaska, primarily the eastern Aleutian Islands.
    All three of these listed DPSs overlap spatially to varying degrees 
with the Hawaii DPS of humpback whales, which was found to not warrant 
listing under the ESA in 2016 (81 FR 62260, September 8, 2016). The 
Hawaii DPS whales breed in waters around the Hawaiian Islands and have 
been observed on most of the known feeding grounds within the North 
Pacific (Bettridge et al., 2015). This population has an estimated 
abundance of about 11,571 whales (Wade 2017). While these whales are no 
longer protected under the ESA (and critical habitat is not being 
designated for them), they continue to be managed under the MMPA.

Distribution and Habitat Use

    Humpback whales have strong fidelity to particular breeding 
regions, a general pattern that contributed to how the various DPSs 
were delineated and listed under the ESA (Bettridge et al. 2015). In 
particular, the MX DPS includes whales that breed in the area of 
mainland Mexico and the Revillagigedo Islands (Bettridge et al. 2015, 
50 CFR 223.102). Whales from the CAM DPS breed off the coasts of Costa 
Rica, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua 
(Bettridge et al. 2015, 50 CFR 224.101). Humpback whales from the WNP 
DPS breed in waters around southern Japan (e.g., Okinawa), off the 
Philippines in the Kuroshio Current, and in additional breeding grounds 
in the Western North Pacific that were ``unknown'' at the time of 
listing (Bettridge et al. 2015, 50 CFR 224.101). As discussed in more 
detail later (see ``Geographical Area Occupied by the Species''), 
because none of the confirmed breeding areas for these DPSs are within 
waters under U.S. jurisdiction, we cannot propose to designate them as 
critical habitat.
    Humpback whale breeding areas are characterized by warm, shallow 
waters (Clapham and Mead 1999, Ersts and Rosenbaum 2003, Rasmussen et 
al. 2007), and the whales are often found in association with islands, 
banks, or offshore reefs (Dawbin 1966, Whitehead and Moore 1982, Baker 
et al. 1986). These warm, tropical and subtropical breeding areas have 
low productivity, and thus limited food availability, and the whales do 
not typically feed while on the breeding grounds (Rasmussen et

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al. 2012, Villegas-Zurita and Castillejos-Moguel 2013).
    In the North Pacific Ocean, humpback whales feed in biologically 
productive waters along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, 
and Alaska; British Columbia, Canada; and in waters off of Russia 
(e.g., Kamchatka, Commander Islands). Although these feeding areas have 
an almost continuous distribution around the North Pacific basin, 
multiple studies have indicated fairly high levels of fidelity of 
humpback whales to particular areas and limited movements of whales 
among feeding areas (e.g., Waite et al. 1999, Calambokidis et al. 2001, 
Calambokidis et al. 2008, Witteveen et al. 2011, Witteveen and Wynne 
2016a, Gabriele et al. 2017). Understanding of how humpback whale 
populations are spatially structured while in these feeding areas has 
been informed by numerous studies, and probably most notably by the 
results of the Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status 
of Humpbacks Study--referred to as the SPLASH study. This study 
involved the collection of both photographic and genetic data 
throughout the North Pacific by several hundred researchers working in 
over 10 countries (Calambokidis et al. 2008). Through the SPLASH study, 
photo-identification data were collected over three breeding seasons 
(2004, 2005, and 2006) and over two feeding seasons (2004, 2005) in 
known breeding and feeding areas. Through this effort, a total of 7,971 
unique whales were photo-identified (Calambokidis et al. 2008). For 
most analyses, photo-identification data were grouped into six broad 
feeding regions: Kamchatka (Russia), Aleutian Islands/Bering Sea, Gulf 
of Alaska, Southeast Alaska/Northern British Columbia, Southern British 
Columbia/Northern Washington, and California/Oregon (Calambokidis et 
al. 2008, Barlow et al. 2011, Wade et al. 2016). Analysis of the photo-
identification data revealed that both within-season and between-season 
movements of whales between these six feeding areas were infrequent and 
any such exchanges were mainly to adjacent areas (Calambokidis et al. 
2008), which is consistent with previous findings from earlier region-
wide studies (e.g., Calambokidis et al. 1996, Calambokidis et al. 
2001).
    Genetic analyses of skin samples collected during the SPLASH study 
provide additional insight into the structuring of humpback whale 
populations across the feeding areas (Baker et al. 2013). Analysis of 
maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 1,010 unique whales 
indicated highly significant differences in mtDNA haplotype frequencies 
among the feeding regions overall (overall FST = 0.121, 
[Phi]ST = 0.178, p < 0.0001), and pairwise comparisons were 
also significant (at p < 0.05) for 32 of 36 possible comparisons 
(excluding the western Aleutians due to low sample size, Baker et al. 
2013). Comparisons of bi-parentally inherited microsatellite DNA 
indicated very weak but significant differentiation of microsatellite 
allele frequencies among feeding areas, suggesting male-biased gene 
flow (overall FST = 0.0034, p < 0.001, Baker et al. 2013). 
The high degree of differentiation in mtDNA among feeding areas 
reflects the influence of maternal fidelity to feeding areas. This 
result is consistent with findings of previous but more spatially-
limited studies (e.g., Baker et al. 1998, Witteveen et al. 2004). This 
effect likely stems from the close dependency of calves on their 
mothers during their first year of life, during which they travel with 
their mothers and thereby inherit information from their mothers about 
feeding destinations (Baker et al. 1987, Pierszalowski et al. 2016).
    Overall, while the available photo-identification data indicate 
varying degrees of mixing of populations across the feeding areas, the 
overall pattern of structuring of populations among the feeding areas, 
as well as the pattern of migratory connections between particular 
feeding areas and breeding areas, contributed to how the various DPSs 
are described in the listing rule (81 FR 62260, September 8, 2016). In 
particular, the MX DPS is described as including whales that feed 
primarily off California-Oregon, northern Washington-southern British 
Columbia, in the Gulf of Alaska and East Bering Sea (50 CFR 223.102). 
The CAM DPS is described as including whales that feed along the West 
Coast of the United States and southern British Columbia (50 CFR 
224.101). The WNP DPS is described as including whales that feed 
primarily in the West Bering Sea and off the Russian coast and the 
Aleutian Islands (50 CFR 224.101).
    Although these feeding areas are broadly distributed and range 
widely in terms of latitude, they are usually over the continental 
shelf or near the shelf edge at shallow (~10 m) to moderate water 
depths (~50-200 m) and in cooler waters (Zerbini et al. 2016, Becker et 
al. 2016 and 2017). Often, feeding areas are associated with 
oceanographic (e.g., upwelling, fronts), bathymetric (e.g., submarine 
canyons, banks), and/or biological features (e.g., spawning areas for 
fish) that serve to concentrate or aggregate prey (e.g., Tynan et al. 
2005, Dalla Rosa et al. 2012, Thompson et al. 2012, Friday et al. 2013, 
Chenoweth et al. 2017, Straley et al. 2018, Santora et al. 2018). 
Physical oceanographic mechanisms influencing primary productivity are 
subject to significant variations on seasonal, inter-annual (e.g., El 
Ni[ntilde]o), and decadal time-scales (e.g., Pacific Decadal 
Oscillation (PDO) cycles; Barber and Chavez 1983, McGowan et al. 1998, 
2003), which adds variability to humpback whale prey distributions and 
abundances within the feeding areas.
    Satellite tagging efforts have provided some insights into the 
fine-scale movements of the whales while on the foraging grounds, 
indicating the duration, area, and variability in the areas over which 
the whales feed. For instance, in the summers of 2007 to 2011, Kennedy 
et al. (2014) deployed satellite tags on eight adult humpback whales in 
Unalaska Bay, Alaska, and tracked the whales for an average of 28 days 
(range = 8-67 days). Position data were then analyzed and categorized 
into one of three possible behavioral modes: Transiting; area-
restricted searching (ARS), or unclassified. The slower speeds and 
higher turning angles during ARS behavior are considered to be 
indicative of active foraging (Kennedy et al. 2014, citing Kareiva and 
Odell 1987, Mayo and Marx 1990). Results indicated that whales mainly 
stayed over shelf and slope habitat (1,000 m or shallower) while in ARS 
mode, and all but one whale remained relatively close to Unalaska Bay 
during the tracking period. One whale, however, left Unalaska Bay 3 
days after being tagged, traveling along the Bering Sea shelf towards 
Russia and covering almost 3,000 km in 26 days, indicating that the 
whales may in fact travel long distances during the feeding season 
(Kennedy et al. 2014). Satellite tags deployed on whales tagged off 
central California in the summer/fall of 2004-2005 and in summer of 
2017 and that were tracked for a minimum of 30 days, exhibited feeding 
behavior (as detected by ARS data) over an area that averaged 20,435.6 
km\2\ (n=8, SE = 7322.8) and 17,684.4 km\2\ (n=7, SE = 13,927.6 km\2\), 
respectively (Mate et al. 2018). In the latter case, this average area 
extended from the Channel Islands in southern California to central 
Oregon. Similar tagging work off the Oregon coast in September/October 
in 2017 indicated the whales actively fed over areas of comparable size 
(average area = 17,215.6 km\2\; n=4; SE = 8,430.6), and for the few 
whales tagged, the feeding area extended from Point Arena, central 
California, to the southwest corner of

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Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Mate et al. 2018). The area over 
which whales actively feed (as indicated by ARS data over a minimum of 
30-days) appears to be somewhat smaller in Southeast Alaska, where the 
average ARS area for whales tagged in summer of 1997 and in fall of 
2014-2015 was 4,904.3 km\2\ (n=3, SE = 1,728.8) and 2,862.7 km\2\ (n=4, 
SE = 1,834.2), respectively (Mate et al. 2018). Differences in the area 
over which the whales feed between years likely reflects a seasonal 
shift in target prey and prey distributions (Witteveen et al. 2011, 
Straley et al. 2018).
    Migrations of whales between their seasonal habitats have been 
studied indirectly using genetic data and matching of individual photo-
identified whales at feeding and breeding areas, but the specific 
migratory routes used by the whales remains poorly understood, 
especially in the North Pacific. Although data are limited, telemetry 
data from satellite-monitored radio tags have provided additional 
insights into seasonal migrations. Humpback whales were initially 
thought to migrate along a coastal route when travelling between their 
seasonal habitats, but migration routes are now known to be varied, 
with some whales taking coastal routes and some taking pelagic routes 
(Fleming and Jackson 2011). For instance, Lagerquist et al. (2008) 
tagged 11 whales off of Socorro Island, Mexico (within the 
Revillagigedo Archipelago) in February 2003, and, after an average of 
13.6 days (range = 3.8-27.0 days), seven of the whales migrated to 
areas north of the breeding areas in Mexico--three were adult whales 
without a calf and four were adult females travelling with a calf. Two 
of these seven whales were tracked all the way to feeding grounds--one 
to British Columbia (46 d migration) and one to Alaska (49 d 
migration). The migration routes were well offshore, averaging 444 km 
from the coast and ranging from 115 to 935 km from the coast 
(Lagerquist et al. 2008). One whale, which travelled the closest to 
shore overall, came within 41 km of Point Arena, California at the 
closest point along its migration. An offshore northbound migratory 
route between the Revillagigedo Archipelago and Alaska was also 
documented through visual and acoustic detections during a ship-based 
survey by Norris et al. (1999). Southbound migration routes were 
recorded by researchers from Oregon State University, who conducted 
satellite tagging efforts in multiple feeding areas during 1997-2017 
(Mate et al. 2018). Six of 88 tagged whales were tracked along their 
full migration route to breeding areas, and an additional 20 whales 
were tracked for the early portion of their migration before 
transmissions ceased. These tagging efforts indicate that up to three 
different migration routes were taken by whales departing from 
Southeast Alaska, with most (n=20) heading towards Hawaii (the breeding 
destination for the non-listed Hawaiian population of humpback whales), 
one that headed west into the Gulf of Alaska, and two that headed south 
along the U.S West Coast. One whale that had been tagged in 2017 off 
the coast of Oregon was tracked southward along a route that eventually 
extended well offshore before heading on an eastward trajectory towards 
mainland Mexico. Another two whales that had been tagged off central 
California in 2004/2005, took much more coastal routes southward to 
Mexico and Guatemala.

Diet and Feeding Behaviors

    Humpback whales are generalists, taking a variety of prey while 
foraging and also switching between target prey depending on what is 
most abundant in the system (Witteveen et al. 2015, Fleming et al. 
2016). Within the California Current marine ecosystem (CCE), the highly 
productive coastal system that extends from British Columbia, Canada to 
the southern Baja California Peninsula, humpback whales are known to 
target Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax), northern anchovy (Engraulis 
mordax), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), euphausiids (specifically 
Thysanoessa, Euphausia, Nyctiphanes, and Nematoscelis), and 
occasionally juvenile rockfish (Sebastes; Rice 1963, Kieckhefer 1992, 
Clapham et al. 1997). In waters off Alaska, the humpback diet includes: 
Euphausiids, capelin (Mallotus villosus), Pacific herring, Atka 
mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius), juvenile walleye pollock 
(hereafter ``pollock,''Gadus chalcogrammus (formerly, Theragra 
chalcogramma)), Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), saffron cod 
(Eleginus gracilis), Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), rockfish 
(Sebastes), Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), eulachon 
(Thaleichthys pacificus), surf smelt (Hypomesus pretious), Pacific 
sandfish (Trichodon trichodon), and myctophids (primarily Stenobrachius 
leucopsarus; Nemoto 1959, Klumov 1965, Tomilin 1967, Krieger and Wing 
1984, Baker 1985, Witteveen et al. 2008, Neilson et al. 2015). 
Euphausiids consumed in Alaska are mainly from genus Euphausia and 
Thysanoessa (Krieger and Wing 1984). Additional prey noted in Alaska 
are mysids, amphipods (Parathemisto libeelula), and shrimps (Eualus 
gaimardii and Pandalus goniurus) (Tomilin 1967). There have also been 
observations of humpback whales feeding on hatchery-released juvenile 
salmon in Southeast Alaska (Chenoweth et al. 2017). A more detailed 
discussion of the humpback whale diet by feeding regions within the 
North Pacific is provided in the Draft Biological Report (NMFS 2019a).
    Humpback whales are gulp feeders, gulping mouthfuls of prey and 
water at a time (Ingebrigtsen 1929), and use a variety of capture 
techniques while feeding, including lunges and bubble structures 
(bubble nets, columns, clouds, and curtains; Jurasz and Jurasz 1979, 
Hain et al. 1982). In general, humpback whales will lunge feed, both 
towards the surface and at depths, while alternating between periods of 
short, shallow dives and long, deeper dives and can execute multiple 
lunges in one dive (Goldbogen et al. 2008). Lunge types include lateral 
lunge feeding, vertical lunge feeding, and inverted lunge feeding 
(Jurasz and Jurasz 1979). Additionally, humpbacks have been observed 
using multiple types of bubble structure feeding techniques for 
capturing prey, such as bubble nets, columns, clouds, and curtains 
(Jurasz and Jurasz 1979, Hain et al. 1982) and techniques that combine 
clouds with surface disturbances (like lobtail feeding, Weinrich et al. 
1992). Artificial bubble structures have been shown experimentally to 
constrain the spatial movement of herring, particularly large schools 
(Sharpe and Dill 1997), supporting the conclusion that bubble 
techniques are likely an effective method for herding prey. Additional 
feeding strategies documented include ``blaze feeding'' (flashing the 
white side of pectoral flipper at prey; Tomilin 1957 cited in Brodie 
1977, Sharpe 2001), swimming/thrashing (roiling the surface and 
thrashing tail, Hain et al. 1982), looping, flick feeding (lashing tail 
at the surface, Jurasz and Jurasz 1979), vertical rise and subsidence 
(creates a reduced pressure zone in the water column, Hays et al. 
1985), ``roiling'' the surface with flippers and flukes (Hain et al. 
1982), and trap-feeding (McMillan et al. 2019).
    Humpback whales may also work in groups to herd and capture prey. 
For instance, in Southeast Alaska, groups of whales have been observed 
to release bubbles simultaneously in the same area, and then surface 
through the center of the bubbles together to consume the herded 
herring (Jurasz and Jurasz 1979, Baker 1985, D'Vincent et al. 1985). 
Vocalizations may be important

[[Page 54359]]

in coordinating group feeding efforts (D'Vincent et al. 1985).
    Feeding techniques likely vary depending on the target prey species 
and prey density (Jurasz and Jurasz 1979). Dive depth of foraging 
whales also varies depending on the target prey. In Alaska, Witteveen 
et al. (2015) reported that whales dove deeper to forage on krill than 
on fish (average depths of 98 m versus 80 m, respectively). Similarly, 
in areas off California, Szesciorka (2015) documented shallower feeding 
on the continental shelf where fish were more readily available, and 
deeper feeding on continental break/slope where krill were present. For 
dive depths in general, multiple authors have documented varying 
average and maximum dive depths, with mean depths ranging from around 
66 m to 107 m and maximim depths ranging from approximately 115 m to 
388 m (in Alaska, California, and Antarctica; Witteveen et al. 2008, 
Simon et al. 2012, Tyson 2014, Szesciorka 2015, Witteveen et al. 2015).
    Because humpback whales only rarely feed on breeding grounds and 
during migrations, the buildup of fat stores while on the feeding 
grounds is critical to support migration and successful breeding. Given 
the energetic costs associated with foraging activity itself, 
especially at deeper depths (Goldbogen et al. 2008), foraging is only 
expected to be energetically profitable above some lower threshold for 
an energetic return. Evidence suggests that humpback whales will 
generally feed when they encounter suitable concentrations of prey. 
Although humpback whales have often been observed in association with, 
or specifically targeting, dense aggregations of prey within North 
Pacific feeding regions (e.g., Bryant et al. 1981, Krieger and Wing 
1986, Goldbogen et al. 2008, Sigler et al. 2012, Witteveen et al. 
2015), minimum prey densities required to support feeding are not 
generally known.

Geographical Area Occupied by the Species

    The phrase ``geographical area occupied by the species,'' which 
appears in the statutory definition of critical habitat, is defined by 
regulation as an area that may generally be delineated around species' 
occurrences, as determined by the Secretary (i.e., range) (50 CFR 
424.02). Such areas may include those areas used throughout all or part 
of the species' life cycle, even if not used on a regular basis (e.g., 
migratory corridors, seasonal habitats, and habitats used periodically, 
but not solely by vagrant individuals) (Id.). Below, we summarize 
information regarding the geographical area occupied by each of the 
three DPSs of humpback whales, each of which is a ``species'' as 
defined in the ESA. See 16 U.S.C. 1532(16) (defining ``species'' to 
include any distinct population segment of any species of vertebrate 
fish or wildlife which interbreeds when mature). Additional details on 
the range of each DPS are provided in the Draft Biological Report (NMFS 
2019a).

Central America DPS

    As discussed earlier, the CAM DPS is described as humpback whales 
that breed in waters off Central America in the North Pacific Ocean and 
feed along the west coast of the United States and southern British 
Columbia (50 CFR 224.101(h)). The breeding range of this DPS includes 
waters off the Pacific coast of Central America, from Panama north to 
Guatemala, and possibly into southern Mexico (Bettridge et al. 2015, 
Calambokidis et al. 2017). Whales from this DPS have been observed 
within foraging grounds along the coasts of California, Oregon, and 
Washington (Barlow et al. 2011).
    In terms of distribution across their foraging range, CAM DPS 
whales are significantly more common in waters of southern California 
and occur in progressively decreasing numbers up the coast towards 
Washington and Southern British Columbia (Steiger et al. 1991; 
Rasmussen et al. 2001; Calambokidis et al. 2000, 2008, 2017). Of the 
humpback whales identified off the coast of Central America (n=31) in a 
photo-identification study conducted between 1981 and 1992, 84 percent 
were re-sighted off California (Calambokidis et al. 2000). This 
distribution pattern was also confirmed by the results of the SPLASH 
study, which indicated that out of 29 between-season photo-
identification matches of whales from the Central America breeding 
areas, 26 occurred within the California/Oregon feeding region and 3 
occurred within the northern Washington/southern British Columbia 
region (Barlow et al. 2011). Use of the Salish Sea by this DPS may be 
extremely limited, and has been indicated by the single re-sighting 
reported in Calambokidis et al. (2017), and no observations of these 
whales have been reported for waters off Alaska or in the Bering Sea.

Mexico DPS

    The MX DPS of humpback whales is defined as humpback whales that 
breed or winter in the area of mainland Mexico and the Revillagigedo 
Islands, transit Baja California, or feed in the North Pacific Ocean, 
primarily off California-Oregon, northern Washington/southern British 
Columbia, northern and western Gulf of Alaska, and East Bering Sea (50 
CFR 223.102(e)). Of the three DPSs addressed in this proposed rule, the 
MX DPS has the broadest distribution within the U.S. portion of their 
range. Through the SPLASH study, MX DPS whales were photo-identified in 
all five of the major feeding areas in, or partially in, U.S. waters--
i.e., California/Oregon (n=105 whales), northern Washington/southern 
British Columbia (n=27 whales), southeast Alaska/northern British 
Columbia (n=35 whales), the Gulf of Alaska (n=97 whales), and the 
Aleutian Islands/Bering Sea (n=27 whales, Barlow et al. 2011).
    In terms of their distribution across this range, whales using 
different portions of the MX DPS breeding area appear to target 
different feeding destinations. During SPLASH surveys, whales that had 
been photo-identified along the Pacific coast of mainland Mexico were 
sighted in highest numbers off the coast of California and Oregon (97 
of 164 total matches), suggesting that this is their primary foraging 
destination (Calambokidis et al. 2008, Barlow et al. 2011). Although 
whales sighted off mainland Mexico also travel to the more northern 
latitude feeding areas, the MX DPS whales sighted around the 
Revillagigedo Archipeligo had more matches overall to Alaska feeding 
areas and had higher match rates to the northern Gulf of Alaska feeding 
area in particular (44 of 87 matches; Calambokidis et al. 2008).
    Multiple studies have reported sightings of a small number of 
whales in both the Mexico and Hawaii breeding areas (e.g., n=1, Darling 
and McSweeney 1985; n=5, Calambokidis et al. 2001; n=17, Calambokidis 
et al. 2008). Detections of shared song composition among whales from 
different breeding locations along with presence of whales in mid-ocean 
tropical waters during the breeding season also suggest some form of 
contact between whales from different breeding populations (Darling et 
al. 2019a and 2019b). Overall, interchange among breeding areas appears 
to be rare, and remains poorly understood in terms of its biological 
significance.

