Draft 2019 Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports, 65353-65357 [2019-25809]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 27, 2019 / Notices
consideration during the meeting, and
to ensure transmission to the Committee
prior to the meeting, comments must be
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Monday, December 16, 2019. Comments
received after that date will be
distributed to the members but may not
be considered at the meeting.
Copies of CINTAC meeting minutes
will be available within 90 days of the
meeting.
Dated: November 14, 2019.
Devin Horne,
Designated Federal Officer, Office of Energy
and Environmental Industries.
[FR Doc. 2019–25786 Filed 11–26–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XV011]
Draft 2019 Marine Mammal Stock
Assessment Reports
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments
and new information.
AGENCY:
NMFS reviewed the Alaska,
Atlantic, and Pacific regional marine
mammal stock assessment reports
(SARs) in accordance with the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). SARs
for marine mammals in the Alaska,
Atlantic, and Pacific regions were
revised according to new information.
NMFS solicits public comments on the
draft 2019 SARs. In addition to releasing
draft 2019 Pacific SARs for public
comment, NMFS is also providing an
opportunity to comment on the final
2018 Western North Pacific (WNP) gray
whale SAR previously published in the
Federal Register on June 19, 2019 (84
FR 28489). NMFS is also requesting new
information for strategic stocks that
were not updated in 2019.
DATES: Comments must be received by
February 25, 2020.
ADDRESSES: The 2019 draft SARs are
available in electronic form via the
internet at https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/
marine-mammal-protection/draftmarine-mammal-stock-assessmentreports. The 2018 final Gray Whale
Western North Pacific SAR is available
at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
national/marine-mammal-protection/
marine-mammal-stock-assessmentSUMMARY:
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reports-species-stock#cetaceans---largewhales.
Copies of the Alaska Regional SARs
may be requested from Marcia Muto,
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS,
7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA
98115–6349.
Copies of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico,
and Caribbean Regional SARs may be
requested from Elizabeth Josephson,
Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166
Water St., Woods Hole, MA 02543.
Copies of the Pacific Regional SARs
may be requested from Jim Carretta,
Southwest Fisheries Science Center,
8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA
92037–1508.
You may submit comments or new
information, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2019–0090, by either of the
following methods:
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20190090, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
Mail: Send comments, new
information, or requests for copies of
reports to: Dr. Zachary Schakner,
Protected Species Science Branch,
Office of Science and Technology,
National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315
East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD
20910–3226, Attn: Stock Assessments.
Instructions: NMFS may not consider
comments if they are sent by any other
method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period. 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. NMFS will
accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/
A’’ in the required fields if you wish to
remain anonymous).
Dr.
Zachary Schakner, Office of Science and
Technology, 301–427–8106,
Zachary.Schakner@noaa.gov; Marcia
Muto, 206–526–4026, Marcia.Muto@
noaa.gov, regarding Alaska regional
stock assessments; Elizabeth Josephson,
508–495–2362, Elizabeth.Josephson@
noaa.gov, regarding Atlantic, Gulf of
Mexico, and Caribbean regional stock
assessments; or Jim Carretta, 858–546–
7171, Jim.Carretta@noaa.gov, regarding
Pacific regional stock assessments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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65353
Background
Section 117 of the MMPA (16 U.S.C.
1361 et seq.) requires NMFS and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to
prepare stock assessments for each stock
of marine mammals occurring in waters
under the jurisdiction of the United
States, including the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone. These reports must
contain information regarding the
distribution and abundance of the stock,
population growth rates and trends,
estimates of annual human-caused
mortality and serious injury (M/SI) from
all sources, descriptions of the fisheries
with which the stock interacts, and the
status of the stock. Initial reports were
completed in 1995.
The MMPA requires NMFS and FWS
to review the SARs at least annually for
strategic stocks and stocks for which
significant new information is available,
and at least once every three years for
non-strategic stocks. The term ‘‘strategic
stock’’ means a marine mammal stock:
(A) For which the level of direct humancaused mortality exceeds the potential
biological removal level or PBR (defined
by the MMPA as the maximum number
of animals, not including natural
mortalities, that may be removed from a
marine mammal stock while allowing
that stock to reach or maintain its
optimum sustainable population); (B)
which, based on the best available
scientific information, is declining and
is likely to be listed as a threatened
species under the Endangered Species
Act (ESA) within the foreseeable future;
or (C) which is listed as a threatened
species or endangered species under the
ESA. NMFS and the FWS are required
to revise a SAR if the status of the stock
has changed or can be more accurately
determined.
Prior to public review, the updated
SARs under NMFS’ jurisdiction are
peer-reviewed within NMFS Fisheries
Science Centers and by members of
three regional independent Scientific
Review Groups, established under the
MMPA to independently advise NMFS
on information and uncertainties related
to the status of marine mammals.
The period covered by the 2019 draft
SARs is 2013–2017. NMFS reviewed the
status of all marine mammal strategic
stocks as required and considered
whether significant new information
was available for all other stocks under
NMFS’ jurisdiction. As a result of this
review, NMFS revised a total of 65
reports representing 76 stocks in the
Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regions to
incorporate new information. The 2019
revisions consist primarily of updated
or revised M/SI estimate, updated
abundance estimates, including the
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application of an established capturemark-recapture method to estimate the
abundance of Gulf of Maine humpback
whales, and the introduction of a new
method for estimating cryptic mortality
for Gulf of Maine humpback whales and
North Atlantic right whales. One stock
(Alaska ringed seal) changed in status
from non-strategic to strategic, and four
stocks (Western North Atlantic false
killer whale and St. Andrew Bay, St.
Joseph Bay, and West Bay common
bottlenose dolphin stocks) changed in
status from strategic to non-strategic.
Substantive revisions to the SARs are
discussed below.
NMFS solicits public comments on
the draft 2019 SARs. In addition to
releasing draft 2019 Pacific SARs for
public comment, NMFS is also
providing an opportunity to comment
on the final 2018 WNP gray whale SAR
previously published in the Federal
Register on June 19, 2019 (84 FR 28489).
NMFS is providing this opportunity
because of the difference in abundance
reported in the draft and final reports.
To ensure NMFS is aware of new
information relevant to all strategic
stocks, NMFS requests new information
for strategic stocks that were not
updated in 2019. Specifically, new
relevant information could include
peer-reviewed information on humancaused serious injury and mortality,
fishery interactions, abundance,
distribution, stock structure and habitat
concerns, which could be incorporated
into the SARs, and other information on
emerging concerns for a strategic