Western North Pacific DPS

    Humpback whales of the WNP DPS are listed as humpback whales that 
breed or winter in the area of Okinawa and the Philippines in the 
Kuroshio Current (as well as unknown breeding grounds in the Western 
North Pacific Ocean), transit the Ogasawara area, or feed in the North 
Pacific Ocean,

[[Page 54360]]

primarily in the West Bering Sea and off the Russian coast and the 
Aleutian Islands (50 CFR 224.101(h)). Whales from this DPS have been 
sighted in foraging areas off the coast of Russia, primarily Kamchatka, 
the Aleutian Islands, as well as in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, 
and off northern and southern British Columbia (Figure 13; Darling et 
al. 1996, Calambokidis et al. 2001, Barlow et al. 2011). Whales from 
this DPS are not thought to use the feeding areas off Washington, 
Oregon, and California.
    Several studies have reported sightings of a small number of photo-
identified whales in both the Asia (off Japan or the Philippines) and 
Hawaii breeding areas (e.g., n=1, Darling and Cerchio 1993; n=3, Salden 
et al. 1999; n=4, Calambokidis et al. 2001; n=2, Calambokidis et al. 
2008); however, the significance of these movement to either the WNP 
DPS or the non-listed population of humpback whales that breed around 
Hawaii has not been established.
    In terms of their distribution across the U.S. portion of their 
range, whales of the WNP DPS are most likely to be found off the 
Aleutian Islands and in the Bering Sea (Wade et al. 2016, Wade 2017). 
Although very limited in number, photo-identified whales from the 
breeding areas of this DPS have also been sighted in the Kodiak and 
Shumagin Island regions of Alaska (Calambokidis et al. 2001, Witteveen 
et al. 2004, Calambokidis et al. 2008). During the SPLASH study (2004-
2006), photo-identified individuals from this DPS were matched to the 
Gulf of Alaska (n=2), the Aleutian Islands/Bering Sea (n=9), and 
Kamchatka feeding regions (n=21, Barlow et al. 2011).
    As indicated by the regulatory definition of this DPS, the breeding 
range of the WNP DPS is not fully resolved. At the time of listing, the 
breeding range of this DPS was known to include the waters off Okinawa 
and the Philippines in the area of the Babuyan Islands (Barlow et al. 
2011, Bettridge et al. 2015, Wade et al. 2016), but additional breeding 
areas were suspected based on the very low match rates for whales from 
feeding areas used by this DPS (Calambokidis et al. 2008). Recent 
evidence suggests an additional breeding area for the WNP DPS is 
located off the Mariana Islands. Humpback whale song has been detected 
on passive acoustic recorders within the Mariana Archipelago in winter 
months (December-April; Fulling et al. 2011, Oleson et al. 2015). 
Humpback whales have also been infrequently sighted near the Mariana 
Islands, mainly off of Saipan (Fulling et al. 2011; Hill et al. 2016, 
2017); and, although no humpback whales were sighted in this area 
between 2009-2013 (Fulling et al. 2011, Hill et al. 2014, Ligon et al. 
2013), mother-calf pairs have been observed off Saipan in 2015 (n=4 
pairs), 2016 (n=4 pairs), and in 2017 (n=2 pairs; Hill et al. 2016, 
2017, 2018). Individual photo-identification data for whales sampled 
off Saipan within the Mariana Archipelago in February-March 2015-2018, 
suggest that these whales belong to the WNP DPS (Hill et al. in 
review). Specifically, comparisons with existing WNP humpback whale 
photo-identification catalogs showed that 11 of 41 (27 percent) whales 
within the Mariana Archipelago humpback whale catalog were previously 
sighted in WNP breeding areas (Japan and Philippines) and/or in a WNP 
feeding area off Russia (Hill et al. in review). Mitochondrial DNA 
analyses comparing 24 individual humpback whales sampled within the 
Mariana Archipelago to ones sampled in known breeding areas throughout 
the Pacific demonstrated significant differentiation from the 
Philippines, Okinawa, Hawaii, and Central America (Hill et al. in 
review). No population structure was demonstrated between the Mariana 
Archipelago and Ogasawara or Mexico breeding areas (Hill et al. in 
review). Comparisons of samples from the Mariana Archipelago to known 
foraging areas demonstrated significant differentiation from foraging 
areas in Northern British Columbia, the Bering Sea, California/Oregon, 
Southeast Alaska, and the Northern Gulf of Alaska; no population 
structure was demonstrated between the Mariana Archipelago and foraging 
areas in Russia, the Aleutian Islands, Western Gulf of Alaska, and 
Southern British Columbia/Washington (Hill et al. in review). While the 
available data suggest that the Mariana Archipelago may serve as 
humpback whale breeding habitat, and that at least some of these whales 
likely belong to the endangered WNP DPS, additional data are needed to 
fully resolve the extent to which WNP DPS whales are relying on areas 
around the Mariana Islands as a breeding/calving habitat and the 
essential features of the specific area(s) being used for breeding and 
calving. Thus, at this time, the best available scientific information 
does not support including such areas within the proposed critical 
habitat designation for the WNP DPS.

Physical and Biological Features Essential to the Conservation of the 
Species

    The statutory definition of occupied critical habitat refers to 
``physical or biological features essential to the conservation of the 
species,'' but the ESA does not specifically define or further describe 
these features. ESA-implementing regulations at 50 CFR 424.02 (84 FR 
45020; August 27, 2019; effective September 26, 2019), however, define 
such features as follows:

    The features that occur in specific areas and that are essential 
to support the life-history needs of the species, including but not 
limited to, water characteristics, soil type, geological features, 
sites, prey, vegetation, symbiotic species, or other features. A 
feature may be a single habitat characteristic, or a more complex 
combination of habitat characteristics. Features may include habitat 
characteristics that support ephemeral or dynamic habitat 
conditions. Features may also be expressed in terms relating to 
principles of conservation biology, such as patch size, distribution 
distances, and connectivity.

    To assess habitat features that may qualify as ``essential to the 
conservation'' of humpback whales, the CHRT discussed physical and 
biological features that are essential to support the life history 
needs and support the conservation of humpback whales within the areas 
they occupy within U.S. waters. The CHRT considered and evaluated 
various features of humpback whale habitat, such as prey, migratory 
corridors or conditions, and sound/soundscape. Significant 
considerations, CHRT discussions, and resulting conclusions are 
summarized below as well as in the Draft Biological Report (NMFS 
2019a).

Prey as an Essential Feature

    Although written for the taxonomic species and thus now outdated, 
the 1991 NMFS Recovery Plan for humpback whales, identified four major 
recovery objectives, the first of which was, ``maintain and enhance 
habitats used by humpback whales currently or historically'' (NMFS 
1991). As part of that objective, we had identified multiple 
recommended actions to further the species' recovery, including 
``providing adequate nutrition'' and ``monitoring levels of prey 
abundance'' (NMFS 1991). The Recovery Plan states that adequate 
nutrition is needed for the recovery of the species, and emphasized the 
need to maintain and optimize levels of, and access to, prey (NMFS 
1991). The Recovery Plan also noted that humpback whales require access 
to prey over a sufficiently widespread feeding range to buffer them 
from local fluctuations in productivity or fisheries removals (NMFS 
1991). As we discuss here, these considerations regarding adequate 
nutrition and prey abundance and availability are still relevant today

[[Page 54361]]

for the MX, CAM, and WNP DPSs of humpback whales.
    Whales from each of these three DPSs travel to U.S. coastal waters 
specifically to access energy-rich feeding areas, and the high degree 
of loyalty to specific locations indicates the importance of these 
feeding areas. Although humpback whales are generalist predators and 
prey availability can very seasonally and spatially, substantial data 
indicate that the humpback whales' diet is consistently dominated by 
euphausiid species (of genus Euphausia, Thysanoessa, Nyctiphanes, and 
Nematoscelis) and small pelagic fishes, such as northern anchovy 
(Engraulis mordax), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), Pacific sardine 
(Sardinops sagax), and capelin (Mallotus villosus; Nemoto 1957, Nemoto 
1959, Klumov 1963, Rice Krieger and Wing 1984, Baker 1985, Kieckhefer 
1992, Clapham et al. 1997, Neilson et al. 2015; See ``Diet and Feeding 
Behavior'' and Appendix A in NMFS 2019a).
    Because humpback whales only rarely feed on breeding grounds and 
during migrations, humpback whales must have access to adequate prey 
resources within their feeding areas to build up their fat stores and 
meet the nutritional and energy demands associated with individual 
survival, growth, reproduction, lactation, seasonal migrations, and 
other normal life functions. Essentially, while on feeding grounds, the 
whales must finance the energetic costs associated with migration to 
breeding areas, reproductive activities, as well as the energetic costs 
associated with their return migration to high-latitude feeding areas. 
Fat storage has been linked to reproductive efficiency in other species 
of large, migratory, baleen whales (Lockyer 2007), and some evidence 
suggests that variation in prey availability during summer is directly 
connected to variation in annual reproductive rates for humpback whales 
in the following year (Clapham 1993). Calf condition has also been 
significantly correlated with female body condition (low calf body 
condition with lower female condition) for humpback whales in Australia 
(Christiansen et al. 2016), and, of all life stages, lactating females 
have the highest energy demands (McMillan 2014).
    Given the energetic demands of lunging and other prey capture 
techniques, foraging is only expected to be profitable above some lower 
threshold for an energetic return, and evidence suggests that humpback 
whales will only feed when they encounter suitable concentrations of 
prey. Within their North Pacific feeding areas, humpback whales have 
often been observed in association with, or specifically targeting, 
dense aggregations of prey (e.g., Bryant et al. 1981, Krieger and Wing 
1986, Goldbogen et al. 2008, Sigler et al. 2012, Witteveen et al. 
2015), but the precise range of prey densities required to support 
feeding are not generally known and therefore cannot be described 
quantitatively on the basis of the best scientific data available. 
Thus, it is essential that the whales not only have reliable access to 
prey within their feeding areas, but that prey are of a sufficient 
density to support feeding and the build-up of energy reserves.
    Given that each of three humpback whale DPSs very clearly rely on 
the feeding areas while within U.S. waters, the CHRT identified a prey 
biological feature that is essential to the conservation of the whales. 
The prey essential feature was specifically defined as follows:

    Prey species, primarily euphausiids and small pelagic schooling 
fishes of sufficient quality, abundance, and accessibility within 
humpback whale feeding areas to support feeding and population 
growth.

Migratory Corridors and Passage Features

    Given the known migratory behaviors of humpback whales and the very 
significant concerns regarding entanglement and ship strikes of 
humpback whales, especially along the U.S. West Coast, the CHRT 
explored the possibility of defining a migratory corridor or a passage-
related essential feature. The CHRT considered the best available data 
and also consulted with biologists with expertise in satellite 
telemetry and entanglement of humpback whales. Ultimately, and for 
reasons summarized below, the CHRT concluded that a migratory corridor 
or passage feature could not be identified, either between or within 
the seasonal habitats occupied by humpback whales within U.S. waters.
    In terms of a migratory ``corridor,'' the available satellite 
tagging data do not indicate a specific or consistently used route or 
routes for humpback whales traveling between their seasonal breeding 
and feeding areas in the North Pacific (Mate et al. 2007, Lagerquist et 
al. 2008, Mate et al. 2018). However, data to resolve a specific 
migratory routes are very limited, and, in particular, we are unaware 
of any telemetry data demonstrating the seasonal migration routes or 
corridors for whales of the WNP DPS or the CAM DPS. Satellite tagged 
whales from the MX DPS have been documented to use very nearshore 
waters, offshore waters within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), 
as well as waters out beyond the U.S. EEZ when transiting between 
winter breeding areas and summer feeding areas (Lagerquist et al. 2008, 
Mate et al. 2018). For MX DPS whales, when complete migratory routes 
have been captured, the telemetry data also indicate that the whales do 
not necessarily maintain a constant distance from shore, and at 
different points along their migration may be closer or farther from 
shore (D. Palacios, OSU, pers. comm., June 6, 2018, Mate et al. 2018). 
The depth or a depth range that the whales typically occupy while 
undergoing their seasonal migrations is also not yet resolved.
    Satellite tagging of whales within the feeding range of all three 
DPSs has occurred, and while DPSs of origin was not necessarily 
confirmed in all studies, results consistently show considerable 
variation in the fine-scale movement patterns of the individual whales 
both within and across years, suggesting that the whales are each 
making independent decisions regarding their movements (Kennedy et al. 
2014, Mate et al. 2018). Thus, the CHRT concluded it is not currently 
possible, on the basis of the best scientific data available, to 
spatially identify any consistently used migratory corridors or define 
any physical, essential migratory or passage conditions for whales 
transiting between or within habitats of the three DPSs.
    The conclusion by the CHRT regarding a potential migratory corridor 
is consistent with previous critical habitat designations for large, 
migratory species such as Pacific leatherback sea turtles (77 FR 4170, 
January 26, 2012) and North Atlantic right whales (81 FR 4837, January 
27, 2016). In these cases, NMFS concluded that while supporting and 
protecting the ability of these species to migrate between important 
habitats and areas was important to the conservation of the species, 
there was no clear migratory route or passage feature that could be 
defined. We also note that, as part of a multi-agency mapping effort 
(CetSound, https://cetsound.noaa.gov/cetsound), Biologically Important 
Areas (BIAs) were identified in 2015 for cetacean species or 
populations within the U.S. EEZ. BIAs are non-regulatory delineations 
that are intended to inform regulatory and management decisions; they 
are also not intended to be static delineations but can be updated as 
new data become available. While the effort to develop BIAs was not 
seeking to identify critical habitat and therefore

[[Page 54362]]

does not conclusively establish which areas should be considered to 
meet the statutory definition of ``critical habitat,'' the CHRT 
considered (and we agree) the BIA information to be very informative 
and important part of the best available scientific information. Of the 
four categories of BIAs--i.e., reproductive areas, feeding areas, 
migratory corridors, and small and resident populations--no migratory 
corridor BIAs have been identified to date for any population of 
humpback whales in any ocean (Ferguson et al. 2015b, see ``Specific 
Areas,'' below). Although we concur with the CHRT that the best 
scientific data available at this time does not support identification 
of a migratory feature, we acknowledge the ongoing management concerns 
of ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear. Humpback whales are 
observed regularly in and around fishing gear and in areas of high 
vessel traffic, and entanglement and ship strikes continue to pose 
threats to all three of these DPSs. We find that these threats are of a 
type more appropriately and more directly taken into account in the 
context of management of activities that pose a risk of harm to 
individual animals (i.e., ``take'') such as in interagency 
consultations under section 7 of the ESA, rather than as threats to the 
underlying habitat. While ship strikes and entanglements will continue 
to be treated as ``take'' issues and managed as threats to the animals 
to the extent possible under the ESA and MMPA, should these threats or 
other activities (e.g., large-scale aquaculture), either independently 
or in combination, prevent or impede the whales' ability to access 
prey, we would consider that as constituting a negative impact on the 
defined prey feature, which inherently includes consideration of 
``accessibility.'' In other words, the whale's ability to move freely 
to access their prey while on the feeding grounds is inherent in the 
prey essential feature as proposed.

Sound or a Soundscape Feature

    The CHRT considered at length the importance of sound to humpback 
whales and whether the best scientific data available supported the 
identification of a sound-related essential feature of the whales' 
occupied habitats. As discussed in detail in the Draft Biological 
Report, humpback whales generate a variety of sounds and use sound for 
communicating and for sensing their environment. Ultimately, although 
the CHRT members fully acknowledged that the whales' sensory ability to 
perceive and process sounds is an important aspect of their biology, 
the majority of the CHRT (with 2 members unsure and 1 dissent) 
concluded that the best available data currently do not enable us to 
identify particular sound levels or to describe a certain soundscape 
feature that is essential to the conservation of humpback whales. 
Reasons for this conclusion are summarized here and discussed in more 
detail in NMFS (2019a).
    Humpback whales occur within a wide range of soundscapes, and 
conclusions regarding particular sound-related habitat requirements for 
humpback whales are difficult to draw. Anthropogenic sounds are present 
in all parts of humpback whale habitat; however, some areas have more 
sources and higher levels of anthropogenic sound than others. Sightings 
data clearly demonstrate that humpback whales in the North Pacific 
routinely use and occupy relatively quieter areas as well as some of 
the noisiest areas along the U.S. West Coast (e.g., southern 
California, Redfern et al. 2017). Based on the best data available, the 
threat of anthropogenic noise received a ``low'' rating for all DPSs of 
humpback whales in the 2015 NMFS Status Review (out of possible ratings 
of ``unknown,'' ``low,'' ``medium,'' ``high,'' and ``very high;'' 
Bettridge et al. 2015). Several studies have indicated that humpback 
whales, which are predicted to have a low-frequency hearing range of 
roughly 7 Hz to 35 kHz (NMFS 2018), may even habituate to certain low-
frequency noises (Sivle et al. 2016, Di Clemente et al. 2018, Teerlink 
et al. 2018)--one of the most ubiquitous sources of which is commercial 
vessels (Hildebrand 2009).
    Behavioral responses of humpback whales to noise are highly 
variable across habitats and even among individual whales, and many 
factors can influence whether and how noise will affect a whale, 
including past exposure to a noise, individual noise tolerance, age, 
breeding status (with or without calf), and current behavioral state of 
the whale (e.g., resting versus migrating; Malme et al. 1985, Krieger 
and Wing 1986, Richardson et al. 1995, Richardson and W[uuml]rsig 1997, 
NRC 2003, Sivle et al. 2016, Wensveen et al. 2017). Responses to noise 
are also dependent on characteristics of the noise- e.g., pulse or non-
pulse, moving or stationary noise, novel or common, etc. (Richardson et 
al. 1997, Southall et al. 2007, Ellison et al. 2012). Results of 
several studies demonstrate that humpback whales exhibit behavioral 
plasticity in their communication and signaling strategies in response 
to increases in ambient noise (e.g., Dunlop et al. 2010, Dunlop et al. 
2014, Fournet et al. 2018), which in some cases may allow the whales to 
reduce acoustic interference with natural auditory signal processing 
(i.e., acoustic masking). Adding to this overall complexity in 
understanding how noise impacts humpback whales is the fact that 
scientific understanding of humpback whale hearing remains quite 
limited (Houser et al. 2001, NMFS 2018).
    Given the highly diverse and spatially broad areas occupied by 
humpback whales, as well as the mixed responses of humpback whales to 
noise, the CHRT could not define a sound-related feature that is 
essential to the conservation of humpback whales nor identify specific 
areas where such a feature could be found within the occupied ranges of 
the DPSs. Ambient sound or the ``soundscape'' is relevant to the 
whales' ability to communicate and receive sounds within the marine 
environment no matter where the whales occur, and sound or a soundscape 
per se does not appear to be associated with habitat use or occupancy. 
Instead, humpback whales appear to be highly flexible in their ability 
to use and occupy habitats with varying soundscapes. This flexibility 
may be in contrast to other cetaceans that have very limited or 
restricted distributions and for which noise impacts, such as habitat 
displacement, are likely to have measureable effects on stress, 
foraging success, survival, reproduction, etc. (Forney et al. 2017). We 
note, however, that substantial data gaps and various shortcomings for 
much of the existing, relevant literature (such as limited duration of 
assessments, limited geographic scale of observations, uncertainty 
regarding actual mechanism for observed responses, uncertainty in the 
received levels of noise, and other confounding factors associated with 
the particular study locations) prevent a clear understanding of the 
acoustic ecology of humpback whales. Furthermore, broader and longer-
term consequences of noise on the fitness and viability of humpback 
whales are not yet known (NRC 2003, Wartzok et al. 2003, NRC 2005, 
Bettridge et al. 2015, Gomez et al. 2016). Thus, although the CHRT 
ultimately concluded that the best scientific data available do not 
support identifying or describing a sound-related essential habitat 
feature at this time, improved understanding of the acoustic ecology of 
humpback whales in the future may eventually lead to a different 
conclusion.
    We agree with the CHRT's assessment and note that some effects of 
noise on whales are direct effects on the animals, and that NMFS 
already analyzes such effects in connection with evaluation of the 
activities that generate noise under

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the MMPA and section 7 of the ESA. We also note that if data indicate 
that anthropogenic noise from a particular Federal action is impacting 
the prey such that the whales cannot capture or access prey within 
their feeding areas (e.g., prey densities are decreased such that 
whales cannot feed), such an effect would constitute an impact on the 
proposed prey essential feature.

Special Management Considerations or Protection

    A specific area within the geographic area occupied by a species 
may only be designated as critical habitat if the areas contains one or 
more essential physical or biological feature that ``may require 
special management considerations or protection'' (16 U.S.C. 
1532(5)(A)(ii); 50 CFR 424.12(b)(iv)). ``Special management 
considerations or protection'' is defined as methods or procedures 
useful in protecting the physical or biological features essential to 
the conservation of listed species (50 CFR 424.02). Courts have made 
clear that the ``may require'' standard requires that NMFS determine 
that special management considerations or protection of the features 
might be required either now or in the future, but such considerations 
or protection need not be immediately required. See Cape Hatteras 
Access Pres. Alliance v. U.S. Dept. of Interior, 344 F. Supp. 2d 108, 
123-24 (D.D.C. 2004); Home Builders Ass'n of N. California v. U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Serv., 268 F. Supp. 2d 1197, 1218 (E.D. Cal. 2003). The 
relevant management need may be ``in the future based on possibility.'' 
See Bear Valley Mut. Water Co. v. Salazar, No. SACV 11-01263-JVS, 2012 
WL 5353353, at *25 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 17, 2012. See also Center for 
Biological Diversity v. Norton, 240 F. Supp. 2d 1090, 1098-99 (D. Ariz. 
2003) (noting that the ``may require'' phrase can be rephrased and 
understood as ``can require'' or ``possibly requires'').
    Four broad categories of actions, or threats, were identified by 
the CHRT as having the potential to negatively impact the essential 
prey feature and the ability of feeding areas to support the 
conservation of listed humpback whales in the North Pacific: Climate 
change, direct harvest of the prey by fisheries, marine pollution, and 
underwater noise. Each of these threats could independently or in 
combination result in the need for special management or protections of 
the essential prey feature. The ``may require'' standard is met or 
exceeded with respect to management of the essential prey feature. 
Although we do not speculate as to what specific conservation measures 
might be required in the future through section 7 consultations on 
particular proposed Federal actions, we can point, for example, to our 
authorities to manage Federal fisheries under the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801, et seq.) to 
demonstrate that management of the prey feature is not only possible 
but is ongoing. We therefore conclude that the prey feature may require 
special management considerations or protection. These threat 
categories are summarized here and discussed in more detail in the 
Draft Biological Report (NMFS 2019a).

Climate Change

    Multiple studies have detected changes in the abundance, quality, 
and distribution of species that serve as prey for humpback whales in 
association with climate shifts, particularly with ocean warming. The 
nature and extent of impacts have varied across study areas and 
species; however, in many cases, ocean warming has led to negative 
impacts on humpback whale prey species. For instance, in the California 
Current Ecosystem (CCE), during the anomalous warming of the upper 
ocean and weak upwelling from 2013-2016, often referred to as the 
``blob'' or the ``warm blob,'' sharp decreases in euphausiid biomass 
were observed, as evidenced by declines in both abundance and body 
length (Harvey et al. 2017, Peterson et al. 2017). Comparisons of 
samples collected in the Northern California Current region during 
years of cool (2011, 2012), warm (2000, 2002), and intermediate (2015, 
2016) conditions, also indicated that body condition of northern 
anchovy, Pacific herring, and Pacific sardine were better in cool years 
compared to warm years, and significantly so for anchovy and herring 
(Brodeur et al. 2018). During the anomalous warm blob event, sardine 
spawned earlier and appeared farther north within the Northern 
California Current than in previous years (Auth et al. 2018). Shifts in 
prey abundance and distributions may lead to corresponding shifts in 
marine mammal distributions (King et al. 2011). In Monterey Bay, 
California, such a response was reported for blue, fin, and humpback 
whales, the densities of which all declined with El Ni[ntilde]o -
associated declines in euphausiids (Benson et al. 2002).
    Consequences of climate-driven and climate-related reductions in 
the quality and abundance of prey species can cascade upwardly through 
ecosystems by decreasing energy transfers to higher trophic levels and 
potentially even causing reproductive failures and die-offs of some 
predators (Coyle et al. 2011, Zador and Yasumiishi 2017 and 2018, 
Bordeur et al. 2018, Jones et al. 2018). Observations of whales with 
poor body condition, called ``skinny whales'' due to their emaciated 
appearance, have been reported in recent years in Prince William Sound 
and Glacier Bay, Alaska (Straley et al. 2018; and see https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/620535). The lowest calving rates 
on record (since 1985) have also been observed in recent years (2016-
2018, https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/620535) in Southeast 
Alaska, and juvenile return rates to the area are also low (Gabriele 
and Neilson 2018). It is not yet clear whether nutritional stress or 
some other factor (e.g., parasites, disease) is the cause of the poor 
body condition and observed low calving rates of these whales, but some 
researchers hypothesize that reduced prey availability and/or quality 
driven by the marine heat wave of 2013-2016 and other climate factors 
is the likely cause (Gabriele and Neilson 2018).

Direct Harvest

    Within the areas under consideration for designation, a few 
fisheries directly target prey species that form a major part of the 
humpback whale diet (e.g., Pacific herring, Pacific sardine, northern 
anchovy), and other fisheries can incidentally capture important prey 
species. This creates the potential for direct competition between 
humpback whales and certain fisheries (Trites et al. 1997). In fact, 
current management of key forage species like Pacific sardine and 
northern anchovy under their associated Federal fishery management plan 
includes a specific objective of providing adequate forage for 
dependent species, like whales and other higher trophic level species 
(PFMC 2019). Humpback whales target large, dense schools of prey, and 
the best available data support the conclusion that, though not yet 
quantifiable, there is a density threshold below which humpback whales 
will not feed or cannot feed effectively due to trade-offs with the 
energetic demands of feeding. Consequences of prey depletion as a 
result of fishing activities are also likely to be exacerbated in years 
when alternative humpback whale prey species are naturally low in 
abundance due to climate or environmental factors. Sufficient depletion 
of prey on the feeding grounds can lead to nutritional stress, which in 
turn can lead to decreases in body condition, size, reproductive 
output, and survival (as in Steller sea lions, Trites and Donnelly 
2003; gray whales, Bradford et al. 2012; right whales, Seyboth et al. 
2016). For

[[Page 54364]]

humpback whales in the Atlantic Ocean, there is some evidence that 
variation in prey availability during the summer may be connected to 
variation in annual reproductive rates in the following year (Clapham 
1993).

Marine Pollution

    Although pollution was not identified as a significant threat to 
any of the North Pacific DPSs of humpback whales in the recent status 
review (Bettridge et al. 2015), consumption of contaminated or low 
quality prey may negatively affect the health, population growth, and 
ultimately the recovery of listed humpback whales. Humpback whales are 
susceptible to bioaccumulation of lipophilic contaminants because they 
have long lifespans and large fat deposits in their tissues. Some 
contaminants may also be passed to young whales during gestation and 
lactation (as in fin whales, Aguilar and Borrell 1994). In comparisons 
of samples collected from Northern Hemisphere feeding grounds, Elfes et 
al. (2010) reported that concentrations of contaminants within humpback 
whale blubber were high in southern California and in the Northern Gulf 
of Maine. Marine pollution in the form of plastics is also a concern 
for marine systems worldwide, and microplastics in particular have 
entered into marine systems and food webs. Microplastics could be 
consumed via contaminated prey or ingested directly by whales when 
microplastics co-occur in the water column with target prey.
    Marine pollution may also lead to secondary impacts on the whales' 
habitat. For instance, pollution from untreated industrial and domestic 
wastewater may be contributing to the occurrences of algal blooms. 
During some algal blooms, toxins (e.g., saxitoxin, domoic acid) can 
become increasingly concentrated as they move up the food chain. 
Although much of the humpback whales' prey are lower trophic-level 
species, several unusual mortality events have been documented in the 
Atlantic Ocean, indicating that such toxins can pose a concern for 
humpback whales. During one event in which 16 humpback whale carcasses 
were found, some of the humpback whales had saxitoxin poisoning and/or 
contained domoic acid (Gulland 2006). In another event, 14 humpback 
whales were determined to have died as a result of consuming Atlantic 
mackerel containing saxitoxin (Geraci et al. 1989).

Ocean Noise

    Lastly, effects of noise on fish and zooplankton species, which is 
a topic of increasing research attention, may range from health and 
fitness consequences to mortality and reductions in abundance (Popper 
and Hastings 2009, Kight and Swaddle 2011, Radford et al. 2014). For 
instance, there is evidence that marine seismic surveys can result in 
behavioral effects as well as significant injury and mortality of 
fishes and zooplankton (McCauley et al. 2017, Carroll et al. 2017); 
however, such impacts may be relatively short in duration and spatially 
limited (to within the survey footprint and extending out ~15 km) and 
may be minimized by ocean circulation (Richardson et al. 2017). 
Available research also suggests that other noises in the marine 
environment from sources such as impact pile driving and underwater 
explosives may have negative consequences on certain species of fish 
and invertebrates such as trauma or tissue damage, mortality (of 
various life stages), stress, disruptions of schooling, or reduced 
foraging success (Popper and Hastings 2009, Weilgart 2017). Whether and 
how specific humpback whale prey are currently being impacted by 
various noise sources and levels is not yet clear, but the available 
information is sufficient to indicate that ocean noise poses a 
management concern for many fish and invertebrate species such that 
they may require management considerations or protection (Hawkins and 
Popper 2017).

Unoccupied Areas

    Section 3(5)(A)(ii) of the ESA authorizes the designation of 
specific areas outside the geographical area occupied by the species if 
those areas are determined to be essential for the conservation of the 
species. Recently revised regulations at 50 CFR 424.12(b)(2), similar 
to the regulations that were in effect prior to 2016, require that we 
first evaluate areas occupied by the species and only consider 
unoccupied areas to be essential where a critical habitat designation 
limited to geographical areas occupied would be inadequate to ensure 
the conservation of the species (84 FR 45020; August 27, 2019; 
effective September 26, 2019).
    Within the North Pacific Ocean, humpback whales historically ranged 
throughout all coastal areas of Asia and North America. Although 
humpback whale abundances were greatly reduced throughout their range 
by commercial whaling (Rice 1978, Rice and Wolman 1982, Johnson and 
Wolman 1984), they still occur in areas where they were once targeted 
by commercial whaling operations, or to some degree have returned to 
areas where they had not been observed for many years. For instance, 
humpback whales are common in the former whaling grounds off Port 
Hobron and Akutan, Alaska, where they were once heavily exploited 
(Zerbini et al. 2006). The NMFS 2017 Marine Mammal Stock Assessments 
for the Western and Central North Pacific regions conclude that 
humpback whales are currently found throughout their historical feeding 
range (Muto et al. 2018). Because ESA-listed humpback whales are 
considered to occupy their entire historical range that falls within 
U.S. jurisdiction, we find that there are no unoccupied areas that are 
essential to their recovery and further conclude that a designation 
limited to geographical areas occupied by humpback whales would be 
adequate to conserve the three listed DPSs.

Specific Areas Containing the Essential Feature

    To determine what areas qualify as critical habitat within the 
geographical area occupied by the species, we are required to identify 
``specific areas'' that contain the physical or biological features 
essential to the conservation of the species (50 CFR 
424.12(b)(1)(iii)). Delineation of the specific areas is done ``at a 
scale determined by the Secretary [of Commerce] to be appropriate'' (50 
CFR 424.12(b)(1)). Regulations at 50 CFR 424.12(c) also require that 
each critical habitat area be shown on a map.
    In determining the scale and boundaries for the specific areas, the 
CHRT considered, among other things, the scales at which biological 
data are available and the availability of standardized geographical 
data necessary to map boundaries. Because the ESA implementing 
regulations allow for discretion in determining the appropriate scale 
at which specific areas are drawn (50 CFR 424.12(b)(1)), we are not 
required to, nor was it possible to, determine that each square inch, 
acre, or even square mile independently meets the definition of 
``critical habitat.'' A main goal in determining and mapping the 
boundaries of the specific areas is to provide a clear description and 
documentation of the areas containing the identified essential feature. 
This is ultimately crucial to ensuring that Federal action agencies are 
able to determine whether their particular actions may affect the 
critical habitat. Another goal of this effort was to delineate specific 
areas in a manner that would facilitate subsequent analyses for each 
humpback whale DPS under section 4(b)(2) of the ESA (e.g., 
consideration of economic impacts). See 16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(2).
    Ultimately, based on a review of the best available data, the CHRT 
delineated 19 specific areas along the coasts of Alaska, Washington, 
Oregon, and

[[Page 54365]]

California that meet the definition of critical habitat for one or more 
of the three DPSs of whales (Figure 1). Each of these areas meets the 
definition of ``critical habitat'' because the best available 
scientific data indicate that the essential feature is present, as 
evidenced by documented feeding behavior of the whales in these areas, 
humpback whale sightings data, and/or presence of humpback whale prey.
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP09OC19.020


[[Page 54366]]


BILLING CODE 3510-22-C
    In delineating the specific areas, the CHRT applied identified 
datasets in a systematic way across each region and DPS to ensure 
consistency in how boundaries were determined. The approach and data 
used by the CHRT are summarized here; further detail is provided in the 
Draft Biological Report (NMFS 2019a). First, the CHRT considered the 
humpback whale BIAs and decided that the BIAs would remain intact 
within a given specific area unless there was a compelling reason to 
change or divide it. As noted earlier, the humpback whale BIAs have all 
been identified as ``feeding'' BIAs, which are defined as follows:

    Areas and times within which aggregations of a particular 
species preferentially feed. These either may be persistent in space 
and time or associated with ephemeral features that are less 
predictable but are located within a larger area that can be 
delineated (Ferguson et al. 2015b).

    As discussed in Van Parijs (2015) and Ferguson et al. (2015b), BIAs 
were developed for cetacean species within all regions of the United 
States through rigorous reviews of survey data and habitat models by 
multiple teams of scientists. BIAs were identified to inform 
regulatory, management, and conservation decision-making by NOAA, other 
Federal agencies, and the public. Although the BIAs are non-regulatory, 
non-binding, and were not intended to be synonymous with critical 
habitat under the ESA, they were regarded by the CHRT as an important 
source of the best available data and very informative to their review 
of areas that meet the definition of critical habitat for humpback 
whales. The CHRT was also aware that humpback whale BIAs for Alaska and 
for the U.S. West Coast were developed by different teams and were 
supported by very different types and levels of data, and that, 
therefore, the BIAs for these two major regions were not entirely 
consistent in terms of how they were ultimately drawn.
    For U.S. West Coast areas (Washington, Oregon, and California), the 
CHRT applied the results of a habitat model for the CCE that 
incorporated 275 humpback whale sightings from seven systematic line-
transect cetacean surveys conducted in summer and fall (July-December) 
between 1991-2009 (Becker et al. 2016) and a habitat model for southern 
California (i.e., Units 16-19) that incorporated 53 humpback whale 
sighting from 20 surveys conducted between 2005 and 2015 during winter 
and spring (January- April, Becker et al. 2017). Predictions from the 
summer/fall models were made for the entire U.S. West Coast from the 
coast to 300 nmi offshore (the study area was approximately 1,141,800 
km\2\). Predictions from the winter/spring models were made in a subset 
of this region: south of 38[deg] N and east of 125[deg] W (the study 
areas was approximately 385,460 km\2\.) The Becker et al. 2016 and 2017 
models summarize expected humpback whale distributions in the CCE over 
a long time-period and incorporate oceanographic variability observed 
during the surveys.
    The Becker et al. (2016 and 2017) models predicted humpback whale 
abundance in approximately 10 by 10 km grid cells. Cells containing the 
highest 90 percent of the predicted study area abundance were used to 
help delineate the offshore extent of the specific areas. (All or 100 
percent of the predicted abundance had a distribution that extended out 
to and even beyond the U.S. EEZ.) The Becker et al. (2016 and 2017) 
predictions also contributed to delineating the north/south boundaries 
between the specific areas. As no such coast-wide habitat model is 
available for Alaska, the CHRT relied on published surveys and 
available sightings data. Where available, humpback whale sightings 
data were mapped and overlaid with the BIAs to inform selection of 
boundaries between specific areas.
    For applicable habitat units, the CHRT also considered the polygons 
derived from ARS data from satellite-tagged whales (Mate et al. 2018). 
These polygons provided the CHRT with additional information and 
support regarding where humpback whales feed and over what size area 
they may feed. When considering these data, the CHRT only used polygons 
representing the overlay of two or more individual whales (i.e., data 
representing movements of just a single whale were not determinative of 
specific area boundaries).
    To determine where to draw nearshore boundaries for the specific 
areas, the CHRT created depth-frequency histograms using sightings data 
from multiple studies (e.g., Calambokidis et al. 2008, Zerbini et al. 
2006, Baker et al. 2016). Collectively, the sightings datasets 
represent results of different types of sampling efforts (e.g., 
targeted small boat surveys, systematic line-transect surveys), 
different time-periods (2001-2003, 2004, 2005), and different study 
locations. Rather than select any one particular data set or study over 
another, the CHRT generated depth frequency histograms from all these 
sightings in Alaska and for all sightings off of Washington, Oregon, 
and California to delineate the shoreward boundary for critical habitat 
units in each of those respective regions. Based on the depth-frequency 
histograms for Alaska, the 1-m depth contour (relative to mean lower 
low water (MLLW)) or a BIA boundary, whichever was closer to shore, was 
selected as the nearshore boundary for the habitat units in Alaska. 
Humpback whales in Alaska have frequently been observed feeding 
extremely close to shore during high tide (J. Moran, AFSC, pers. comm., 
May 23, 2018), which comports with the CHRT's selection of the 1-m 
depth contour (or isobath). Based on the depth frequency histograms for 
the U.S. West Coast, the CHRT selected the 50-m isobaths as the 
shoreward boundary for each specific area unless it clipped out a 
portion of a BIA. Cases where this occurred (i.e., Units 16 and 17) and 
how it was addressed are discussed in more detail in the descriptions 
of each specific area.
    In the following sections, we provide additional details regarding 
the boundaries of each of the 19 specific areas and briefly describe 
humpback whales' use of the specific area. We note that these 
delineations of specific units of habitat do not necessarily represent 
discrete feeding aggregations or populations of humpback whales--
individual whales generally move across many of these boundaries. More 
detailed information regarding whale and prey distributions is provided 
in the Draft Biological Report (NMFS 2019a).

Unit 1--Bristol Bay

    This unit is bounded along the northern edge by a line extending 
due west from Egegik (at 58[deg]14' N, 157[deg]28' W) to encompass the 
humpback whale BIA within Bristol Bay. The boundary then extends 
southwest and then southward tangentially along the BIA to the 
coastline at Moffet Point (55[deg]27' N, 162[deg]35' W). The nearshore 
boundary of this unit follows the 1-m isobath (relative to MLLW). This 
unit covers 19,279 nmi\2\ and includes waters off Bristol Bay and Lake 
and Peninsula Boroughs, and a small portion of Aleutians East Borough.
    Unit 1 boundaries were drawn based largely on the location of a 
humpback whale feeding BIA, which was in turn identified largely based 
on results of systematic surveys reported in Clapham et al. 2012, 
Friday et al. 2012, and Friday et al. 2013, indicating high densities 
of humpback whales in this area (see Ferguson et al. 2015c). However, 
Unit 1 extends farther into Bristol Bay relative to the BIA to reflect 
sightings from 1999 aerial surveys of Bristol Bay (Friday et al. 2012) 
and

[[Page 54367]]

sightings from the 2017 IWC Pacific Ocean Whale and Ecosystem Research 
Program (POWER) survey (Matsuoka et al. 2018) indicating that humpback 
whales may also be common in these waters. The southern, nearshore 
boundary was drawn to accommodate the nearshore areas (around the 50 m 
isobath) indicated by sightings reported in Friday et al. (2013). Unit 
1 does not extend into the intertidal portions of northern Bristol Bay 
based on the lack of detections of humpbacks in the small bays along 
the coast of northern Bristol Bay (Friday et al. 2012, Matsuoka et al. 
2018, and J. Moran, AFSC, pers. comm. May 23, 2018). Humpback whale 
sightings collected within North Pacific right whale critical habitat 
during systematic vessel and aerial surveys conducted by the National 
Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) were considered but were not 
determinative of the area's boundaries given the high intensity of 
effort represented by those surveys and the resulting significant 
upwards bias in the humpback whale sightings documented in this area. 
Surveys conducted during 2004 and 2006-2010 within the eastern Bering 
Sea and that overlapped with a portion of Unit 1, indicated widespread 
and persistent concentrations of euphausiids in the survey area (Sigler 
et al. 2012). Stomach content analyses and corresponding fish 
distributions indicate humpback whales may also feed on various species 
of schooling fish, such as capelin and sand lance, in this region 
(Nemoto 1959, Ormseth 2015, Andrews et al. 2016).
    Photo-identification data are not available to validate occurrences 
of particular DPSs within this unit; however, the available data 
suggest this area is a destination for whales from the Hawaii (HI, 
which are not listed), WNP, and MX DPSs (Baker et al. 2013). Five 
marked whales are also documented to have moved between this general 
region and the WNP breeding grounds (Omura and Ohsumi 1964).

Unit 2--Aleutian Island Area

    This unit includes waters along the northern side of Unimak Island, 
waters around Umnak and Unalaska Islands, and waters within Umnak and 
Unimak Pass. At its eastern edge, the northern boundary of this area 
extends from 55[deg]41N/162[deg]41' W, tangentially along the northern 
edge of a humpback whale BIA west out to 169[deg] 30' W. The western 
boundary extends southward through Samalga Pass to the BIA boundary on 
the south side of the islands, which corresponds closely to a line 
drawn along the 2,000-m isobath. This southern boundary follows the 
edge of the BIA and extends eastward to 164[deg]25' W. The nearshore 
boundary of this unit is the 1-m isobath (relative to MLLW). This unit 
includes waters off the Aleutian East and Aleutian West Boroughs. Unit 
2 covers 28,829 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This area encompasses a humpback whale feeding BIA, which was drawn 
to include high density sightings of humpback whales as reported in 
Zerbini et al. 2006, Clapham et al. 2012, Friday et al. 2012, and 
Friday et al. 2013 (See Ferguson et al. 2015c). Telemetry and sightings 
data indicate that humpback whales use the coastal waters to the north 
and south of the islands as well as within the passes (Zerbini et al. 
2006, Sigler et al. 2012, Kennedy et al. 2014). The western edge of the 
Unit 2, however, does not include the small portion of the BIA that 
extends west of Samalga Pass. The reason why the boundary was selected 
for the critical habitat unit is that this pass coincides with an 
abrupt oceanographic break, and the frequency of humpback whale 
sightings have been very low or absent west of Samalga Pass (Zerbini et 
al. 2006; P. Wade, pers. comm., May 23, 2018). The northwestern edge of 
the Unit 2 also extends slightly north of the BIA, because available 
sightings data indicate humpback whales use waters north of Unimak Pass 
and along the middle and outer Bering Sea shelf and slope (Calambokidis 
et al. 2008, Friday et al. 2012, Friday et al. 2013, Matsuoka et al. 
2018). Surveys conducted during 2004 and2006-2010 within the eastern 
Bering Sea indicated widespread and persistent concentrations of 
euphausiids in this area (Sigler et al. 2012), and general additive 
models using environmental datasets from summers 2008-2010 for the 
Eastern Bering Sea also predict relatively high levels of euphausiid 
biomass occurring within this area (Zerbini et al. 2016). In addition 
to targeting euphausiids, humpback whales also consume multiple fish 
species occurring in this region such as capelin, sand lance, Atka 
mackerel, and walleye pollock (Nemoto 1959, Ormseth 2015, 2017).
    Photo-identification data indicate this area is a destination for 
whales from the HI, WNP, and MX DPSs (Calambokidis et al. 2008).

Unit 3--Shumagin Islands Area

    This area extends from 164[deg]25' W eastward to 158[deg]39' W and 
encompasses the feeding BIA around the Shumagin Islands. The area is 
bounded on its southern (offshore) edge by a line drawn along the 
1,000-m isobath, which also runs along the southern edge of the BIA. 
The nearshore boundary of this unit follows the 1-m isobath (relative 
to MLLW). This unit is mainly within the Aleutians East Borough but 
includes a small portion of the Lake and Peninsula Borough. Unit 3 
covers 13,162 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This area was drawn from the boundary of Unit 2 eastward to 
encompass an identified BIA (Ferguson et al. 2015a). This BIA is within 
the 1,000-m isobath, which was selected as the offshore boundary for 
this unit. Surveys conducted within this area indicate that feeding 
aggregations of humpback whales consistently occur in coastal areas 
south of these islands and around the Shumagin Islands (Waite et al. 
1999, Witteveen et al. 2004, Zerbini et al. 2006, Wynne and Witteveen 
2013), where the whales have been observed targeting dense schools of 
krill (Wynne and Witteveen 2013). During the University of Alaska's 
Gulf Apex Predator-Prey (GAP) Study surveys within this area, conducted 
across 14 feeding seasons, 654 individual humpback whales were 
identified out of 1,437 total sightings. Analyses of these sightings 
indicate a fairly high degree of site fidelity to this area, with an 
average annual rate of return of 37 percent (SD = 11.8%; Witteveen and 
Wynne 2016a). Surveys conducted in 1985 indicated that humpback whales 
were widely distributed throughout this area but were typically 
observed near island complexes, the shelf break, and banks, such as 
Sanak Bank, Shumagin Bank, and an additional unnamed bank, with 
repeated observations of whales at both Shumagin Bank and the unnamed 
bank (Brueggeman et al. 1987).
    Photo-identification data indicate this area is a destination for 
whales from the HI, MX, and WNP DPSs (Witteveen et al. 2004, 
Calambokidis et al. 2008).

Unit 4--Central Peninsula Area

    The western edge of this area extends along 158[deg]39' out to a 
line corresponding to the 1,000-m isobath, which marks the offshore 
boundary. The eastern boundary is at 154[deg]54' W, just east of the 
Shumagin Islands. The nearshore boundary of this unit follows the 1-m 
isobath (relative to MLLW). This unit is within the Lake and Peninsula 
Borough. Unit 4 covers 15,026 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This area captures the waters between two identified feeding BIAs. 
Survey data indicate that humpback whales are consistently found in 
these waters (Brueggeman et al. 1989, Zerbini et al. 2006) and at least 
occasionally transit between the Shumagin Island area and Kodiak Island 
(5 of 171 whales; Witteveen et al. 2004). Results of systematic surveys 
conducted in the

[[Page 54368]]

summers of 2001, 2002, and 2003, indicate that fin whales occurred in 
high densities in Unit 4, and in particular around the Semidi Islands, 
relative to the adjacent areas (Units 3 and 5); while humpback whales 
had the opposite distribution pattern (Zerbini et al. 2006). Brueggeman 
et al. (1989) report a fairly similar pattern based on their aerial and 
shipboard surveys conducted in 1985 and 1987, respectively. Although 
these two whale species are often sympatric and have overlapping diets, 
previous surveys and isotope analyses have provided evidence of trophic 
niche partitioning between fin and humpback whales, with the latter 
being more piscivorous (Wynne and Witteveen 2013, Gavrilchuk et al. 
2014, Witteveen et al. 2015, Witteveen et al. 2016).
    Photo-identification data demonstrate that this area is a 
destination for whales from the HI and MX DPSs (Calambokidis et al. 
2008). WNP DPSs whales have not been photo-identified in this area but 
their presence has been inferred based on documented occurrences in the 
adjacent units (i.e., Units 3 and 5).

Unit 5--Kodiak Island Area

    This area includes the waters around Kodiak Island and the Barren 
Islands. The western boundary runs southward along 154[deg]54' W to a 
line that follows the 1,000-m isobath, and then extends eastward to a 
boundary at 150[deg]40' W. The area also extends northward to the mouth 
of Cook Inlet where it is bounded by a line that extends from Cape 
Douglas across the inlet to Cape Adam. The nearshore boundary of this 
unit follows the 1-m isobath (relative to MLLW). This unit is within 
the Kodiak Island Borough but includes a small portion of the Kenai 
Peninsula Borough. Unit 5 covers 17,420 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This area was drawn to capture the Kodiak Island BIA, as well as 
documented aggregations of humpback whales around the Barren Islands 
and in waters to the east of Kodiak (Rice and Wolman 1982, Zerbini et 
al. 2006, Ferguson et al. 2015a, Rone et al. 2017). Waters around 
Kodiak Islands have been surveyed extensively since 1999 as part of the 
GAP study. Over 17 years of GAP surveys in this area, 1,187 unique 
humpback whales were identified in the Kodiak region (out of 2,173 
total sightings), with an average annual rate of return of 35 percent 
(SD = 15.2 percent, Witteveen and Wynn 2016), indicating a high degree 
of site fidelity to this area. Some inter-annual movement of whales has 
also been observed between this area and lower Cook Inlet and Prince 
William Sound (Waite et al. 1999, Witteveen et al. 2011). Waite et al. 
(1999) estimated that only 3 to 6 percent of the Kodiak whales also 
visit Prince William Sound, and the two areas are viewed as supporting 
largely separate feeding groups (Waite et al. 1999, Witteveen et al. 
2011). Humpback whales were also historically common in this area and 
were taken in a commercial whale fishery that operated out of Port 
Hobron, off the southeastern coast of Kodiak Island (Witteveen et al. 
2007). While the whales occur throughout this area, they appear to be 
most abundant off the northeastern and southern coastlines, and are 
less frequently observed within Shelikof Strait (Zerbini et al. 2006). 
Relative proportions of prey items within the humpback diet have been 
shown to vary between years, but key prey targeted by the whales within 
this unit include krill, capelin, juvenile pollock, sand lance 
(Witteveen et al. 2012, Wright et al. 2016).
    Photo-identification data demonstrate this area is a destination 
for whales from the HI, MX, and WNP DPSs (Calambokidis et al. 2008).

Unit 6--Cook Inlet

    This area extends from the mouth of Cook Inlet where it is bounded 
by a line that extends from Cape Douglas across the inlet to Cape Adam. 
The northern boundary is the 60[deg]20' N latitude line, just south of 
Kalgin Island. The nearshore boundary of this unit is the 1-m isobath 
(relative to MLLW). This area borders the Kenai Peninsula Borough. This 
unit covers 3,366 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    The southern boundary of this area approximates the ecological 
shift between the Kodiak Island Area (Unit 5) and Cook Inlet. Unit 6 
does not include the upper portions of Cook Inlet, because humpback 
sightings are rare north of Kalgin Island despite extensive, routine 
aerial surveys of this area for Cook Inlet beluga whales (K. Sheldon, 
NMML, pers. comm., August 2, 2018). North of the Forelands, the inlet 
becomes shallow and highly turbid due to deposition of glacial silt. 
With its extreme tidal range, mudflats, and low visibility, the upper 
inlet does not provide suitable feeding habitat for humpback whales 
despite the presence of prey species (e.g., eulachon). Humpback whales 
are routinely sighted in the lower portions of the inlet (NMML, unpubl. 
data, 1994-2018), but the density of whales and level of site fidelity 
of humpback whales to this feeding area has not been established. 
Inter-annual movements of humpback whales between lower Cook Inlet and 
the Kodiak Island area (Unit 5) have been observed (Witteveen et al. 
2011), indicating that the whales feeding in this area do not comprise 
a completely distinct feeding aggregation. Based on stable isotope 
analyses of pooled skin samples collected from whales found during the 
feeding season (May--December) in lower Cook Inlet, Kenai Fjords, and 
Prince William Sound region, humpback whales in this area appear to 
primarily consume fish species (Witteveen et al. 2011).
    Photo-identification data demonstrate that HI and MX DPS whales 
occur in this area (Calambokidis et al. 2008). WNP DPS whales have not 
been photo-identified in this specific area; however, their presence in 
this area has been inferred based on available data indicating that 
humpback whales from WNP wintering areas occur in this general region 
of Alaska (NMFS 2019a, Table C8).

Unit 7--Kenai Peninsula Area

    This area extends eastward from 150[deg]40' W at the boundary with 
Unit 5 (Kodiak Island Area) to 148[deg]31' W, and extends offshore to a 
boundary marked by the 1,000-m isobath. The nearshore boundary of this 
unit is the 1-m isobath (relative to MLLW). This unit measures 8,496 
nmi\2\ and is within the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
    This area captures the region separating the Kodiak Island and 
Prince William Sound BIAs and includes feeding areas around the Kenai 
Fjords. Estimated densities of humpback whales within the shelf portion 
of the Navy Temporary Maritime Activities Area, which overlaps with a 
portion of Unit 7, has ranged from 0.0930 in 2013 (CV = 0.74) to 0.0050 
in 2015 (CV = 0.32, Rone et al. 2017). Based on results reported in 
Witteveen et al. 2011, site fidelity of humpback whales to this area 
can be inferred to be fairly high. Inter-annual movement of whales has 
also been observed between this area and the coastal waters around 
Kodiak Island (Witteveen et al. 2011). As noted previously for Unit 6, 
stable isotope analyses of pooled skin samples collected from whales 
found during the feeding season (May--December) in Kenai Fjords, lower 
Cook Inlet, and Prince William Sound region, suggest that humpback 
whales in this area primarily consume fish species (Witteveen et al. 
2011).
    Photo-identification data demonstrate this area is a destination 
for whales from the HI and MX DPSs (Calambokidis et al. 2008). 
Satellite telemetry data also indicate this is a destination for MX DPS 
whales. A calf tagged off the Revillagigedo Islands in 2003, travelled

[[Page 54369]]

to the Gulf of Alaska with its mother and spent 30 days feeding on 
Portlock Bank (located largely within Unit 7) until tracking ceased 
(Lagerquist et al. 2008). WNP DPS whales have not been photo-identified 
in this specific area, but presence of WNP DPS whales has been assumed 
based on available data indicating that humpback whales from WNP 
wintering areas occur within the Gulf of Alaska (NMFS 2019a, Table C8).

Unit 8--Prince William Sound Area

    This area extends from 148[deg]31' W eastward to 145[deg]27' W, and 
extends offshore to a boundary drawn along the 1,000-m isobath. The 
nearshore boundary of this unit is the 1-m isobath (relative to MLLW). 
This unit is within the Valdez-Cordova Borough and covers 8,166 nmi\2\ 
of marine habitat.
    This area was drawn to encompass the Prince William Sound feeding 
BIA (Ferguson et al. 2015a), which was identified based on studies 
conducted mainly in the western and southern portions of the sound 
(e.g., von Ziegesar et al. 2001, Rice et al. 2011). The BIA encompasses 
the portion of this unit where humpback whale densities have been 
documented to be high and where feeding aggregations have been 
consistently observed. Survey effort has been very limited in the areas 
outside of the BIA, especially the shelf waters. This unit was drawn to 
include waters beyond the boundaries of the BIA based on the additional 
sightings reported in Witteveen et al. (2011, and as detected during 
SPLASH surveys) and observations reported by von Ziegesar (2013) 
indicating that humpback whales move between the sound and the fiords 
along the coast. Minor aggregations of humpback whales (8-13 whales) 
were also observed near Middleton Island during systematic surveys 
conducted in summer 1980 in the Gulf of Alaska (Rice and Wolman 1982). 
Humpback whales occur year-round in Prince William Sound, but densities 
are greatest during summer and fall, and decline in late December to 
early January (Straley et al. 2018). Presence of humpback whales in the 
sound is strongly associated with the seasonal formation of Pacific 
herring aggregations (Rice et al. 2011, Straley et al. 2018, Moran and 
Straley 2018). Results of surveys conducted during fall/winter of 2007-
2009 indicated that a small percentage of photo-identified whales 
(under 2 percent, n = 4) overwintered in the sound (Rice et al. 2011). 
Inter-annual movements of whales have been observed between the sound 
and the coastal waters around Kodiak Island (Waite et al. 1999, 
Witteveen et al. 2011). However, Waite et al. (1999) estimated that 
only 3 to 6 percent of the Kodiak whales also visit Prince William 
Sound, and the two areas are thought to support largely separate 
feeding groups (Waite et al. 1999, Witteveen et al. 2011).
    Photo-identification data confirm this area is a destination for 
whales from the HI and MX DPSs (Baker et al. 1986, Calambokidis et al. 
2008). WNP DPS whales have not been photo-identified in this specific 
area; however, presence has been assumed based on available data 
indicating that humpback whales from WNP wintering areas occur in the 
Gulf of Alaska (NMFS 2019a, Table C8).

Unit 9--Northeastern Gulf of Alaska

    This area extends from 145[deg]27' W to 139[deg]24' W and to an 
offshore drawn along the 1,000-m isobath. The nearshore boundary of 
this unit is the 1-m isobath (relative to MLLW). This unit mainly 
borders Yakutat Borough, but also borders a small portion of Valdez-
Cordova. Unit 9 covers 9,065 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This area was drawn to capture a section of the Gulf of Alaska 
between two feeding BIAs (in Units 8 and 10). Surveys within this unit 
have been relatively limited. Surveys conducted in June-August of 1980 
by Rice and Wolman (1982) indicated that humpback whales were sparsely 
distributed in the Gulf of Alaska (populations were still depleted), 
but they noted minor aggregations of humpback whales in Yakutat Bay (13 
whales). More recently, 21 groups (33 individuals) of humpbacks were 
sighted in this area during an IWC-POWER survey in July/August of 2012 
(Matsuoka et al. 2013). Sightings of humpback whales were also recorded 
in this area by the NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) as 
part of the SPLASH surveys in 2004 and 2005 (Calambokidis et al. 2008; 
see also Witteveen et al. 2011). Based on limited sampling, results of 
stable isotope analyses suggest that whales in this area have a mixed 
diet of fish and zooplankton (Witteveen et al. 2011).
    Photo-identification data confirm this area is a destination for 
whales from the non-listed HI DPS (Baker et al. 1986, Calambokidis et 
al. 2008; and SPLASH data courtesy of C. Gabriele, NPS). Satellite 
telemetry data indicate this area is also a destination for MX DPS 
whales. A calf tagged off Socorro Island (in Revillagigedo Archipelago) 
in 2003 travelled with its mother to this area (Lagerquist et al. 
2008). (The mother/calf pair remained in this area for only about 4 
days before travelling to other areas of Alaska (Lagerquist et al. 
2008).) There are no reported sightings of photo-identified whales of 
the WNP DPS in this specific area; however, presence of these whales 
has been assumed based on available data suggesting that humpback 
whales from WNP wintering areas could occur in this general region 
(NMFS 2019a, Table C8). Given the increased distance of this unit from 
other confirmed sighting of whales from the WNP DPS, there is greater 
uncertainty regarding whether WNP DPS whales occur in this unit.

Unit 10--Southeastern Alaska

    This area extends from 139[deg]24' W, southeastward to the U.S. 
border with Canada and encompasses a humpback whale BIA. The area also 
extends offshore to a boundary drawn along the 2,000-m isobath, which 
corresponds to the offshore extent of the BIA. The nearshore boundary 
of this unit also corresponds to the BIA boundary. This unit borders 
unorganized boroughs, but includes water off of Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon, 
Haines, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan Gateway. 
Unit 10 covers 22,152 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This area was drawn to encompass well established feeding grounds 
in southeast Alaska and an identified feeding BIA (Andrews 1909, Baker 
et al. 1985, Straley 1990, Dahlheim et al. 2009, Ferguson et al. 
2015a). Humpback whales occur year-round in this unit, with highest 
densities occurring in summer and fall (Baker et al. 1985, 1986). 
Periods of occupancy of over 100 days have been reported for a 
significant portion of the whales using this area (Baker et al. 1985). 
Based on sighting data for summer months during 1985-2014 in Glacier 
Bay and Icy Strait, over 60 percent of the adult whales remained in 
this area to feed for more than 20 days, and average residency time for 
whales seen on more than 1 day within a season was 67 days (SD = 38.3; 
Gabriele et al. 2017). Photo-identification data collected in Southeast 
Alaska from 1979 to 1983 indicate a high degree of site fidelity to 
this area, with 47.2 percent of whales being sighted in more than one 
year (154 whales out of 326 unique individuals; Baker et al. 1986). 
Sightings histories for three female humpback whales in particular 
indicate these whales returned in each of 12 or 13 years during 1977-
1992 (Straley et al. 1994). Evaluation of sighting histories in Glacier 
Bay and portions of Icy Strait from 1985 to 2013 also indicate a high 
degree of site fidelity with 63 percent (244 of 386 total whales 
identified) of non-calves returning to the survey area in more than 1-
year, 17 percent (n = 66) returning every year, and an additional 10 
percent (n = 39) returning in all but

[[Page 54370]]

1 year (Gabriele et al. 2017). Humpback whales are known to feed on 
krill, herring, capelin, sand lance, myctophids, and juvenile pollock 
within Southeast Alaska, but dominant prey within the diet vary among 
the specific locations and seasons (Bryant et al. 1981, Straley et al. 
2018).
    Photo-identification data confirm this area is a destination for 
whales from the HI and MX DPSs (Baker et al. 1985, 1986; Calambokidis 
et al. 2008). Although sightings of WNP DPS whales are reported for 
general areas to either side of this unit (Kodiak, Alaska and Vancouver 
Island, British Columbia, e.g., Calambokidis et al. 2001), portions of 
Unit 10 have been surveyed extensively, and those survey data do not 
indicate that the WNP DPS occurs in Unit 10.

Unit 11--Coastal Washington

    This area extends southward from the U.S. EEZ to 46[deg]50' N, just 
north of Willapa Bay, WA. The unit extends offshore to a boundary 
corresponding to the 1,200-m isobath, which also aligns with the 
seaward extent of a BIA. The unit includes waters within the U.S. 
portion of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to an eastern boundary line at 
Angeles Point (123[deg]33' W). The 50-m isobath forms the shoreward 
boundary. The unit includes waters off Clallam and Jefferson Counties, 
and a portion of Grays Harbor County. Unit 11 covers 3,441 nmi\2\ of 
marine habitat.
    This area was drawn to encompass the Northern Washington BIA 
(Calambokidis et al. 2015), located at the northern edge of this unit, 
and cells containing the highest 90 percent of the study area abundance 
predicted by the Becker et al. (2016) habitat model. The BIA typically 
supports humpback whale feeding aggregations from May to November. In 
addition to the habitat model results, clusters of humpback whale 
sightings just off Grays Harbor area (see Calambokidis et al. 2015) and 
movement data collected from five humpback whales with LIMPET satellite 
tags (Schorr et al. 2013) support inclusion of waters beyond the BIA in 
this unit. The unit also includes waters within the Strait of Juan de 
Fuca where whales have been observed foraging in recent years (and 
which falls outside of the area covered by surveys used to generate the 
habitat model predictions). Although humpback whales have been 
increasingly observed within the Salish Sea (i.e., the waters of the 
Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and around 
the San Juan Islands, Calambokidis et al. 2017), Unit 11 does not 
extend beyond the strait farther into the Salish Sea. High reporting 
rates from areas within the Salish Sea have likely resulted in a biased 
understanding of humpback whale abundance in these waters; however, 
hundreds of whales appear to be using the strait (J. Calambokidis, CRC, 
pers. comm., May 23, 2018). The offshore boundary for Unit 11 was 
selected to follow the contour of cells containing the highest 90 
percent of the study area abundance predicted by the Becker et al. 
(2016) habitat model, which generally coincided with the 1,200-m 
isobath. Multiple, persistent, dense aggregations (hotspots) of krill 
(humpback prey) occur near the Juan de Fuca canyon in this area, likely 
due to the canyon feature (Santora et al. 2018). Humpback whales have 
also been shown to associate with the shelf edge, particularly near 
submarine canyons off Washington (Green et al. 1992). Humpback whales 
also target various forage-fish species within this unit, with Pacific 
herring being one of the most prevalent forage fish off Washington and 
Northern Oregon (Brodeur et al. 2005, Zwolinski et al. 2012).
    Photo-identification data confirm this area is a destination for 
whales from the HI, MX, and Central America (CAM) DPSs (Calambokidis et 
al. 2008).

Unit 12--Columbia River Area

    This area extends southward from 46[deg]50' N to 45[deg]10' N and 
extends out to a seaward boundary corresponding to the 1,200-m isobath. 
The 50-m isobath forms the shoreward boundary. This area includes 
waters off of Pacific County, WA and Clatsop County, OR. This unit 
covers 3,636 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This unit was drawn to capture the Columbia River plume system, 
which supports foraging by many predators, including concentrations of 
humpback whales. The unit extends both north and south of the mouth of 
the Columbia River to capture the spatial variation of the plume 
system. Within this unit, as well as others along the West Coast, 
hotspots with persistent, heightened abundance of krill also occur in 
association with submarine canyons (Santora et al. 2018). The area 
extends out to the 1,200-m isobath to capture the outer edge of cells 
containing the highest 90 percent of the study area abundance predicted 
by the Becker et al. (2016) habitat model. The area also encompasses 
areas over which humpback whales have been observed to feed based on 
ARS data from satellite tagged whales (Mate et al. 2018). The southern 
boundary at 45[deg]10' N was drawn to encompass the available ARS areas 
and to reflect where the habitat model predictions begin to shift 
farther offshore.
    Photo-identification data are not available to validate occurrences 
of particular DPSs within this unit; however, the best available data 
support a conclusion that this area is a destination for whales from 
the MX and CAM DPSs (Calambokidis et al. 2000). Some available data 
also suggest that HI DPS whales may occur in this unit (Mate et al. 
2018).

Unit 13--Coastal Oregon

    This area extends southward from 45[deg]10' latitude to 42[deg]10', 
and extends offshore to a boundary at the 1,200-m isobath. The 50-m 
isobath forms the shoreward boundary. This area includes the BIA at 
Stonewall and Heceta Bay, and includes waters off of Tillamook, 
Lincoln, Lane, Douglas, Coos, and Curry Counties. Unit 13 covers 5,750 
nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This unit includes the Stonewall and Heceta Bank BIA, which 
supports humpback whale feeding aggregations from May to November 
(Calambokidis et al. 2015). The northern and offshore boundaries of 
this unit correspond to cells containing the highest 90 percent of the 
study area abundance predicted by the Becker et al. (2016) habitat 
model. The southern boundary of this unit was drawn just north of 
another BIA. Based on surveys conducted in spring and summer of 2000 as 
part of the US Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) Northeast 
Pacific program, concentrations of humpback whales on Heceta Bank were 
shown to correspond to high densities of fish (Pacific sardine and 
juvenile salmon) and large, high density patches of krill (Tynan et al. 
2005, Ressler et al. 2005). Within this unit, large, persistent 
aggregations of krill have been observed inshore of Heceta Bank, off 
Cape Blanco, in association with submarine canyons (Ressler et al. 
2005, Santora et al. 2018).
    Photo-identification data confirm this area is a destination for 
whales from the MX DPS (Calambokidis et al. 2008). Presence of CAM DPS 
whales in this area is indicated by genetic data as well as modelling 
of sightings data (Wade 2017, Mate et al. 2018).

Unit 14--Southern Oregon/Northern California

    This area is bounded in the north at 42[deg]10' and extends south 
to the Mendocino escarpment at 40[deg]20'. The area extends offshore to 
a boundary drawn along the 2,000-m isobath. The 50-m isobath forms the 
shoreward boundary. The area includes the marine waters off Del Norte 
County, CA, and most of Humboldt County, CA, and

[[Page 54371]]

borders a small portion of Curry County, OR. Unit 14 covers 3,412 
nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This unit includes the Point St. George BIA, which typically 
supports whale feeding aggregations during July-November (Calambokidis 
et al. 2015). The northern boundary of this unit corresponds to the 
boundary of this BIA. The southern boundary corresponds with the Cape 
Mendocino/the Mendocino escarpment, where the predicted abundance from 
the habitat model shows a somewhat abrupt shift offshore (Becker et al. 
2016). The seaward boundary for this unit extends out to the 2,000-m 
isobath to capture the habitat model predictions. ARS areas derived 
from satellite tracking data (n = 26 whales, Mate et al. 2018) indicate 
that feeding behavior occurs throughout this unit, and although some 
ARS data indicate whales feed seaward of the 2,000-m isobath, the 
majority of the ARS behavior is captured within the boundaries of this 
unit. Multiple, recurring, high density aggregations (hotspots) of 
krill occur off of Cape Mendocino and elsewhere in this unit, in 
association with submarine canyons (Santora et al. 2018). Within this 
unit and southward along the coast to Southern California (i.e., Unit 
19), Fleming et al. (2016) collected 259 skin samples from humpback 
whales during 1993-2012 and used stable carbon and nitrogen isotope 
analyses to evaluate the relative contribution of euphausiids versus 
fish to the diet. Shifts over the 20-year study period in isotope 
signatures in whale skin samples observed by Fleming et al. (2016) 
indicate trophic-level shifts in the humpback whale diet, and these 
shifts corresponded to shifts in relative prey abundance (krill versus 
anchovy and sardine) and changing oceanographic conditions within the 
CCE. These results suggest that the dominant prey in humpback whale 
diet switched from krill to fish, and back to krill during the 20-year 
period, depending on the relative abundance of each prey. Temporal 
shifts in diet composition (e.g., from euphausiids and sardine in the 
1920s to mainly anchovy in the 1950s and 1960s) are also reflected in 
historical whaling data and stomach content data from harvested whales 
(Rice 1963, Clapham et al. 1997).
    Photo-identification data confirm this area is a destination for 
whales from the MX and CAM DPSs (Calambokidis et al. 2008).

Unit 15--California North Coast Area

    This unit is bounded along its northern edge by the Mendocino 
escarpment at approximately 40[deg]20' N and extends southward to 
38[deg]40' N, which corresponds to the approximate southern boundary of 
an identified BIA. The area extends offshore to a boundary drawn at the 
3,000-m isobath. The 50-m isobath forms the shoreward boundary. This 
area includes marine waters off the coasts of Humboldt and Mendocino 
counties, CA, and covers 4,898 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    The northern boundary of this unit corresponds to the Mendocino 
escarpment and a shift farther offshore in the habitat model 
predictions (Becker et al. 2016). The offshore boundary of this unit 
extends out to the 3,000-m isobath to more closely correspond to cells 
containing the highest 90 percent of the study area abundance predicted 
by the Becker et al. (2016) habitat model. This boundary is also 
supported by ARS data indicating that whales are feeding farther from 
shore (Mate et al. 2018). Encompassed within this unit is a BIA that 
extends from Fort Bragg to Point Arena and that typically supports 
feeding aggregations of humpback whales from July to November 
(Calambokidis et al. 2015). The southern boundary of the unit 
corresponds to the northern boundary of another BIA. High-density, 
persistent aggregations of krill occur off Cape Mendocino and in 
association with canyon features within this unit (Santora et al. 
2018). Krill hotspots, measuring about 216-320 km\2\, have also been 
documented offshore of Point Arena near the 2,000-m isobath (Santora et 
al. 2011, Dorman et al. 2015).
    Photo-identification data are not available to validate occurrences 
of particular DPSs within this unit; however, the available data 
strongly support the conclusion that this area is a destination for 
whales from the MX and CAM DPSs (Calambokidis et al. 2000).

Unit 16--San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area

    This area extends from 38[deg]40' N southward to 36[deg]00' N to 
encompass a BIA. The seaward boundary is drawn along the 3,700-m 
isobath. The inshore boundary is mainly defined by the 15-m isobath, 
but also extends up to the Golden Gate Bridge within San Francisco Bay. 
This area includes waters off of the southern edge of Mendocino County, 
and Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey 
counties. Unit 16 covers 12,349 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This unit encompasses the Gulf of the Farallones-Monterey Bay BIA 
(Calambokidis et al. 2015) as well as cells containing the highest 90 
percent of the study area abundance predicted by the Becker et al. 
(2016) habitat model. In this unit, the habitat model predictions 
extend farther offshore relative to the more northern West Coast units, 
and extend even farther offshore based on modeled whale distributions 
in colder months (January-April, see Becker et al. 2017). Therefore, 
the offshore boundary was placed at the 3,700-m isobath to capture 
areas of higher predicted abundances in both summer and winter. (The 
area covered by the Becker et al. (2017) winter model starts at 
38[deg]00', and we are not aware of any other models based on winter 
distributions for areas north of this unit.) This area also extends 
into the mouth of the San Francisco Bay to capture a recently 
recognized important foraging area for humpback whales (Calambokidis et 
al. 2017) as well as ARS data indicating that whales are feeding in and 
around the mouth of the bay (Mate et al. 2018). The highest densities 
of whales are seen at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, with a few 
extending into the Bay (J. Calambokidis pers. comm., May 23, 2018). 
Based on data from hydroacoustic surveys spanning multiple years 
between 2000-2009, persistent and recurring, high-density aggregations 
of krill ranging in size from about 578 km\2\ to 950 km\2\ have been 
shown to occur in multiple areas within this unit, including Bodega 
Head, Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, Pescadora, and Monterey Bay 
(Santora et al. 2011, Dorman et al. 2015, Santora et al. 2018).
    Photo-identification data confirm this area is a destination for 
whales from the MX and CAM DPSs (Baker et al. 1986, Calambokidis et al. 
2008).

Unit 17--Central California Coast Area

    This area extends from 36[deg]00' N to a southern boundary at 
34[deg]30' N, just south of an identified BIA. The nearshore boundary 
is defined by the 30-m isobath, and the seaward boundary is drawn along 
the 3,700-m isobath. This unit includes waters off of southern Monterey 
county, and San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Unit 17 covers 
6,697 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This unit encompasses a BIA that extends from Morro Bay to Point 
Sal and typically supports high density feeding aggregations of 
humpback whales from April to November (Calambokidis et al. 2015). In 
this area, as with Unit 16, the predicted abundance extends farther 
offshore in the warmer months (July-December) and even more so in 
cooler months (January-April) relative to the northern units (Becker et 
al. 2016 and 2017).

[[Page 54372]]

Therefore, the offshore boundary was placed at the 3,700-m isobath to 
capture areas of higher predicted abundance in both summer and winter. 
The southern boundary for this area was drawn just south of the BIA. 
Based on acoustic survey data collected during 2004-2009, large krill 
hotspots, ranging from 700 km\2\ to 2,100 km\2\, occur off Big Sur, San 
Luis Obispo, and Point Sal (Santora et al. 2011). Hotspots with 
persistent, heightened abundance of krill were also reported in this 
unit in association with bathymetric submarine canyons (Santora et al. 
2018).
    Photo-identification data confirm this area is a destination for 
whales from the MX and CAM DPSs (Calambokidis et al. 2008).

Unit 18--Channel Islands Area

    This area extends from a northern boundary at 34[deg]30' N to a 
boundary line that extends from Oxnard, CA seaward to the 3,700-m 
isobath, along which the offshore boundary is drawn. The 50-m isobath 
forms the shoreward boundary. This unit includes waters off of Santa 
Barbara and Ventura counties. This unit covers 9,799 nmi\2\ of marine 
habitat.
    This unit encompasses the Santa Barbara Channel-San Miguel BIA, 
which supports high density feeding aggregations of humpback whales 
during March through September (Calambokidis et al. 2015). The seaward 
boundary at the 3,700-m isobath encompasses cells containing the 
highest 90 percent of the study area abundance predicted by both the 
summer and winter habitat models (Becker et al. 2016 and 2017). The 
southern boundary of this unit was selected to correspond to where the 
habitat model predictions for both models show a clear decline in 
predicted densities. The area to the south (i.e., Unit 19) is predicted 
to have much lower summer densities of whales. Based on acoustic survey 
data collected during 2004-2009, a krill hotspot of about 780 km\2\ has 
been documented off Point Conception (Santora et al. 2011). Some 
additional krill hotspots have also been observed in this unit in 
association with bathymetric submarine canyons (Santora et al. 2018).
    Photo-identification data confirm this area is a destination for 
whales from the MX and CAM DPSs (Calambokidis et al. 2008).

Unit 19--California South Coast Area

    The northern boundary for this unit extends southwest from Oxnard, 
CA through the Santa Cruz Basin and out to a seaward boundary along the 
3,700-m isobath. The unit is also bounded in the south by the U.S. EEZ. 
The 50-m isobath forms the shoreward boundary. This unit includes 
waters off of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties, and covers 
12,966 nmi\2\ of marine habitat.
    This area does not contain a BIA but was drawn to capture cells 
containing the highest 90 percent of the study area abundance predicted 
by the Becker et al. (2017) habitat model. This area falls outside of 
the predicted high use area in the summer/fall months but is predicted 
to support high densities of whales in the winter/spring months (Becker 
et al. 2017). The higher densities of humpback whales in winter may 
stem from the fact that some of the whales sighted in this area are 
likely transiting through the area, rather than occupying the area as a 
feeding destination. Within this unit, krill hotspots ranging in size 
from about 210 km\2\-430 km\2\ have been observed off San Nicolas and 
Santa Barbara Islands (Santora et al. 2011), and additional hotspots 
have been observed in association with submarine canyons (Santora et 
al. 2018).
    Photo-identification data are not available to validate occurrences 
of particular DPSs within this unit; however, the available data 
support the conclusion that this area is a destination for whales from 
the MX and CAM DPSs (Calambokidis et al. 2000, Rasmussen et al. 2012).

Application of ESA Section 4(a)(3)(B)(i) (Military Lands)

    Section 4(a)(3)(B)(i) of the ESA precludes designating as critical 
habitat any lands or other geographical areas owned or controlled by 
the Department of Defense (DOD) or designated for its use, that are 
subject to an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) 
prepared under section 101 of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670a), if the 
Secretary determines in writing that such plan provides a benefit to 
the species for which critical habitat is proposed for designation. See 
16 U.S.C. 1533(a)(3)(B)(i); 50 CFR 424.12(h). Where these standards are 
met, the relevant area is ineligible for consideration as potential 
critical habitat. The regulations implementing the ESA set forth a 
number of factors to guide consideration of whether this standard is 
met, including the degree to which the plan will protect the habitat of 
the species (50 CFR 424.12(h)(4)). This process is separate and 
distinct from the analysis governed by section 4(b)(2) of the ESA, 
which directs us to consider the economic impact, the impact on 
national security, and any other relevant impact of designation and 
affords the Secretary discretion to exclude particular areas if the 
benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of inclusion of such areas. 
See 16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(2).
    After identifying specific areas that we concluded would 
potentially meet the definition of critical habitat for humpback 
whales, we contacted DOD representatives and requested information 
regarding relevant INRMPs. In response, the U.S. Navy (Navy) provided 
descriptions and locations of four areas adjacent to the humpback whale 
specific areas and that are managed under Sikes Act-compliant INRMPs: 
(1) Pacific Beach Annex, WA; (2) Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, 
CA; (3) Naval Outlying Field, San Nicolas Island, CA; and (4) Naval 
Auxiliary Landing Field, San Clemente Island, CA. The Navy also 
provided information regarding how in their view, each of their 
approved INRMPs provides a conservation benefit to humpback whales and 
their habitat. An additional fifth INRMP, associated with the Navy's 
Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility, AK (SEAFAC) was 
mentioned as being under development. The SEAFAC INRMP is not yet 
available for review; however, a draft is expected to be completed in 
December 2019. After reviewing the information and maps provided, we 
found that the Pacific Beach Annex INRMP addresses an entirely upland 
property and does not overlap with the areas under consideration for 
designation as critical habitat. Therefore, this INRMP was not 
considered further.
    Based on our initial review of the remaining three, approved, Navy 
INRMPs pursuant to the considerations indicated in 50 CFR 424.12(h), 
the plans appeared to provide a measure of conservation benefit to 
humpback whales. However, because each of the areas addressed by the 
INRMPs were very small relative the potential critical habitat units in 
which they are located (Units 18 and 19), and because a few additional 
components of the approved INRMPs were required from the Navy to 
complete our review (e.g., maps, appendices to an INRMP listing 
specific management activities), we deferred further review of these 
INRMPs pending conclusion of our analyses under section 4(b)(2), 
because that analysis could lead to proposed exclusion of the larger 
specific area or areas. Once we concluded our analysis under section 
4(b)(2) and had developed our list of potential exclusions, we 
ultimately found it necessary to complete a final review of only two 
INRMPs--the Naval Outlying Field San Nicolas Island (SNI) and Naval 
Base Ventura County (NBVC), Point Mugu. These are not fully

[[Page 54373]]

encompassed by areas that we are proposing to exclude under 4(b)(2).
    The relevant areas addressed under the NBVC Point Mugu INRMP are 
submerged lands and resources 3 nmi out from Point Mugu (relative to 
MLLW) and a zone that extends 0.25 nmi offshore around San Miguel and 
Prince Islands. This INRMP thus includes areas that overlap with Units 
18 (i.e., the area around San Miguel and Prince Islands) and 19 (i.e., 
the area off Point Mugu). Relevant areas within the footprint of the 
SNI INRMP are the waters surrounding SNI and Begg Rock within the 300-
foot (91-m) isobath or 1 nmi from shore, whichever is greater. This 
INRMP covers an area that lies mainly within Unit 19, but the area 
around Begg Rock extends into Unit 18. Management efforts described 
within both of these INRMPs, which are discussed in detail in the Draft 
Section 4(b)(2) Report (NMFS 2019b), include actions such as water 
quality monitoring within nearshore waters and storm-water management; 
surveys of intertidal, subtidal, and deep water habitats; and area 
closures to minimize impacts of noise or other disturbances on marine 
mammals. Based on our consideration of the activities listed in the 
INRMPs and their relevance to humpback whales and their habitat, the 
certainty that the relevant management actions would be implemented, 
the frequency of use of the areas by humpback whales, and the extent of 
humpback prey occurrences within the areas, we ultimately concluded 
that the areas covered by the applicable INRMPs provide a conservation 
benefit to humpback whales. Thus, we determined that these areas are 
not eligible for designation as critical habitat and removed them from 
Units 18 and 19.

Analysis of Impacts Under Section 4(b)(2) of the ESA

    The first sentence of section 4(b)(2) of the ESA requires the 
Secretary to designate critical habitat for threatened and endangered 
species on the basis of the best scientific data available after taking 
into consideration the economic impact, the impact on national 
security, and any other relevant impact, of specifying any particular 
area as critical habitat. Regulations at 50 CFR 424.19(b) also specify 
that the Secretary will consider the probable impacts of the 
designation at a scale that the Secretary determines to be appropriate, 
and that such impacts may be qualitatively or quantitatively described. 
The Secretary is also required to compare impacts with and without the 
designation (50 CFR 424.19(b)). In other words, we are required to 
assess the incremental impacts attributable to the critical habitat 
designation relative to a baseline that reflects existing regulatory 
impacts in the absence of the critical habitat.
    The second sentence of section 4(b)(2) describes an optional 
process by which, the Secretary may go beyond the mandatory 
consideration of impacts and weigh the benefits of excluding any 
particular area (that is, avoiding the economic, national security, or 
other relevant impacts) against the benefits of designating it 
(primarily, the conservation value of the area). If the Secretary 
concludes that the benefits of excluding particular areas outweigh the 
benefits of designation, he may exclude the particular area(s), so long 
as he concludes on the basis of the best available scientific and 
commercial information that the exclusion will not result in extinction 
of the species (16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(2)). NMFS and the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service have adopted a joint policy setting out non-binding 
guidance explaining generally how we exercise our discretion under 
4(b)(2). See Policy Regarding Implementation of Section 4(b)(2) of the 
Endangered Species Act (``4(b)(2) Policy,'' 81 FR 7226, February 11, 
2016).
    While section 3(5) of the ESA defines critical habitat as 
``specific areas,'' section 4(b)(2) requires the agency to consider the 
impacts of designating any ``particular area.'' Depending on the 
biology of the species, the characteristics of its habitat, and the 
nature of the impacts of designation, ``particular'' areas may be--but 
need not necessarily be--delineated so that they are the same as the 
already identified ``specific'' areas of potential critical habitat. 
For this designation, we analyzed two types of particular areas. When 
we considered economic impacts, we used the same biologically-based 
``specific areas'' we had identified under section 3(5)(A) (i.e., Units 
1-19, Figure 1). This delineation allowed us to most effectively 
compare the biologically-based conservation benefits of designation 
against economic benefits of exclusion, which we elected to do, and led 
us to propose excluding some units. For our consideration of impacts on 
national security, however, we instead used a delineation of particular 
areas based on DOD ownership or control of the area. As discussed 
below, this consideration of national security impacts led in some 
cases to propose excluding smaller areas from within the specific areas 
(units) we described, i.e., redrawing the boundaries of those units. 
Similarly, for our consideration of other relevant impacts, such as the 
impacts designation of a particular area would have on Tribes, we used 
a delineation of particular areas that corresponded to tribal lands, 
associated treaty rights, and/or relevant resources.
    Below, we summarize the economic, national security, and other 
relevant impacts of designating the areas identified as meeting the 
definition of critical habitat for the three DPSs of humpback whales. 
Additional detail is provided in the Draft Economic Analysis (IEc 
2019a) and the Draft Section 4(b)(2) Report (NMFS 2019b).

National Security Impacts

    To gather information on potential national security impacts of our 
proposed designation, we contacted representatives from DOD and the 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by letter dated October 9, 2018. 
We asked for information regarding impacts of a potential critical 
habitat designation for humpback whales on military operations and 
national security. Under the 4(b)(2) Policy, a requesting agency must 
provide a reasonably specific justification for the assertion that 
there is an incremental impact on national security that would result 
from the designation of that specific area as critical habitat (81 FR 
7226, 7231, February 11, 2016). Requests for exclusion due to national 
security impacts were initially received from the both the Navy and the 
U.S. Air force (USAF); however, following subsequent discussions with 
USAF representatives, the USAF withdrew their requests for exclusions.
    On December 5, 2018, the Navy provided a written assessment of 
potential national security impacts and detailed descriptions of 
training and testing operations occurring in the following ranges:
    (1) Gulf of Alaska Temporary Maritime Activities Area (GOA TMAA), 
which overlaps with portions of critical habitat Units 5, 7, and 8;
    (2) Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility (SEAFAC), which 
lies within critical habitat Unit 10;
    (3) Quinault Range Site (QRS; a component of the Naval Undersea 
Warfare Center Division Keyport Range Complex), which overlaps with a 
portion of Unit 11;
    (4) Pacific Northwest Ocean Surface/Subsurface Operating Area 
(OPAREA, a component of the Northwest Training Range Complex and within 
the Northwest Training and Testing Study Area), which overlaps with 
portions of Units 11-15;
    (5) Southern California Range Complex (SOCAL) portion of the 
Hawaii-Southern California Training and Testing Study Area, which 
overlaps with Unit 19; and,

[[Page 54374]]

    (6) Point Mugu Sea Range (PMSR), which overlaps with portions of 
Unit 17, 18, and 19.
    Based on their consideration of ongoing and planned Naval 
operations, the location of the potential critical habitat areas, and 
the essential prey feature, the Navy concluded that, at this time, they 
did not anticipate national security impacts resulting from a critical 
habitat destination that overlapped with the GOA TMAA, OPAREA, and 
PMSR. The Navy indicated that there were, however, anticipated national 
security impacts for operations at SEAFAC, QRS, and SOCAL, and 
requested that these range areas be excluded from any proposed humpback 
whale critical habitat designation.
    SEAFAC is small area, covering 48 nmi\2\ (164 km\2\) in the Western 
Behm Canal near the city of Ketchikan, Alaska, and serves as the Navy's 
primary acoustic engineering measurement facility in the Pacific. This 
facility comprises an instrumented site that has in-water assets (such 
as piers, hydrophones, sensors, and in-water communication systems) 
that may be deployed on permanent or long-term bases, and an adjacent 
land-based support site located within 15 acres (0.06 km\2\) on Back 
Island. This area is under Navy controlled restricted use, and no other 
Federal activities are expected to occur in this area. Public access to 
SEAFAC areas can be restricted by the Navy with notification in 
accordance with 33 CFR 334.1275. Testing activities planned for the 
foreseeable future include, but are not limited to, submarine sonar 
testing/maintenance, acoustic component testing, countermeasure 
testing, and hydrodynamic and submarine maneuverability testing. 
Although the Navy indicated they did not anticipate impacts to humpback 
whale critical habitat or humpback whale prey as a result of the 
majority of current testing activities, they expressed concern 
regarding future testing activities. They specifically noted that this 
area is used to evaluate cutting edge systems and platforms, which 
could affect future determinations regarding impacts on the habitat. 
The Navy discussed that the nature of the testing that is undertaken at 
this site requires prescriptive procedures and use of specific areas 
and that any additional mitigation resulting from a critical habitat 
designation has the potential to impact military readiness by impeding 
the testing of new systems, platforms, and capabilities. The Navy 
stated that any impact on the full utilization of SEAFAC would impact 
their ability to perform critical research, development, test and 
evaluation activities, thereby impacting military readiness and 
national security.
    The QRS is a defined space off the coast of Washington that 
encompasses air, surface (~5,228 nmi\2\ (6,924 km\2\)) and subsurface 
space (with variable depths up to 1.8 km), as well as a surf zone area 
off the coast of Pacific Beach, Washington. The Navy does not own or 
outright control the sea space of QRS, which is largely defined by the 
boundaries of the special use airspace, known as W-237A, above it. The 
Navy has internal control of subareas for scheduling purposes only. The 
Navy issues notices to mariners (NOTMARs) when the Navy engages in 
activities that may be hazardous to vessels engaged in innocent 
passage, and/or recreational and commercial activities. Compliance with 
NOTMARS are voluntary, but help to protect public safety and prevent 
damage to test equipment. The QRS overlaps with approximately 44 
percent of Unit 11, which covers an area of 3,441 nmi\2\ of marine 
habitat. Access to areas within the QRS is controlled during testing 
events for public safety and to prevent damage to test equipment. 
Activities planned in the QRS to the year 2020 and beyond include 
activities such as at-sea sonar testing, anti-submarine warfare 
testing, acoustic and oceanographic research, countermeasure testing, 
torpedo testing, undersea warfare testing, etc. The Navy stated that 
use of explosives within the QRS is likely to have adverse effects on 
humpback prey species, although in their view these would not have 
effects at the population level. The Navy concluded that humpback whale 
critical habitat would impact the ability of the Navy to test and field 
new systems and platforms and thus impact national security if ESA 
section 7 consultations resulted in additional mitigation requirements 
or restrictions on testing activities in the QRS.
    Subsequent to their initial request for exclusion of QRS, the Navy 
conducted further analysis and, in September 2019, submitted additional 
information relative to this particular national security exclusion. 
Specifically, the Navy requested that an additional 5.4-nmi (10-km) 
buffer around QRS be excluded to avoid impacts to ongoing and future 
testing activities that would result should Naval Sea Systems Command 
have to halt, reduce in scope, or geographically/seasonally constrain 
testing activities to prevent adverse effects or adverse modification 
of critical habitat. The Navy determined that sound and energy levels 
that may cause injuries to humpback whale prey species within critical 
habitat from the largest explosives that could be used on the range 
could extend beyond the QRS boundaries, and that excluding a buffer of 
10-km around QRS from the critical habitat designation would avoid 
additional mitigation requirements. The Navy indicated that they 
determined this specific buffer distance after taking into account the 
site specific oceanographic conditions and the best available science 
establishing fish injury thresholds (which Navy cited as Popper et al., 
2014).
    The SOCAL range complex is located between Dana Point and San 
Diego, CA and extends more than 1,111 km southwest into the Pacific 
Ocean. Most activities occur within the eastern portion of the SOCAL 
range complex, closer to shore and to the Navy's largest homeport 
location in the Pacific. The spatial extent of overlap between the 
SOCAL range and Unit 19 is 10,731.5 nmi\2\ (36,808 km\2\), which is 
approximately 54 percent of the Navy's core training area within SOCAL 
and approximately 83 percent of Unit 19, which measures 12,966 nmi\2\ 
(44,472.1 km\2\). A wide variety of training and testing activities 
occur within the SOCAL range complex on a routine and sometimes fairly 
high frequency basis. A few types of Navy testing activities in this 
area are those related to anti-submarine warfare, torpedo, mine 
countermeasure, gun, missile and rocket, and propulsion testing. The 
activities that occur in the SOCAL range complex have the potential to 
impact the water surface or water column, with the degree of impact 
depending on the nature of the particular activity. The Navy referred 
to the detailed discussions on particular impacts provided in the 
Navy's 2018 Final Environmental Impact Statement for Hawaii-Southern 
California Training and Testing. Ultimately, the Navy concluded that 
designation of Unit 19 as critical habitat could lead to requirements 
for additional mitigations (avoidance, limitations, etc.) that could 
hinder Navy testing and training activities, and thereby impact 
military readiness and national security. Therefore, Navy requested 
that we exclude Unit 19 from any critical habitat designation.

Economic Impacts

    The primary impact of a critical habitat designation stems from the 
ESA section 7(a)(2) requirement that Federal agencies ensure their 
actions are not likely to result in the destruction or adverse 
modification of critical habitat. Determining the extent of this impact 
in practical terms is complicated by the fact that section 7(a)(2) 
contains the

[[Page 54375]]

associated but distinct requirement that Federal agencies must also 
ensure their actions are not likely to jeopardize the species' 
continued existence. The incremental economic impacts of a critical 
habitat designation stem from the additional effort to engage in 
consultation regarding potential adverse effects to the critical 
habitat as part of section 7 consultations (often referred to as 
administrative costs), and any conservation measures that may be 
necessary to avoid adverse modification and that would not otherwise be 
implemented (often referred to as project modification costs). Thus, 
the incremental impacts attributable to critical habitat stem from 
conservation efforts that would not already be required due to the need 
to avoid jeopardy to humpback whales or due to other existing 
protections (e.g., for other listed species, other Federal, state, or 
local regulations). Additional economic impacts of designation would 
include any state and local protections that are likely to be triggered 
as a result of designation. However, as discussed in chapter 3 of the 
Draft Economic Analysis (DEA), we did not identify state or local 
protections that may be triggered by a proposed humpback whale critical 
habitat designation (IEc 2019a).
    The analysis methods and the estimated, incremental, economic 
impacts stemming from designation of the identified specific critical 
habitat areas for the WNP, MX, and CAM DPSs of humpback whales are 
described in detail in the DEA prepared by Industrial Economics (IEc 
2019a). To quantify the economic impacts associated with designating 
the 19 units of habitat under consideration, IEc followed the following 
general steps:
    (1) Identify the baseline of economic activity and the statutes and 
regulations that constrain that activity in the absence of the critical 
habitat designation;
    (2) Identify the types of activities that are likely to be affected 
by critical habitat designation;
    (3) Estimate the costs of administrative effort and, where 
applicable, conservation efforts recommended for the activity to comply 
with the ESA's critical habitat provisions;
    (4) Project over space and time the occurrence of the activities 
and the likelihood they will in fact need to be modified; and
    (5) Aggregate the costs up to the particular area level and provide 
economic impacts as present value impacts and annualized impacts.
    The first step in the economic analysis involved identifying the 
baseline level of protection already afforded the humpback whales in 
the areas being considered for designation as critical habitat. The 
baseline for this analysis is the existing state of regulation prior to 
the designation of critical habitat, including protections afforded due 
to the listing of the species under the ESA, and other Federal, state 
and local laws and guidelines, such as the MMPA, Clean Water Act, and 
state environmental quality laws. Next, in order to complete steps 2-4, 
we searched the NMFS consultation database (for 2007-2018) to compile a 
list of Federal actions and the projected number of those actions 
occurring in each of the 19 areas under consideration as critical 
habitat. Outreach to some Federal agencies was also conducted by IEc to 
obtain additional information about planned activities. As applicable 
and appropriate, NMFS biologists were also consulted to verify the 
nature and number of consultations expected to occur over the next 10 
years.
    The following categories of activities with a Federal nexus were 
identified as having the potential to affect the essential prey feature 
and as being expected to occur within the specific critical habitat 
areas under consideration: (1) Commercial fishing, (2) oil and gas 
activities (including seismic surveys), (3) alternative energy 
development, (4) in-water construction (including dredging and offshore 
mining), (5) vessel traffic (specifically, activities related to 
establishment of the shipping lanes established by the U.S. Coast Guard 
(USCG) (6) aquaculture, (7) military activities, (8) liquefied natural 
gas (LNG) terminal activities, (9) space vehicle and missile launches, 
(10) water quality management (including pesticide registration, 
establishment of water quality standards, and Clean Water Act general 
permits), (11) U.S. Forest Service activities (related to timber and 
forest management), and (12) inland activities (including power plant 
operations, land management pesticide/herbicide application, and 
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting). 
These activities have the potential to affect the essential feature by 
altering or reducing the quantity, quality, or the availability of the 
prey feature essential to the conservation of one or more of the listed 
DPSs of humpback whales.
    As discussed in chapter 2 of the DEA, the costs quantified in the 
economic analysis include only the additional administrative effort 
associated with consideration of potential impacts to critical habitat 
as part of future section 7 consultations (IEc 2019a). No additional 
conservation measures were identified as likely to result from the 
projected consultations, largely due to the baseline protections in 
place. Depending on the specific area at issue and the Federal action, 
relevant baseline protections include, for example, protections for co-
occurring listed species such as North Pacific right whales, Southern 
Resident killer whales, salmon, Southern DPS of Pacific eulachon, and 
the Southern DPS of green sturgeon; designated critical habitat for 
listed species; as well as protections for humpback whales under both 
the ESA and the MMPA. The number, location, and/or effects on prey of 
some other activities, particularly seismic surveys and alternative 
energy activities, are speculative at this time. Therefore, we did not 
identify any probable conservation recommendations that would likely be 
made specifically to avoid adverse modification of the humpback whale 
critical habitat as a result of these activities, nor was it possible 
to estimate the cost of any probable project modifications. However, we 
solicit public comments and relevant data that would further inform 
this analysis.
    The DEA indicates that, if designated, the 19 units of critical 
habitat may increase administrative costs of consultations involving 
humpback whales by an estimated $630,000 to $720,000 over the next ten 
years, assuming a seven percent discount rate (IEc 2019a). This equates 
to an annualized cost of $72,000 to $82,000 over the next ten years 
(IEc 201a9). The largest portion of administrative costs are 
anticipated in Unit 10 (17 to 22 percent of total costs), followed by 
Unit 13 (11 to 12 percent) and Unit 17 (9 to 10 percent). In-water 
construction activities represent the largest share of estimated costs 
(34 to 42 percent), while 18 to 21 percent of costs are associated with 
commercial fishing, and 9 to 10 percent is associated with 
consultations regarding military activities (IEc 2019a). (See the DEA 
for the specific estimated impacts for each of the 19 habitat units and 
for each of the 12 categories of Federal activities.)
    These economic impacts are largely associated with the 
administrative costs borne by NMFS and other Federal agencies and not 
by private entities or small governmental jurisdictions. However, some 
consultations may include third parties (e.g., project proponents or 
landowners) that may be small entities. These third parties may bear 
some portion of the administrative consultation costs. Ultimately, the 
analysis found that consultations on in-

[[Page 54376]]

water and coastal construction activities may generate costs borne by 
small entities. All other activities are either not expected to involve 
small entities or are associated with no more than two consultations 
per year spread across the entire critical habitat. As described in 
chapter 5 of the DEA, the analysis anticipates approximately eight 
consultations on in-water and coastal construction activities per year, 
six of which are concentrated in proposed critical habitat Unit 10 in 
Alaska. This analysis estimates that the small entities involved in 
these consultations will incur $4,900 in annualized administrative 
costs (IEc 2019a). (See ``Initial Regulatory Flexibility Act'' section 
of this document for information regarding impacts on small entities.)

Tribal Impacts

    Section 4(b)(2) of the ESA also allows for the consideration of 
other relevant impacts associated with the designation of critical 
habitat. We identified potential impacts on Federally recognized tribes 
as a possible source of other impacts relevant to the humpback whale 
critical habitat designation. A broad array of activities that occur on 
Indian lands may trigger ESA section 7 consultations. Indian lands are 
those defined in Secretarial Order 3206, ``American Indian Tribal 
Rights, Federal-Tribal Trust Responsibilities, and the Endangered 
Species Act'' (June 5, 1997), and include: (1) Lands held in trust by 
the United States for the benefit of any Indian tribe; (2) land held in 
trust by the United States for any Indian tribe or individual subject 
to restrictions by the United States against alienation; (3) fee lands, 
either within or outside the reservation boundaries, owned by the 
tribal government; and (4) fee lands within the reservation boundaries 
owned by individual Indians.
    In developing this proposed rule, we reviewed maps and did not find 
overlap between the areas under consideration as critical habitat and 
Indian lands. Based on this, we preliminarily found that there were no 
Indian lands subject to consideration for possible exclusion. However, 
it is not clear whether there may be some nearshore areas that could be 
considered for possible exclusion. In particular, we lack information 
regarding where boundaries of tribal-owned lands lie in relation to 
shoreward boundary of the specific critical habitat areas in Alaska, 
which are generally bounded by the 1-m isobath (relative to MLLW).
    As discussed further under the Classification section of this 
preamble, there are Indian tribes and Alaska Native corporations that 
have lands that are in close proximity to areas under consideration for 
designation as critical habitat for humpback whales, have usual and 
accustomed areas that overlap with critical habitat areas, or may 
otherwise be affected in coastal Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and 
California. Thus, at an early stage in the course of developing a 
proposed critical habitat rule, we contacted all potentially affected 
tribes. Specifically, in November 2018, and in coordination with the 
NMFS regional tribal liaison, we reached out to 27 tribes located in 
Washington, Oregon, and California, and 149 tribes and tribal 
organizations located within Alaska to offer the opportunity to consult 
on critical habitat for humpback whales and discuss any concerns they 
may have. We provided maps and descriptions of all areas under 
consideration as potential critical habitat, and we (1) invited input 
regarding tribal resources and issues, usual and accustomed areas, or 
the exercise of tribal rights that may be affected by a coastal 
critical habitat designation for humpback whales; (2) requested any 
information to assist us in determining the conservation value of 
nearshore areas of Indian lands as well as other possible areas of 
interest to the tribes, such as deep-water habitats outside the 
nearshore areas; and (3) invited discussion on the tribal government's 
position regarding the designation of those areas as critical habitat.
    We received no requests for consultation in response to our 
outreach efforts. We did, however, receive responses from two tribes in 
Washington, the Quinault Indian Nation and the Quileute Tribe. Both 
tribes expressed concern regarding the potential impact of the critical 
habitat designation on tribal fisheries, particularly within usual and 
accustomed fishing areas located in coastal marine waters. We had 
multiple follow-up communications with these tribes; however, neither 
tribe elected to submit formal comment or information regarding impacts 
on tribal resources or treaty rights, nor did they request additional 
meetings or consultation. As described in the Draft Economic Analysis 
(IEc 2019a), while it is possible that the critical habitat designation 
could result in recommendations for changes in fishery management, we 
consider that unlikely at this time, given the existing requirement to 
consider the effect of harvesting prey on the listed humpback whales 
and given existing Federal fisheries management measures (e.g., 
prohibition on krill fishing). We will continue to coordinate and 
consult with potentially affected tribes and Native corporations as we 
move forward with the rulemaking process.

Analysis of the Benefits of Designation

    The primary benefit of critical habitat designation--and the only 
regulatory consequence--stems from the ESA section 7(a)(2) requirement 
that all Federal agencies ensure that their actions are not likely to 
destroy or adversely modify the designated habitat. This benefit is in 
addition to the section 7(a)(2) requirement that all Federal agencies 
ensure their actions are not likely to jeopardize the species' 
continued existence. Another benefit of designation is that it provides 
notice of areas and features important to species conservation, and 
information about the types of activities that may reduce the 
conservation value of the habitat. Critical habitat designation may 
also trigger additional protections under state or local regulations.
    In addition to the benefits of critical habitat designation to the 
whales, there may be ancillary benefits. These other benefits may be 
economic in nature, or they may result in improvement of the ecological 
functioning of the designated areas. Chapter 4 of the DEA (IEc 2019a) 
discusses other forms of benefits that may be attributed to the 
conservation and recovery of humpback whales (although not specifically 
attributed to the designation of critical habitat), including use 
benefits (e.g., for wildlife viewing), non-use benefits (e.g., 
existence values), and ancillary ecosystem service benefits (e.g., 
water quality improvements and enhanced habitat conditions for other 
marine and coastal species). Humpback whales are also valued in terms 
of the utility gained from whale watching experiences. In Washington, 
Oregon, California, and Alaska, humpback whales are a target species 
for whale watchers (IEc 2019a). Whale watch participants in these 
states generate tens of millions of dollars in economic activity 
annually (Pendelton 2006). Although humpback whales have value to 
people nationally and serve as an economic engine regionally, we are 
unable to apply the available literature to quantify or monetize 
associated use and non-use economic benefits that would be attributable 
to a critical habitat designation. More information about these types 
of benefits and values may be found in chapter 4 of the DEA (IEc 
2019a).
    It would be ideal if the best available information allowed the 
benefits of designation to be monetized so they could be directly 
compared to the economic benefits of excluding a particular area. 
However, sufficient and

[[Page 54377]]

relevant data are not available to monetize the benefits of designation 
(e.g., estimates of the monetary value of the protecting the feature 
within areas designated as critical habitat, or the monetary value of 
education and outreach benefits). For this reason, the ESA regulations 
recognize that benefits may be quantitatively or qualitatively 
described (50 CFR 424.19(b)). Further, we cannot isolate and quantify 
the effect that a critical habitat designation would have on recovery 
of humpback whales separate from other ongoing or planned conservation 
actions. In addition, it is difficult to accurately predict the future 
harm to the habitat that would otherwise have been realized in the 
absence of a critical habitat designation. Ultimately, given these 
challenges and lack of sufficient information, the associated 
incremental use and non-use economic benefits of designating particular 
areas of the potential designation cannot be quantified. As an 
alternative approach, we assessed the benefits of designation using a 
biologically-based analysis of the specific areas. In this particular 
case, the CHRT considered relevant humpback whale datasets to 
qualitatively rate the conservation impact or value for the DPSs if a 
particular area is designated as critical habitat. These qualitative 
conservation value ratings were then used to represent the benefits of 
designation. The Draft Biological Report (NMFS 2019a) provides a 
detailed discussion of the methods and datasets used by the CHRT to 
systematically assign a qualitative conservation value rating to each 
of the habitat units (specific areas) under consideration.
    In general, the multiple datasets considered by the CHRT provided 
information about the importance of a given area for humpback whale 
feeding, the level of use of the critical habitat units by all humpback 
whales, and the level of use of the units by whales of each particular 
DPS (see Appendix C, NMFS 2019a). The first dataset contained 
information about the feeding BIAs that have been identified for 
humpback whales (see Ferguson et al. 2015a, c and Calambokidis et al. 
2015). Rather than simply considering presence/absence of a BIA and to 
make this information comparable across units, the CHRT considered the 
size of the BIAs relative to the size of the particular critical 
habitat unit. Specifically, the CHRT calculated the percent of total 
area (km\2\) of a unit that was covered by the BIA within that unit 
(see Table C4 in NMFS (2019a) for calculations).
    The second dataset included data on the density of humpback whales' 
occurrence within each critical habitat unit (regardless of which DPS 
the whales belong to). For habitat units along the West Coast, density 
of whales was determined using the habitat model results of Becker et 
al. (2016), which allowed for calculations of predicted density within 
each specific critical habitat unit (i.e., predicted abundance per area 
of the critical habitat unit). As no comparable modelling data exist 
for the habitat units within Alaska (i.e., Units 1-10), whale density 
information was instead compiled from the most recent, available 
literature, which covered various years and time periods, and addressed 
study areas that did not necessarily align with the critical habitat 
unit boundaries (see Tables C5 and C6 for details). These non-uniform 
data prevented the CHRT from making any strong inferences about 
humpback whale densities within Units 1-10 and complicated their 
ability to compare densities across units. The density data pulled from 
the literature were therefore considered in a very qualitative way and 
did not directly determine any votes or conclusions.
    A third dataset addressed the presence of whales from each 
particular DPS within each critical habitat unit. Three different 
pieces of information were presented in this dataset. First, using 
results of the SPLASH study, the CHRT calculated the percentage of 
whales identified to a particular DPS out of all the matched sightings 
within a specific unit. (Matched sightings are the total number of 
whales photo-identified in both the relevant breeding areas for the DPS 
and the critical habitat unit. Note that most whales sighted in feeding 
areas have not been identified as belonging to a particular DPS.) (See 
Table C7 in NMFS (2019a) for total matches and calculations.) Secondly, 
the CHRT considered the probabilities of whales from a particular DPS 
moving from their winter, breeding area to a feeding area (critical 
habitat unit) as calculated by Wade (2017). These movement 
probabilities were also derived from SPLASH data. The feeding areas 
from the SPLASH study and from Wade (2017) represent larger geographic 
areas than the critical habitat units, so in many cases the same 
movement probability applied to multiple, adjacent critical habitat 
units. Lastly, the CHRT compiled available documentation of whales from 
a specific DPS occurring in each unit (i.e., confirmed presence). These 
data came from both the SPLASH study as well as other references, a 
complete list of which is provided in Table C8 of NMFS (2019a).
    After reviewing the datasets as a group, each member of the CHRT 
independently rated the habitat unit for each relevant DPS through a 
structured decision-making process. To do this, each team member 
distributed four ``points'' across the following four conservation 
value categories for each of the critical habitat units:
    (1) Very high--meaning areas where the available data indicate the 
area is very important to the conservation of the DPS;
    (2) high--meaning areas where the available data indicate the area 
is important to the conservation of the DPS;
    (3) medium--meaning the available data indicate the area is 
moderately important to the conservation of the DPS; and,
    (4) low conservation value--meaning the available data suggest the 
DPS does not rely on this area for feeding.
    CHRT members could place all four points for a given habitat unit 
and DPS in one of these qualitative categories or spread those four 
points across any or all of the four categories. The degree to which 
votes were spread across the conservation value categories thus served 
as a measure of uncertainty in the conservation value of a particular 
unit. Because the CHRT consists of 10 team members, each unit of 
critical habitat received a total of 40 points. However, CHRT members 
were permitted to forego assigning their four points for a specific 
critical habitat unit if they concluded the available data were either 
too limited to support drawing a particular conclusion or there was too 
much uncertainty associated with the available data. In these 
instances, CHRT members could instead categorize the unit as ``data 
deficient.'' Units receiving ``data deficient'' votes from one or more 
CHRT member meant those particular units received less than 40 points.
    Following an initial round of scoring, the CHRT met to discuss 
their assessments of the data and results. Following that team 
discussion, CHRT members were given the opportunity to independently 
re-evaluate their own point distributions and make any changes (if they 
elected to do so). The CHRT's conservation ratings for each of the 
habitat units are provided in Tables 1-3; complete results are 
presented and discussed within the Draft Biological Report (NMFS 
2019a).

Proposed Exclusions Based on Economic Impacts

    As is clear from the preceding discussion, the conservation 
benefits to the humpback whale DPSs that would result from the 
designation of any particular critical habitat unit,

[[Page 54378]]

expressed as a qualitative rating, are not directly comparable to the 
economic benefits that would result from exclusion of the particular 
unit from designation, which is expressed as a quantified cost. 
However, to weigh the benefits of designation against the economic 
benefits of exclusion, we have to compare these two types of 
information. As noted previously, the Secretary has discretion to 
determine the weight to assign to the relevant factors and may exclude 
any particular area from the critical habitat designation upon a 
determination that the benefits of such exclusion outweigh the benefits 
of specifying the particular area as part of the critical habitat (50 
CFR 424.19(c)). The Secretary, however, cannot exclude any particular 
area if, based on the best scientific and commercial data available, 
the Secretary determines that the failure to designate that area as 
critical habitat will result in the extinction of the species concerned 
(50 CFR 424.19(c)). For this analysis, we note that each of the units 
identified for potential designation meet the definition of critical 
habitat because they are in the occupied range of the species and 
contain the identified physical or biological feature; however, the 
areas vary as to the level of conservation value anticipated to result 
from the designation. We (exercising the delegated authority of the 
Secretary) determined that the conservation benefits of including areas 
with medium, high, or very high conservation ratings should have 
significant weight in this analysis.
    Overall, the projected economic impacts to Federal agencies and 
non-Federal entities of designating each of the 19 habitat units are 
low, with annualized impacts ranging from $430-$18,000 per habitat unit 
(IEc 2019a). If all 19 units were designated, the total annualized 
impact is estimated to range from $72,000 to $82,000 over the next 10 
years (IEc 2019a). This estimated economic impact is well below the 
annualized costs associated with several, large, marine critical 
habitats that have been previously designated in the Pacific (e.g., 
leatherback sea turtle, 77 FR 4169, January 26, 2012; black abalone, 76 
FR 66806, October 27, 2011). Relative to these other designations, the 
probable economic impacts projected for the humpback whale critical 
habitat are comparatively very low.
    Results of the biological and economic analyses (see Tables 1-3) 
indicate that habitat units rated as having ``very high'' or ``high'' 
conservation value are associated with annualized impacts ranging from 
$430 (Unit 1, WNP and MX DPSs) to $7,500 (Unit 11, CAM and MX DPS). 
Habitat units rated as having ``medium'' conservation value are 
associated with annualized impacts ranging from $680 (Unit 4, MX DPS) 
to $18,000 (Unit 10, MX DPS). Lastly, specific areas rated as having 
``low'' conservation value were associated with annualized impacts 
ranging from $680 (Unit 4, WNP DPS) to $5,200 (Unit 19, CAM and MX 
DPSs). After reviewing the costs and conservation values for each 
specific area and for each DPS, the CHRT concluded that the economic 
impacts for units with very high, high, and medium conservation ratings 
were not outweighed by the relatively low costs attributed to any of 
those units. Given the data-driven process by which the CHRT carefully 
evaluated the relative conservation value of each critical habitat 
unit, the CHRT was confident that areas receiving these rating 
classifications are all important to the conservation of their 
respective DPSs. In other words, these higher value feeding areas are 
viewed as being critical in supporting the overall life history of the 
whales, and their conservation value is not outweighed by the 
relatively low economic impacts projected to occur as a result of their 
designation as critical habitat. The CHRT, however, concluded that the 
economic impacts, though objectively low, do outweigh the benefits of 
designating specific areas rated as having a ``low'' conservation 
value. By definition, these low value habitat units are those specific 
areas, based on the CHRT's assessment of the best available data, upon 
which humpback whales of the particular DPS do not appear to rely on as 
extensively for feeding, given the lower density or level of occurrence 
of whales relative to other units with higher conservation value. 
Therefore, even though the estimated annualized impacts only ranged 
from $680-$5,200 across all of the low conservation value areas for all 
DPSs, the CHRT concluded that these costs outweighed the minimal 
conservation benefits to the whales of designating these areas. We 
concurred with the CHRT's assessment and note that even with the 
potential exclusions, the resulting designation includes extensive 
areas of medium, high, and very high conservation value; and therefore, 
we propose to exclude all low conservation value areas from the 
critical habitat designations. Specifically, we proposed to exclude the 
following five units from the critical habitat designation for the WNP 
DPS: Unit 4--Central Peninsula Area, Unit 6--Cook Inlet, Unit 7--Kenai 
Peninsula Area, Unit 8--Prince William Sound Area, and Unit 9--
Northeastern Gulf of Alaska. Based on the application of this same 
decision rule, we also propose to exclude one specific area, Unit 19--
California South Coast, from critical habitat for the CAM DPS. Lastly, 
we propose to exclude the three low-conservation-value habitat units 
from the critical habitat designation for the MX DPS: Unit 7--Kenai 
Peninsula Area, Unit 9--Northeastern Gulf of Alaska, and Unit 19--
California South Coast. As discussed in the Draft Section 4(b)(2) 
Report (NMFS 2019b), we conclude that exclusion of these low 
conservation-value areas from the critical habitat designations will 
not result in extinction of any of the three humpback whale DPSs.

 Table 1--Conservation Ratings and Estimated, Incremental, Annualized Economic Impacts Associated With Section 7
 Consultations Over the Next 10 Years for the Specific Areas of Potential Critical Habitat for the Western North
                                         Pacific DPS of Humpback Whales
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                    Annualized
               Unit No.                            Area                  Conservation rating          impacts
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1....................................  Bristol Bay.................  high.......................            $430
2....................................  Aleutian Islands Area.......  very high..................       690-2,400
3....................................  Shumagin Islands Area.......  very high..................         430-810
4....................................  Central Peninsula Area......  low........................         680-860
5....................................  Kodiak Island Area..........  high.......................     2,800-3,600
6....................................  Cook Inlet..................  low........................     3,400-3,700
7....................................  Kenai Peninsula Area........  low........................           1,000
8....................................  Prince William Sound Area...  low........................           1,800

[[Page 54379]]

 
9....................................  Northeastern Gulf of Alaska.  low........................           1,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 Table 2--Conservation Ratings and Estimated, Incremental, Annualized Economic Impacts Associated With Section 7
    Consultations Over the Next 10 Years for the Specific Areas of Potential Critical Habitat for the Central
                                         America DPS of Humpback Whales
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                    Annualized
               Unit No.                            Area                  Conservation rating          impacts
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11...................................  Coastal Washington..........  high.......................   $6,800-$7,500
12...................................  Columbia River Area.........  medium/low.................           6,300
13...................................  Coastal Oregon..............  medium.....................     8,600-9,400
14...................................  Southern Oregon/Northern      high.......................           2,300
                                        California.
15...................................  California North Coast......  medium.....................           1,600
16...................................  San Francisco/Monterey Bay..  very high..................           2,700
17...................................  California Central Coast....  very high..................           7,200
18...................................  Channel Islands.............  high.......................           3,500
19...................................  California South Coast......  low........................     5,000-5,200
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 Table 3--Conservation Ratings and Estimated, Incremental, Annualized Economic Impacts Associated With Section 7
 Consultations Over the Next 10 Years for the Specific Areas of Potential Critical Habitat for the Mexico DPS of
                                                 Humpback Whales
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                    Annualized
               Unit No.                            Area                  Conservation rating          impacts
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1....................................  Bristol Bay.................  high.......................            $430
2....................................  Aleutian Island Area........  very high..................       690-2,400
3....................................  Shumagin Islands Area.......  very high..................         430-810
4....................................  Central Peninsula Area......  medium.....................         680-860
5....................................  Kodiak Island Area..........  high.......................     2,800-3,600
6....................................  Cook Inlet..................  medium.....................     3,400-3,700
7....................................  Kenai Peninsula Area........  low........................           1,000
8....................................  Prince William Sound Area...  high.......................           1,800
9....................................  Northeastern Gulf of Alaska.  low........................           1,000
10...................................  Southeastern Alaska.........  medium.....................   12,000-18,000
11...................................  Coastal Washington..........  very high..................     6,800-7,500
12...................................  Columbia River Area.........  medium.....................           6,300
13...................................  Coastal Oregon..............  medium.....................     8,600-9,400
14...................................  Southern Oregon/Northern      high.......................           2,300
                                        California.
15...................................  California North Coast......  medium.....................           1,600
16...................................  San Francisco/Monterey Bay    very high..................           2,700
                                        Area.
17...................................  California Central Coast....  very high..................           7,200
18...................................  Channel Islands Area........  high.......................           3,500
19...................................  California South Coast Area.  low........................     5,000-5,200
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Proposed Exclusions Based on National Security Impacts

    Based on the written information provided by the Navy in December 
2018 and information provided through subsequent discussions with Navy 
representatives, we evaluated whether there was a reasonably specific 
justification indicating that designating certain areas as critical 
habitat would have a probable incremental impact on national security. 
In accordance with our 4(b)(2) Policy (81 FR 7226, February 11, 2016), 
in instances where the Navy provided a reasonably specific 
justification, we deferred to their expert judgement as to: (1) Whether 
activities on its lands or waters, or its activities on other lands or 
waters, have national security or homeland-security implications; (2) 
the importance of those implications; and (3) the degree to which the 
cited implications would be adversely affected by the critical habitat 
designation. In conducting a review of these exclusion requests under 
section 4(b)(2) of the ESA, we also gave great weight to the Navy's 
national-security concerns. To weigh the national security impacts 
against conservation benefits of a potential critical habitat 
designation, we also considered the following: (1) The size of the 
requested exclusion and the percentage of the specific critical habitat 
area(s) that overlaps with the Navy area; (2) the relative conservation 
value of the specific area for each particular humpback whale DPS; (3) 
the likelihood that the Navy's activities would destroy or adversely 
modify critical habitat, and the likelihood that NMFS would require 
project modifications to reduce or avoid these impacts; and, (4) the 
likelihood that other Federal actions may occur in the site that would 
no longer be subject to the critical habitat provision if the

[[Page 54380]]

particular area were excluded from the designation.
    As noted above, SEAFAC is a small installation (48 nmi\2\), 
comprising only 0.22 percent of Unit 10, which covers 22,152 nmi\2\ of 
marine habitat within Southeast Alaska, and lies entirely outside of 
the recognized feeding BIA in this region (Ferguson et al. 2015). Unit 
10 was found to have a medium conservation value for the MX DPS of 
humpback whales. Given the Navy's substantial and specific concerns 
regarding the potential impact of a designation on their activities 
within SEAFAC, the extremely small relative size of the requested 
exclusion, the medium conservation rating of the habitat, and fact that 
other Federal activities are unlikely to occur in this area, we 
determined that benefits of excluding this area due to national 
security impacts outweigh the benefits of designating this area as 
critical habitat for the MX DPS. Therefore, we are proposing to exclude 
the SEAFAC area from the designation of critical habitat for the MX DPS 
of humpback whales, and the boundaries of Unit 10 have been adjusted 
accordingly.
    After considering the information provided by the Navy regarding 
potential impacts on national security stemming from the designation of 
a portion of Unit 11 as critical habitat, we found that the Navy had 
provided a reasonably specific justification for their requested 
exclusion of the area overlapping with the QRS as well the 10-km buffer 
surrounding the QRS. The requested exclusion comprises about 44 percent 
of the area of Unit 11, which was rated as having a high conservation 
value for the CAM DPS and a very high conservation value for the MX 
DPS. To get a more precise sense of the value of the specific QRS area 
(including the buffer) to the whales, we reviewed the overlap of the 
QRS with the location of the BIA and the predicted whale densities from 
Becker et al. (2016), which modeled predicted densities in 
approximately 10 km by 10 km grid cells. Those comparisons indicated 
that the QRS is entirely outside of, and south of, the BIA, and 
overlaps partially with the area where the highest densities of 
humpback whales are predicted to occur within Unit 11. In other words, 
an exclusion of the QRS and buffer area would not remove from the 
designation much of the comparatively high value locations within Unit 
11. The Navy also indicated that while access to this area is not as 
tightly controlled as with SEAFAC, they do exert significant influence 
in terms of limiting other Federal activities within this the QRS. 
Overall, given the Navy's substantial and specific concerns regarding 
the potential impact of a critical habitat designation on their unique 
testing and training activities that occur within the QRS and the 
potential delay in critical missions in order to complete adverse 
modification analyses, we determined that the benefits of excluding the 
QRS and buffer due to national security impacts outweighs the benefits 
of designating this portion of Unit 11 as critical habitat for the MX 
and CAM DPSs. Thus, we propose to exclude this DOD area from the 
critical habitat designations for both the MX and CAM DPSs, and the 
boundaries of Unit 11 have been adjusted accordingly.
    We considered the information provided by the Navy concerning 
potential impacts on national security stemming from the designation of 
Unit 19 as critical habitat, and found that the Navy had provided a 
reasonably specific justification for their requested exclusion. We 
considered the information provided by the Navy regarding the nature 
and types of training and testing activities that occur within the 
SOCAL range complex (e.g., anti-submarine warfare, torpedo, mine 
countermeasure, gun, missile and rocket, and propulsion testing) to 
evaluate their potential to affect humpback whale critical habitat. We 
also reviewed the discussions about particular impacts provided in the 
Navy's 2018 Final Environmental Impact Statement for Hawaii-Southern 
California Training and Testing (e.g., impacts to fish and 
invertebrates). We agree with the Navy's assessment that the activities 
that occur in the SOCAL range complex, many of which occur with high 
frequency, have the potential to impact humpback whale prey species, 
with the degree of impact depending on the nature of the particular 
activity. We also considered that Unit 19 had been assessed as having 
low conservation value to both the MX and CAM DPSs of humpback whales. 
Although this exclusion request extended over the entirety of Unit 19, 
given the low conservation value rating this area received for each 
DPS, we concluded that the benefit of exclusion of this particular area 
outweighs the benefit of including it in either designation. Overall, 
we concurred with the Navy that designation of Unit 19 would likely 
have national security impacts that outweigh the benefits of 
designating this low conservation value area. Thus, even though we had 
previously determined that Unit 19 should be proposed for exclusion 
based on economic impacts, we made an independent determination to 
propose to exclude this area as a result of national security impacts. 
This conclusion further supports the proposed exclusion of Unit 19 
under section 4(b)(2) of the ESA.

Proposed Critical Habitat Designations

    For the endangered WNP DPS of humpback whales, we propose to 
designate 78,690 nmi\2\ of marine habitat off the coast of Alaska as 
occupied critical habitat. (The proposed designation encompasses Units 
1, 2, 3, and 5 as shown in Figure 1.) The specific areas included in 
the proposed designation are seasonal feeding areas for humpback whales 
and contain the essential prey feature. A total area of 44,119 nmi\2\ 
is proposed for exclusion, because the benefits of exclusion were found 
to outweigh the benefits of inclusion of these areas. Specifically, the 
limited conservation benefits of designating the relevant specific 
areas (i.e., Units 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9) were found to be outweighed by 
the economic impact of designating these areas. Each of the areas 
recommended for inclusion in the designation for the WNP DPS (i.e., 
Units 1, 2, 3, and 5) contains a humpback whale feeding BIA and was 
rated as having high or very high conservation value for the WNP DPS. 
Although one of the areas proposed for exclusion (i.e., Unit 8) also 
contains a humpback whale feeding BIA, whales from the WNP DPS have not 
been directly observed within this unit and presence has only been 
inferred based on the available data. We also find that the exclusion 
of Units 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 from a designation of critical habitat for 
the WNP DPS of humpback whales would not result in extinction of this 
DPS, because these whales are not expected to rely on these areas for 
feeding (NMFS 2019a). No other exclusions are proposed for this DPS. We 
have not identified any unoccupied areas that are essential to the 
conservation of this DPS, thus we are not proposing to designate any 
unoccupied areas.
    For the endangered CAM DPS of humpback whales, we propose to 
designate 48,459 nmi\2\ of marine habitat off the coasts of Washington, 
Oregon, and California as occupied critical habitat. (The proposed 
designation encompasses part of Unit 11 and Units 12-18 as shown in 
Figure 1.) The areas being proposed for designation contain the 
essential prey feature and serve as the only major feeding areas for 
the CAM DPS; thus, these areas are critical to supporting population 
growth and recovery of this endangered DPS. A total of 14,489 nmi\2\ of 
marine habitat is proposed for exclusion, because the

[[Page 54381]]

benefits of exclusion were found to outweigh the benefits of inclusion 
of this area. Specifically, the limited conservation benefits of 
designating the relevant specific area (i.e., Unit 19--California south 
Coast Area) were found to be outweighed by the economic impact of 
designating this area. Exclusion of this area, which is not predicted 
to be a high use area in the summer/fall, will not result in the 
extinction of this DPS. An area of about 1,522 nmi\2\ corresponding to 
a Navy testing and training area off the coast of Washington (QRS and 
buffer) is being proposed for exclusion as a result of national 
security impacts. While this exclusion does fall within high to very 
high conservation-value feeding habitat for this DPS, it does fall 
outside of the recognized feeding BIA and is small relative to the 
total size of the proposed designation, which extends over 48,459 
nmi\2\ of marine waters off of Washington, Oregon, and California. 
Therefore, we conclude that this proposed exclusions will not result in 
the extinction of this DPS.
    The boundary for Unit 18 (Channel Island Area) was also adjusted so 
that the footprint of the SNI INRMP (around Begg Rock) and of the NBVC 
Point Mugu INRMP (i.e., waters around San Miguel and Prince Islands) 
are not included in the proposed designation, as these areas were 
determined to be ineligible for designation as critical habitat under 
section 4(a)(3)(B)(i) of the ESA. We have not identified any unoccupied 
areas that are essential to the conservation of the CAM DPS, thus we 
are not proposing to designate any unoccupied areas.
    For the threated MX DPS of humpback whales, we propose to designate 
175,812 nmi\2\ of marine habitat off the coasts of Alaska, Washington, 
Oregon, and California as occupied critical habitat. (The proposed 
designation encompasses Units 1-6, 8, most of Unit 10, part of Unit 11, 
and Units 12-18; Figure 1.) The areas being proposed for designation 
are seasonal feeding areas that contain the essential prey feature, and 
are critical in supporting population growth and recovery of this wide-
ranging threatened DPS. A total of 32,097 nmi\2\ of marine habitat is 
proposed for exclusion, because the benefits of exclusion were found to 
outweigh the benefits of inclusion of these areas. Specifically, the 
limited conservation benefits of designating the relevant specific 
areas (i.e., Unit 7--Kenai Peninsula Area, Unit 9--Northeastern Gulf of 
Alaska, and Unit 19--California south Coast Area) were found to be 
outweighed by the economic impact of designating these areas. Given the 
limited conservation benefits of designating these areas, exclusion of 
these areas will not result in extinction of this DPS. About 1,570 
nmi\2\ of marine habitat corresponding to two Navy areas, one in 
Southeast Alaska (SEAFAC) and one off the coast of Washington (QRS) are 
being proposed for exclusion as a result of national security impacts. 
Although these proposed exclusions are within feeding habitat of medium 
and high conservation value for this DPS, they are both outside of 
recognized BIAs, and they comprise a small area relative to the total 
size of the proposed designation, which includes coastal marine waters 
off Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California. Therefore, we conclude 
that these proposed exclusions will not result in the extinction of the 
MX DPS.
    As described above for the CAM DPS, the boundary for Unit 18 
(Channel Island Area) was also adjusted so that the footprint of the 
SNI INRMP (around Begg Rock) and of the NBVC Point Mugu INRMP (i.e., 
waters around San Miguel and Prince Islands) are not included in the 
proposed designation, as these areas were determined to be ineligible 
for designation as critical habitat under section 4(a)(3)(B)(i) of the 
ESA. We have not identified any unoccupied areas that are essential to 
the conservation of the MX DPS, thus we are not proposing to designate 
any unoccupied areas.

Effects of Critical Habitat Designations

    Section 7(a)(2) of the ESA requires Federal agencies, including 
NMFS, to ensure that any action authorized, funded or carried out by 
the agency (agency action) is not likely to jeopardize the continued 
existence of any threatened or endangered species or destroy or 
adversely modify designated critical habitat. Federal agencies must 
consult with us on any proposed agency action that may affect the 
listed species or its critical habitat. During interagency 
consultation, we evaluate the agency action to determine whether the 
action may adversely affect listed species or critical habitat and 
issue our finding in a biological opinion. The potential effects of a 
proposed action may depend on, among other factors, the specific timing 
and location of the action relative to seasonal presence of essential 
features or seasonal use of critical habitat by the listed species for 
essential life history functions. While the requirement to consult on 
an action that may affect critical habitat applies regardless of the 
season, NMFS addresses the varying spatial and temporal considerations 
when evaluating the potential impacts of a proposed action during 
consultation. If we conclude in the biological opinion that the agency 
action would likely result in the destruction or adverse modification 
of critical habitat, we would also recommend any reasonable and prudent 
alternatives to the action.
    Reasonable and prudent alternatives are defined in 50 CFR 402.02 as 
alternative actions identified during formal consultation that can be 
implemented in a manner consistent with the intended purpose of the 
action, that are consistent with the scope of the Federal agency's 
legal authority and jurisdiction, that are economically and 
technologically feasible, and that would avoid the destruction or 
adverse modification of critical habitat. The Service may also provide 
with the biological opinion a statement containing discretionary 
conservation recommendations. Conservation recommendations are advisory 
and are not intended to carry any binding legal force.
    Regulations at 50 CFR 402.16 require Federal agencies that have 
retained discretionary involvement or control over an action, or where 
such discretionary involvement or control is authorized by law, to 
reinitiate consultation on previously reviewed actions in instances 
where: (1) Critical habitat is subsequently designated; or (2) new 
information or changes to the action may result in effects to critical 
habitat not previously considered in the biological opinion. 
Consequently, some Federal agencies may request reinitiation of 
consultation or conference with NMFS on actions for which formal 
consultation has been completed, if those actions may affect designated 
critical habitat for the WNP, CAM, or MX DPSs of humpback whales.
    Activities subject to the ESA section 7 consultation process 
include activities on Federal lands, as well as activities requiring a 
permit or other authorization from a Federal agency (e.g., a section 
10(a)(1)(B) permit from NMFS), or some other Federal action, including 
funding (e.g., Federal Emergency Management Agency funding). ESA 
section 7 consultation would not be required for Federal actions that 
do not affect listed species or critical habitat, and would not be 
required for actions on non-Federal and private lands that are not 
carried out, funded, or authorized by a Federal agency.

Activities That May Be Affected

    ESA section 4(b)(8) requires, to the maximum extent practicable, in 
any proposed regulation to designate critical habitat, an evaluation 
and brief

[[Page 54382]]

description of those activities (whether public or private) that may 
adversely modify such habitat or that may be affected by such 
designation. A wide variety of activities may affect the proposed 
critical habitat and may be subject to the ESA section 7 consultation 
processes when carried out, funded, or authorized by a Federal agency. 
These include: (1) Federal fisheries, (2) oil and gas activities 
(including seismic surveys), (3) alternative energy development, (4) 
in-water construction (including dredging and offshore mining), (5) 
vessel traffic (specifically, activities related to establishment of 
the shipping lanes established by the USCG), (6) aquaculture, (7) 
military activities, (8) LNG terminal activities, (9) space vehicle and 
missile launches, (10) water quality management (including pesticide 
registration, establishment of water quality standards, and Clean Water 
Act general permits), (11) U.S. Forest Service activities (related to 
timber and forest management), and (12) inland activities (including 
power plant operations, land management pesticide/herbicide 
application, and NPDES permitting).
    Private or non-Federal entities may also be affected by the 
proposed critical habitat designation if there is a Federal nexus in 
that a Federal permit is required, Federal funding is received, or the 
entity is involved in or receives benefits from a Federal project. 
These activities would need to be evaluated with respect to their 
potential to destroy or adversely modify humpback whale critical 
habitat. As noted in the solicited comments section below, NMFS also 
requests information on the types of non-Federal activities that may be 
affected by this rulemaking.

Public Comments Solicited

    To ensure the final action resulting from this proposed rule will 
be as accurate and effective as possible, we solicit comments and 
information from the public, other concerned government agencies, 
Federally recognized tribes and organizations, the scientific 
community, industry, non-governmental organizations, and any other 
interested party concerning the proposed designations of critical 
habitat for the WNP, CAM, and MX DPSs of humpback whales. In 
particular, we are interested in data and information regarding the 
following: (1) The distribution and habitat use of whales of the WNP, 
CAM, or MX DPS in coastal waters within the North Pacific; (2) the 
relative conservation value of the 19 specific units of critical 
habitat to the specific, relevant DPSs of humpback whales that occur in 
each area; (3) how medium conservation value areas were assessed and 
weighed relative to the impacts associated with designating these 
particular areas (i.e., should the designation include particular 
medium conservation-value areas or exclude them?); (4) the boundaries 
of the specific areas and of the proposed critical habitats; (5) the 
nearshore distribution of humpback whales in waters off Alaska, and 
whether the benefits of excluding areas closest to shore outweigh the 
benefits associated with designating these areas; and, if nearshore 
areas are excluded, what would be an appropriate distance; (6) 
information regarding potential benefits of designating any particular 
area as critical habitat; (7) information regarding the types of 
Federal actions that may trigger an ESA section 7 consultation and the 
possible modifications that may be required of those activities; (8) 
information regarding current or planned activities in the areas 
proposed as critical habitat, including both Federal and non-Federal 
activities, that may be impacted by the proposed critical habitat 
designation; (9) any foreseeable economic, national security, Tribal, 
or other relevant impact resulting from the proposed designations, 
including costs arising from project delays due to section 7 
consultations; (10) whether any data used in the economic analysis 
needs to be updated; (11) additional costs arising specifically from 
humpback whale critical habitat that have not been identified in the 
Draft Economic Analysis or improved costs estimates for activities that 
are included in the Draft Economic Analysis; (12) additional 
information regarding impacts on small businesses and Federally 
recognized tribes that were not identified in the Draft Economic 
Analysis or the initial regulatory flexibility analysis; and, (13) any 
information relevant to potential exclusions of particular areas that 
are smaller than those considered (e.g., a particular area encompassing 
the San Francisco Traffic Separation Scheme). To the extent possible, 
we request that the data or information provided be clearly specific to 
one or more of the DPS addressed in this proposed rule.
    You may submit your comments and materials concerning this proposal 
by any one of several methods (see ADDRESSES). The proposed rule and 
supporting documentation can be found on the Federal e-Rulemaking 
Portal at www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2019-0066. In 
preparing the final rule, we will consider all comments pertaining to 
the proposed designations received during the comment period. 
Accordingly, the final decision may differ from this proposed rule.

Public Hearings

    Agency regulations at 50 CFR 424.16(c)(3) require the Secretary to 
promptly hold at least one public hearing if any person requests one 
within 45 days of publication of a proposed rule to designate critical 
habitat. Public hearings provide the opportunity for interested 
individuals and parties to give comments, exchange information and 
opinions, and engage in a constructive dialogue concerning this 
proposed rule. We encourage the public's involvement in such ESA 
matters. Public hearings and the dates and specific locations for these 
hearings will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice. 
Requests for additional public hearings must be made in writing (see 
ADDRESSES) by November 25, 2019.

References Cited

    A complete list of all references cited in this proposed rule can 
be found on the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2019-0066, and is available upon request 
from the NMFS Office of Protected Resources (see ADDRESSES).

Classifications

National Environmental Policy Act

    We have determined that an environmental analysis as provided for 
under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for critical 
habitat designations made pursuant to the ESA is not required. See 
Douglas County v. Babbitt, 48 F.3d 1495 (9th Cir. 1995), cert. denied, 
116 S.Ct. 698 (1996).

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), 
as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act 
(SBREFA) of 1996, whenever an agency publishes a notice of rulemaking 
for any proposed or final rule, it must prepare and make available for 
public comment a regulatory flexibility analysis that describes the 
effects of the rule on small entities (i.e., small businesses, small 
organizations, and small government jurisdictions). We have prepared an 
initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA), which is provided in 
chapter 5 of the Draft Economic Analysis (IEc 2019a). The IRFA 
describes the economic impact this proposed rule, if adopted, would 
have on small entities. The IRFA is summarized below.

[[Page 54383]]

    As discussed previously in this preamble and in our IRFA (see 
chapter 5 of IEc 2019a), the designation of critical habitat is 
required under the ESA, and in this particular case, is also required 
pursuant to a court-approved settlement agreement. Section 4 of the 
ESA, requires us to designate, to the maximum extent prudent and 
determinable, the specific areas that contain the physical or 
biological features essential to the conservation of the species and 
that may require special management considerations or protections. This 
proposed critical habitat rule does not directly apply to any 
particular entity, small or large. The rule would operate in 
conjunction with ESA section 7(a)(2), which requires that Federal 
agencies ensure, in consultation with NMFS, that any action they 
authorize, fund, or carry out is not likely to jeopardize the continued 
existence of listed species or destroy or adversely modify critical 
habitat. Consultations may result in economic impacts to Federal 
agencies and proponents of proposed actions (e.g., permittees, 
applicants, grantees). Those economic impacts may be in the form of 
administrative costs of participating in a section 7 consultation and, 
if the consultation results in required measures to protect critical 
habitat, project modification costs.
    This proposed rule will not impose any recordkeeping or reporting 
requirements on small entities. The critical habitat designations would 
require that Federal agencies initiate a section 7 consultation to 
ensure their actions do not destroy or adversely modify critical 
habitat. During formal consultation under the ESA, there may be 
communication among NMFS, the action agency, and a third party 
participant applying for Federal funding or permitting in an effort to 
minimize potential adverse impacts to the habitat or essential feature. 
Communication may include written letters, phone calls, and/or 
meetings. Project variables such as the type of consultation, the 
location of the activity, impacted essential features, and activity of 
concern, may in turn dictate the complexity of these interactions. 
Third party costs may include administrative work, such as cost of time 
and materials to prepare for letters, calls, or meetings. The cost of 
analyses related to the activity and associated reports may be included 
in these administrative costs. In addition, following the section 7 
consultation process, as a requirement of the funding or permit 
received from the Federal action agency, entities may be required to 
monitor progress during the said activity to ensure that impacts to the 
habitat and features have been minimized.
    The proposed rule will not duplicate or conflict with any other 
laws or regulations. However, the protection of listed species and 
habitat under critical habitat may overlap other sections of the ESA. 
The protections afforded to threatened and endangered species and their 
habitat are described in section 7, 9, and 10 of the ESA. A final 
determination to designate critical habitat requires Federal agencies 
to consult, pursuant to section 7 of the ESA, with NMFS on any 
activities the Federal agency funds, authorizes, or carries out, 
including permitting, approving, or funding non-Federal activities 
(e.g., a Clean Water Act, Section 404 dredge or fill permit from 
USACE). The requirement to consult is to ensure that any Federal action 
authorized, funded, or carried out will not likely jeopardize the 
continued existence of any endangered or threatened species or result 
in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. The 
incremental impacts contemplated in this IRFA are expected to result 
from the critical habitat designation and not from other Federal 
regulations.
    While we do not here prejudge the outcome of any interagency 
consultation, the best available information supports the conclusion 
that for most, if not all, of the Federal activities predicted to occur 
over the time horizon of the analysis (i.e., in the next 10 years), if 
the effects to critical habitat will be adverse and require formal 
consultation, those effects are also expected to constitute adverse 
effects to listed humpback whales or other listed species or designated 
critical habitat, either directly or indirectly. Thus, as discussed 
previously, projects that might adversely affect the proposed essential 
feature and proposed humpback whale critical habitat are not expected 
to result in incremental project modification costs. Therefore, the 
only costs of this class of actions that are attributable to this rule 
are the administrative costs of adding critical habitat analyses to a 
consultation that would otherwise occur anyway.
    The designation of critical habitat humpback whales is expected to 
have a limited economic impact, on the order of $6,900-$9,700 
annualized over ten years (at a 7 percent discount rate) for the WNP 
DPS, $42,000-$43,000 for the CAM DPS, and $64,000-$75,000 for the MX 
DPS. The nature of these costs are administrative efforts to consider 
potential for adverse modification as part of future ESA section 7 
consultations. Primarily, consultations are between NMFS and Federal 
action agencies to evaluate the potential for projects and activities 
to result in adverse modification of critical habitat. Therefore, most 
incremental impacts are borne by NMFS and other Federal agencies and 
not by private entities or small governmental jurisdictions. However, 
some consultations may include third parties (e.g., project proponents 
or landowners) that may be small entities.
    The best available information was used to identify the potential 
impacts of critical habitat on small entities. However, there are 
uncertainties that complicate quantification of these impacts, 
particularly with respect to the extent to which the quantified impacts 
may be borne by small entities. As a result, the IRFA employed a 
conservative approach (i.e., more likely to overestimate than 
underestimate impacts to small entities) in assuming that the 
quantified costs that are not borne by the Federal government are borne 
by small entities. Because the critical habitat under consideration 
occurs in marine waters, the analysis also focused on small entities 
located in counties along the Pacific Coast of California, Oregon, and 
Washington, and in coastal counties in Alaska.
    For all activities categories relevant to this analysis except in-
water and coastal construction (i.e., commercial fishing, oil and gas, 
alternative energy, aquaculture, LNG facilities, water quality 
management, and inland activities), the expected costs borne by third 
parties in related industries is expected to be negligible. For each of 
these activities, two or fewer consultations are anticipated per year 
spread across the area that was under consideration for humpback whale 
critical habitat. As a result, the annualized incremental costs that 
may be borne by small entities in related industries is estimated to be 
less than $2,200. The analysis, therefore, focused on the costs of 
consultations on in-water and coastal construction activities, which 
occur more frequently within the critical habitat area. As described in 
chapter 5 of the DEA (IEc 2019a), approximately eight consultations per 
year focus on in-water and coastal construction activities. The 
majority of these (six per year) are concentrated within critical 
habitat Unit 10 in Alaska. As such, the analysis focused on the small 
businesses and government jurisdictions in the region surrounding 
critical habitat Unit 10.
    Relevant businesses in North American Industry Classification

[[Page 54384]]

System (NAICS) included the following industry sectors: Sand, Gravel, 
Clay and Ceramic Mining and Quarrying; Water and Sewer Line and Related 
Structures Construction; Oil and Gas Pipeline and Related Structures 
Construction; Power and Communication Line and Related Structures 
Construction; Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction; Other Heavy and 
Civil Engineering Construction; Dredging and Surface Cleanup 
Activities. Along with private businesses, there also may be 
consultations for which small governmental jurisdictions (i.e., 
jurisdictions with populations of less than 50,000 people) are the 
third parties participating in the consultations rather than 
businesses. The IRFA identified 21 small government jurisdictions 
adjacent to critical habitat units that may be involved in future 
consultations. Seven of these areas--Juneau Borough, Sitka Borough, 
Haines Borough, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Prince of Wales-Outer 
Ketchikan Census Area, Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, and Wrangell-
Petersburg Census Area--are adjacent to critical habitat Unit 10.
    Ultimately, based on the IRFA, up to eight small entities per year 
may bear costs associated with participation in consultation regarding 
humpback whale critical habitat. The total annualized administrative 
costs that may be borne by these small entities (businesses or 
governments) engaged in in-water and coastal construction activities is 
$4,900 (discounted at seven percent). Across all in-water and coastal 
construction NAICS codes, the average annual revenues are $1.3 million 
for the small businesses identified. As a result, the total estimated 
annualized administrative costs of $4,900 represent less than 0.4 
percent of average annual revenues at these businesses.
    The RFA, as amended by SBREFA, requires us to consider alternatives 
to the proposed regulation that will reduce the impacts to small 
entities. We considered three alternatives. First, we considered the 
alternative of not designating critical habitat for any of the three 
humpback whale DPSs. This alternative would impose no additional 
economic, national security or other relevant impacts. However, after 
compiling and reviewing the biological information for these DPSs, we 
rejected this alternative because it would violate section 4 of the 
ESA, which specifically requires that we designate critical habitat to 
the maximum extent prudent and determinable based on consideration of 
the best available scientific information. A second alternative we 
considered was to propose to designate all areas meeting the ESA 
section 3 definition of critical habitat. However, following our 
consideration of probable national security, economic, and other 
relevant impacts of designating all the specific areas, we rejected 
this alternative. In particular, and as described in our Draft Section 
4(b)(2) Report, we determined that the benefits of excluding some 
specific areas outweighed the conservation benefits of designating 
those specific areas, and thus, pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the ESA, 
we are exercising our discretion to propose to exclude some of the 
specific areas for each of the three DPSs (see NMFS 2019b). A third 
alternative of designating a subset of the specific areas meeting 
statutory definition of critical habitat was considered and is the 
preferred alternative. As stated previously, under section 4(b)(2) of 
the ESA, we have the discretion to exclude a particular area from 
designation as critical habitat even though it meets the definition of 
``critical habitat'' if the benefits of exclusion (i.e., the impacts 
that would be avoided if an area was excluded from the designation) 
outweigh the benefits of designation (i.e., the conservation benefits 
to the humpback whale if an area was designated), so long as exclusion 
of the area will not result in extinction of the species. Exclusion 
under section 4(b)(2) of the ESA of one or more of the areas considered 
for designation would reduce the total impacts of designation. This 
alternative--which is the approach taken in the proposed rule--would 
result in a critical habitat designation that provides for the 
conservation of the species while potentially reducing the economic, 
national security and other relevant impacts on entities.

Coastal Zone Management Act

    Under section 307(c)(1)(A) of the Coastal Zone Management Act 
(CZMA) (16 U.S.C. 1456(c)(1)(A)) and its implementing regulations, each 
Federal activity within or outside the coastal zone that has reasonably 
foreseeable effects on any land or water use or natural resource of the 
coastal zone shall be carried out in a manner which is consistent to 
the maximum extent practicable with the enforceable policies of 
approved State coastal management programs. We have determined that the 
proposed designation of critical habitat designation for the CAM and MX 
DPSs of humpback whales is consistent to the maximum extent practicable 
with the enforceable policies of the approved Coastal Zone Management 
Programs of Washington, Oregon, and California. This determination has 
been submitted to the responsible agencies in the aforementioned states 
for review.
    By operation of Alaska State law, the Federally approved Alaska 
Coastal Management Program expired on July 1, 2011, resulting in a 
withdrawal from participation in the CZMA's National Coastal Management 
Program (76 FR 39857, July 7, 2011). The CZMA Federal consistency 
provision, section 307, no longer applies in Alaska.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The purpose of the Paperwork Reduction Act is to minimize the 
paperwork burden for individuals, small businesses, educational and 
nonprofit institutions, and other persons resulting from the collection 
of information by or for the Federal government. This proposed rule 
does not contain any new or revised collection of information. This 
rule, if adopted, would not impose recordkeeping or reporting 
requirements on State or local governments, individuals, businesses, or 
organizations.

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.)

    The designation of critical habitat does not impose an 
``enforceable duty'' on state, local, tribal governments, or the 
private sector and therefore does not qualify as a Federal mandate. In 
general, a Federal mandate is a provision in legislation, statute, or 
regulation that would impose an ``enforceable duty'' upon non-Federal 
governments, or the private sector and includes both ``Federal 
intergovernmental mandates'' and ``Federal private sector mandates.''
    This proposed rule will not produce a Federal mandate. The 
designation of critical habitat does not impose an enforceable or 
legally-binding duty on non-Federal government entities or private 
parties. The only regulatory effect is that Federal agencies must 
ensure that their actions do not destroy or adversely modify critical 
habitat under section 7 of the ESA. Non-Federal entities that receive 
Federal funding, assistance, permits or otherwise require approval or 
authorization from a Federal agency for an action, may be indirectly 
impacted by the designation of critical habitat, but the Federal agency 
has the legally binding duty to avoid destruction or adverse 
modification of critical habitat. We do not find that this proposed 
rule would significantly or uniquely affect small governments because 
it is not likely to produce a Federal mandate of $100 million or 
greater in any year; that is, it is not a ``significant regulatory 
action'' under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. In addition, the 
designation of critical

[[Page 54385]]

habitat imposes no obligations on local, state or tribal governments. 
Therefore, a Small Government Agency Plan is not required.

Executive Order 13175, Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal 
Governments

    The longstanding and distinctive relationship between the Federal 
and tribal governments is defined by treaties, statutes, executive 
orders, judicial decisions, and co-management agreements, which 
differentiate tribal governments from the other entities that deal 
with, or are affected by, the Federal Government. This relationship has 
given rise to a special Federal trust responsibility involving the 
legal responsibilities and obligations of the United States toward 
Indian tribes and the application of fiduciary standards of due care 
with respect to Indian lands, tribal trust resources, and the exercise 
of tribal rights. Executive Order 13175 on Consultation and 
Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments outlines the 
responsibilities of the Federal Government in matters affecting tribal 
interests. Section 161 of Public Law 108-199 (188 Stat. 452), as 
amended by section 518 of Public Law 108-447 (118 Stat. 3267), directs 
all Federal agencies to consult with Alaska Native corporations on the 
same basis as Indian tribes under E.O. 13175.
    As all of the specific areas under consideration as potential 
critical habitat area were located seaward of the coast line, we 
preliminarily found that there were no Indian lands subject to 
consideration for possible exclusion. However, the areas we were 
considering as potential critical habitat overlap with areas used by 
Indian tribes and Alaska Natives for subsistence, cultural, usual and 
accustomed fishing, or other purposes. Thus, consistent with the 
Secretarial Order (#3206), American Indian Tribal Rights, Federal-
Tribal Trust Responsibilities, and the Endangered Species Act, and 
Executive Order 13175, Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal 
Governments (2000), we notified Native corporations and tribal 
governments early on in the process to develop this proposed rule to 
provide time for meaningful consultation and/or collaboration with 
appropriate staffs to inform any proposed critical habitat designation. 
Specifically, we contacted potentially affected tribes and Native 
groups by mail and offered them the opportunity to consult on and 
discuss any concerns regarding the designation of critical habitat for 
humpback whales. We received no requests for consultation in response 
to this mailing. However, in November 2018, we received requests for 
technical-to-technical meetings from the Quileute Tribe and the 
Quinault Indian Nation.
    A technical meeting with representatives from the Quinault Indian 
Nation was held on December 14, 2018, to share information and discuss 
concerns regarding a designation of critical habitat for humpback 
whales. Immediately following that meeting, we provided additional 
materials and maps to the Quinault representatives. We did not receive 
any further correspondence from the Quinault Indian Nation. We made 
several attempts to schedule the requested meeting with the Quileute 
Tribe; however, we did not receive further correspondence in response 
to our last effort to schedule a meeting. If we receive any additional 
requests in response to this proposed rule, we will individually 
respond to each request prior to issuing a final rule. However, at this 
time and on the basis of the foregoing communications, it does not 
appear that this designation will have ``tribal implications'' (defined 
as having a substantial direct effect on one or more Indian tribes, on 
the relationship between the Federal Government and Indian tribes, or 
on the distribution of power and responsibilities between the Federal 
Government and Indian tribes) such as would trigger a requirement to 
conduct Government to Government consultations.

Information Quality Act and Peer Review

    The data and analyses supporting this proposed action have 
undergone a pre-dissemination review and have been determined to be in 
compliance with applicable information quality guidelines implementing 
the Information Quality Act (Section 515 of Pub. L. 106-554).
    On December 16, 2004, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
issued its Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review 
(Bulletin). The Bulletin was published in the Federal Register on 
January 14, 2005 (70 FR 2664). The primary purpose of the Bulletin is 
to improve the quality and credibility of scientific information 
disseminated by the Federal government by requiring peer review of 
``influential scientific information'' and ``highly influential 
scientific information'' prior to public dissemination. ``Influential 
scientific information'' is defined as ``information the agency 
reasonably can determine will have or does have a clear and substantial 
impact on important public policies or private sector decisions.'' The 
Bulletin provides agencies broad discretion in determining the 
appropriate process and level of peer review. Stricter standards were 
established for the peer review of ``highly influential scientific 
assessments,'' defined as information whose ``dissemination could have 
a potential impact of more than $500 million in any one year on either 
the public or private sector or that the dissemination is novel, 
controversial, or precedent-setting, or has significant interagency 
interest.''
    The information in the Draft Biological Report (NMFS 2019a) and the 
DEA (IEc 2019a) supporting this proposed critical habitat rule are 
considered influential scientific information and subject to peer 
review. To satisfy our requirements under the OMB Bulletin, we obtained 
independent peer review of the information used to draft both of these 
reports, and incorporated the peer reviewer comments as applicable into 
the draft reports prior to dissemination of this proposed rulemaking. 
Comments received from peer reviewers of the DEA and the Draft 
Biological Report are available online at https://www.cio.noaa.gov/services_programs/prplans/ID404.html and https://www.cio.noaa.gov/services_programs/prplans/ID400.html, respectively.

Executive Order 12630, Takings

    Under E.O. 12630, Federal agencies must consider the effects of 
their actions on constitutionally protected private property rights and 
avoid unnecessary takings of property. A taking of property includes 
actions that result in physical invasion or occupancy of private 
property that substantially affect its value or use. In accordance with 
E.O. 12630, the proposed rule does not have significant takings 
implications. The designation of critical habitat affects only Federal 
agency actions. Further, no areas of private property exist within the 
proposed critical habitat and therefore none would be affected by this 
action. Therefore, a takings implication assessment is not required.

Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review, and Executive 
Order 13771, Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs

    OMB has determined that this proposed rule is significant for 
purposes of E.O. 12866 review. A Draft Economic Report (IEc 2019a) and 
Draft ESA Section 4(b)(2) Report (NMFS 2019b) have been prepared to 
support the exclusion process under section 4(b)(2) of the ESA and our 
consideration of alternatives to this rulemaking as required under E.O. 
12866. To review

[[Page 54386]]

these documents, see the ADDRESSES section above.
    Based on the Draft Economic Report (IEc 2019a), the total estimated 
present value of the quantified incremental impacts of the proposed 
critical habitat designation for the WNP DPS are approximately $61,000-
$85,000 over the next 10 years. Assuming a 7 percent discount rate on 
an annualized basis, the impacts are estimated to be $6,900-$9,700 per 
year. These total impacts include the additional administrative efforts 
necessary to consider critical habitat in section 7 consultations. 
These impacts are also not additive with those associated with the MX 
DPS, as the areas proposed for the WNP DPS are entirely overlapping 
with areas being proposed for the MX DPS. Overall, economic impacts are 
expected to be small and largely associated with the administrative 
costs borne by Federal agencies. While there are expected beneficial 
economic impacts of designating critical habitat for the WNP DPS, 
insufficient data are available to monetize those impacts (see Benefits 
of Designation section).
    Based on the Draft Economic Report (IEc 2019a), the total estimated 
present value of the quantified incremental impacts of the proposed 
critical habitat designation for the CAM DPS are approximately 
$370,000-$380,000 over the next 10 years. Assuming a 7 percent discount 
rate on an annualized basis, the impacts are estimated to be $42,000-
$43,000 per year. These total impacts include the additional 
administrative efforts necessary to consider critical habitat in 
section 7 consultations. These impacts are also not additive with those 
associated with the MX DPS, as the areas proposed for the CAM DPS are 
entirely overlapping with areas being proposed for the MX DPS. Overall, 
economic impacts are expected to be small and largely associated with 
the administrative costs borne by Federal agencies. While there are 
expected beneficial economic impacts of designating critical habitat 
for the CAM DPS, insufficient data are available to monetize those 
impacts (see Benefits of Designation section).
    Based on the Draft Economic Report (IEc 2019a), the total estimated 
present value of the quantified incremental impacts of the proposed 
critical habitat designation for the MX DPS are approximately $570,000-
$660,000 over the next 10 years. Assuming a 7 percent discount rate on 
an annualized basis, the impacts are estimated to be $64,000-$75,000 
per year. These total impacts include the additional administrative 
efforts necessary to consider critical habitat in section 7 
consultations. Overall, economic impacts are expected to be small and 
largely associated with the administrative costs borne by Federal 
agencies. These impacts are also not additive with those associated 
with the WNP and CAM DPSs, as the areas proposed for the MX DPS are 
almost entirely overlapping with areas being proposed for another DPS. 
Because the proposed designation for the this DPS extends over all 
other areas proposed as critical habitat for the other two DPSs, the 
estimated economic impacts associated with the proposed designation for 
the MX DPS actually represent the total estimated impacts across all 
DPSs. As with the other DPSs, there are expected beneficial economic 
impacts of designating critical habitat for the MX DPS; however, 
insufficient data are available to monetize those impacts (see Benefits 
of Designation section).
    This proposed rulemaking is expected to be considered 
``regulatory'' under E.O. 13771.

Executive Order 13132, Federalism

    Executive Order 13132 requires agencies to take into account any 
federalism impacts of regulations under development. It includes 
specific consultation directives for situations in which a regulation 
may preempt state law or impose substantial direct compliance costs on 
state and local governments (unless required by statute). Pursuant to 
E.O. 13132, we determined that this proposed rule does not have 
significant federalism effects and that a federalism assessment is not 
required. The designation of critical habitat directly affects only the 
responsibilities of Federal agencies. As a result, the proposed rule 
does not have substantial direct effects on the States, on the 
relationship between the national government and the States, or on the 
distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of 
government, as specified in the Order. State or local governments may 
be indirectly affected by the proposed designation if they require 
Federal funds or formal approval or authorization from a Federal agency 
as a prerequisite to conducting an action. In these cases, the State or 
local government agency may participate in the section 7 consultation 
as a third party. However, in keeping with Department of Commerce 
policies and consistent with ESA regulations at 50 CFR 
424.16(c)(1)(ii), we will request information for this proposed rule 
from the appropriate state resources agencies in Alaska, Washington, 
Oregon, and California.

Executive Order 13211, Energy Supply, Distribution, and Use

    E.O. 13211 requires agencies to prepare a Statement of Energy 
Effects when undertaking a significant energy action. Under E.O. 13211, 
a significant energy action means any action by an agency that is 
expected to lead to the promulgation of a final rule or regulation that 
is a significant regulatory action under E.O. 12866 and is likely to 
have a significant adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use 
of energy. We have considered the potential impacts of this proposed 
action on the supply, distribution, or use of energy and find that the 
designation of critical habitat would not have impacts that exceed the 
thresholds identified in OMB's memorandum M-01-27, Guidance for 
Implementing E.O. 13211. Thus, this proposed designation, if finalized, 
would not have a significant adverse effect within the meaning of the 
executive order. The energy impacts analysis is presented in chapter 5 
of the Draft Economic Analysis (IEc 2019a).

List of Subjects

50 CFR Part 223

    Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, 
Transportation.

50 CFR Part 224

    Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, 
Transportation.

50 CFR Part 226

    Endangered and threatened species.

    Dated: September 25, 2019.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.

    For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR parts 223, 224, and 
226 are proposed to be amended as follows:

PART 223--THREATENED MARINE AND ANADROMOUS SPECIES

0
1. The authority citation for part 223 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531-1543; subpart B, Sec.  223.201-202 
also issued under 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 5503(d) for 
Sec.  223.206(d)(9).

0
2. In Sec.  223.102, in paragraph (e), add a new citation, in 
alphabetical order, under the critical habitat column for the ``whale, 
humpback (Mexico DPS)'' under Marine Mammals to read as follows:


 Sec.  223.102  Enumeration of threatened marine and anadromous 
species.

* * * * *

[[Page 54387]]

    (e) * * *

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Species \1\
-----------------------------------------------------------------  Citation(s) for      Critical
                                                  Description of       listing          habitat       ESA rules
         Common name            Scientific name   listed entity   determination(s)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Marine Mammals
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Whale, humpback (Mexico DPS).  Megaptera         Humpback whales  81 FR 62260,      [Insert              223.213
                                novaeangliae.     that breed or    Sept. 8, 2016.    226.227].
                                                  winter in the
                                                  area of
                                                  mainland
                                                  Mexico and the
                                                  Revillagigedo
                                                  Islands,
                                                  transit Baja
                                                  California, or
                                                  feed in the
                                                  North Pacific
                                                  Ocean,
                                                  primarily off
                                                  California-
                                                  Oregon,
                                                  northern
                                                  Washington-
                                                  southern
                                                  British
                                                  Columbia,
                                                  northern and
                                                  western Gulf
                                                  of Alaska and
                                                  East Bering
                                                  Sea.
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Species includes taxonomic species, subspecies, distinct population segments (DPSs) (for a policy statement,
  see 61 FR 4722; February 7, 1996), and evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) (for a policy statement, see 56
  FR 58612; November 20, 1991).

PART 224--ENDANGERED MARINE AND ANADROMOUS SPECIES

0
3. The authority citation for part 224 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1531-1543 and 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.

0
4. In Sec.  224.101, in the table in paragraph (h), add a new citation, 
in alphabetical order, under the critical habitat column for ``Whale, 
humpback (Central America DPS)'' and ``Whale, humpback (Western North 
Pacific DPS) under the Marine Mammals heading to read as follows:


Sec.  224.101  Enumeration of endangered marine and anadromous species.

* * * * *
    (h) * * *

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Species \1\
-----------------------------------------------------------------  Citation(s) for      Critical
                                                  Description of       listing          habitat       ESA rules
         Common name            Scientific name   listed entity   determination(s)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Marine Mammals
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Whale, humpback (Central       Megaptera         Humpback whales  81 FR 62260,      [Insert
 America DPS).                  novaeangliae.     that breed in    Sept. 8, 2016.    226.227].
                                                  waters off
                                                  Central
                                                  America in the
                                                  North Pacific
                                                  Ocean and feed
                                                  along the west
                                                  coast of the
                                                  United States
                                                  and southern
                                                  British
                                                  Columbia.
Whale, humpback (Western       Megaptera         Humpback whales  81 FR 62260,      [Insert
 North Pacific DPS).            novaeangliae.     that breed or    Sept. 8, 2016.    226.227].
                                                  winter in the
                                                  area of
                                                  Okinawa and
                                                  the
                                                  Philippines in
                                                  the Kuroshio
                                                  Current (as
                                                  well as
                                                  unknown
                                                  breeding
                                                  grounds in the
                                                  Western North
                                                  Pacific
                                                  Ocean),
                                                  transit the
                                                  Ogasawara
                                                  area, or feed
                                                  in the North
                                                  Pacific Ocean,
                                                  primarily in
                                                  the West
                                                  Bering Sea and
                                                  off the
                                                  Russian coast
                                                  and the
                                                  Aleutian
                                                  Islands.
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Species includes taxonomic species, subspecies, distinct population segments (DPSs) (for a policy statement,
  see 61 FR 4722, February 7, 1996), and evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) (for a policy statement, see 56
  FR 58612, November 20, 1991).
\2\ Jurisdiction for sea turtles by the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
  National Marine Fisheries Service, is limited to turtles while in the water.

PART 226--DESIGNATED CRITICAL HABITAT

0
5. The authority citation of part 226 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1533.

0
6. Add Sec.  226.227, to read as follows:


Sec.  226.227  Critical habitat for the Central America, Mexico, and 
Western North Pacific distinct population segments (DPSs) of humpback 
whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).

    Critical habitat is designated for the Central America, Mexico, and 
Western North Pacific humpback whale DPSs as described in this section. 
The maps, clarified by the textual descriptions in this section, are 
the definitive source for determining the critical habitat boundaries.
    (a) List of States and Counties. Critical habitat is designated in 
waters off the coast of the following states and counties for the 
listed humpback whale DPSs:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          DPS                                                State-counties
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Central America...................................  (i) WA--Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Pacific.
                                                        (ii) OR--Clatsop, Tillamook, Lincoln, Lane, Douglas,
                                                         Coos, and Curry.
                                                        (iii) CA--Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin,
                                                         San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San
                                                         Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura.
(2) Mexico............................................  (i) AK--Bristol Bay, Lake and Peninsula, Aleutians East,
                                                         Aleutian West, Kodiak Island, Kenai Peninsula, Valdez-
                                                         Cordova, unorganized boroughs, Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon,
                                                         Haines, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan
                                                         Gateway.
                                                        (ii) WA--Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Pacific.

[[Page 54388]]

 
                                                        (iii) OR--Clatsop, Tillamook, Lincoln, Lane, Douglas,
                                                         Coos, and Curry.
                                                        (iv) CA--Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin,
                                                         San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San
                                                         Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura.
(3) Western North Pacific.............................  AK--Bristol Bay, Lake and Peninsula, Aleutians East,
                                                         Aleutian West, Kodiak Island, Kenai Peninsula.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (b) Critical habitat boundaries for the Central America DPS. 
Critical habitat for the Central America DPS includes all marine waters 
within the designated areas as shown by the maps, including those 
prepared and made available by NMFS pursuant to 50 CFR 424.18.
    (1) Washington. The nearshore boundary is defined by the 50-m 
isobath, and the offshore boundary is defined by the 1,200-m isobath 
relative to MLLW. Critical habitat also includes waters within the U.S. 
portion of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to an eastern boundary line at 
Angeles Point at 123[deg]33' W.
    (2) Oregon. The nearshore boundary is defined by the 50-m isobath. 
The offshore boundary is defined by the 1,200-m isobath relative to 
MLLW; except, in areas off Oregon south of 42[deg]10', the offshore 
boundary is defined by the 2,000-m isobath.
    (3) California. The nearshore boundary is defined by the 50-m 
isobath relative to MLLW except, from 38[deg]40' N to 36[deg]00' N, the 
nearshore boundary is defined by the 15-m isobath relative to MLLW; and 
from 36[deg]00' N to 34[deg]30' N, the nearshore boundary is defined by 
the 30-m isobath relative to MLLW. North of 40[deg]20' N, the offshore 
boundary of the critical habitat is defined by a line corresponding to 
the 2,000-m isobath, and from 40[deg]20' N to 38[deg]40' N, the 
offshore boundary is defined by the 3,000-m isobath. From 38[deg]40' N 
southward, the remaining areas have an offshore boundary defined by a 
line corresponding to the 3,700-m isobath.
    (c) Critical habitat boundaries for Mexico DPS. Critical habitat 
for the Mexico DPS of humpback whales includes all marine waters within 
the designated areas as shown by the maps, including those prepared and 
made available by NMFS pursuant to 50 CFR 424.18.
    (1) Alaska. The nearshore boundaries are generally defined by the 
1-m isobath relative to mean lower low water (MLLW). In Bristol Bay and 
on the north side of the Aleutian Islands, the seaward boundary of the 
critical habitat is defined by a line extending due west from Egegik 
(at 58[deg]14' N, 157[deg]28' W) out to 58[deg]14' N, 162[deg]0' W, 
then southwest to 57[deg]25' N, 163[deg]29', then southward to 
55[deg]41 N, 162[deg]41' W; and from this point, west to 55[deg]41' N, 
169[deg]30' W, then southward through Samalga Pass to a boundary drawn 
along the 2,000-m isobath on the south side of the islands. This 
isobath forms the southern boundary of the critical habitat, eastward 
to 164[deg]25' W. The 1,000-m isobath forms the offshore boundary for 
the remainder of the critical habitat (along Aleutian Island and in the 
Gulf of Alaska areas), except in Southeast Alaska, where the offshore 
boundary extends out the 2,000-m isobath. Critical habitat extends into 
Cook Inlet as far north as 60[deg]20' N, just south of Kalgin Island.
    (2) Washington. The nearshore boundary is defined by the 50-m 
isobath, and the offshore boundary is defined by the 1,200-m isobath 
relative to MLLW. Critical habitat also includes waters within the U.S. 
portion of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to an eastern boundary line at 
Angeles Point at 123[deg]33' W.
    (3) Oregon. The nearshore boundary is defined by the 50-m isobath. 
The offshore boundary is defined by the 1,200-m isobath relative to 
MLLW; except, in areas off Oregon south of 42[deg]10', the offshore 
boundary is defined by the 2,000-m isobath.
    (4) California. The nearshore boundary is defined by the 50-m 
isobath relative to MLLW except, from 38[deg]40' N to 36[deg]00' N, the 
nearshore boundary is defined by the 15-m isobath relative to MLLW; and 
from 36[deg]00' N to 34[deg]30' N, the nearshore boundary is defined by 
the 30-m isobath relative to MLLW. North of 40[deg]20' N, the offshore 
boundary of the critical habitat is defined by a line corresponding to 
the 2,000-m isobath, and from 40[deg]20' N to 38[deg]40' N, the 
offshore boundary is defined by the 3,000-m isobath. From 38[deg]40' N 
southward, the remaining areas have an offshore boundary defined by a 
line corresponding to the 3,700-m isobath.
    (d) Critical habitat boundaries for Western North Pacific DPS. 
Critical habitat for the Western North Pacific DPS of humpback whales 
includes all marine waters within the designated areas as shown by the 
maps, including those prepared and made available by NMFS pursuant to 
50 CFR 424.18.
    (1) Alaska. The nearshore boundaries are generally defined by the 
1-m isobath relative to mean lower low water (MLLW). In Bristol Bay and 
on the north side of the Aleutian Islands, the seaward boundary of the 
critical habitat is defined by a line extending due west from Egegik 
(at 58[deg]14' N, 157[deg]28' W) out to 58[deg]14' N, 162[deg]0' W, 
then southwest to 57[deg]25' N, 163[deg]29', then southward to 
55[deg]41 N, 162[deg]41' W; and from this point, west to 55[deg]41' N, 
169[deg]30' W, then southward through Samalga Pass to a boundary drawn 
along the 2,000-m isobath on the south side of the islands. This 
isobath forms the southern boundary of the critical habitat, eastward 
to 164[deg]25' W. From this point, the 1,000-m isobath forms the 
offshore boundary, which extends eastward to 158[deg]39' W. Critical 
habitat also includes the waters around Kodiak Island and the Barren 
Islands. The western boundary for this area runs southward along 
154[deg]54' W to the 1,000-m depth contour, and then extends eastward 
to a boundary at 150[deg]40' W. The area also extends northward to the 
mouth of Cook Inlet where it is bounded by a line that extends from 
Cape Douglas across the inlet to Cape Adam.
    (e) Essential feature. Prey species, primarily euphausiids and 
small pelagic schooling fishes of sufficient quality, abundance, and 
accessibility within humpback whale feeding areas to support feeding 
and population growth.
    (f) Sites owned or controlled by the Department of Defense. 
Critical habitat does not include the following particular areas owned 
or controlled by the Department of Defense, or designated for its use, 
where they overlap with the areas described in paragraph (b) of this 
section:
    (1) Pursuant to ESA section 4(a)(3)(B), all areas subject to the 
Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, CA, and the Naval Outlying 
Field, San Nicolas Island, CA approved Integrated Natural Resource 
Management Plans (INRMPs);
    (2) Pursuant to ESA section 4(b)(2), the Quinault Range Site (QRS) 
with an additional 10-km buffer around QRS and the Southeast Alaska 
Acoustic Measurement Facility (SEAFAC).
    (g) Maps of humpback whale critical habitat.
    (1) Overview map of critical habitat for the Central America DPS of 
humpback whales:
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

[[Page 54389]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP09OC19.021

    (2) Overview map of critical habitat for the Mexico DPS of humpback 
whales:

[[Page 54390]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP09OC19.022

    (3) Overview map of critical habitat for the Western North Pacific 
DPS of humpback whales:

[[Page 54391]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP09OC19.023

[FR Doc. 2019-21186 Filed 10-8-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-C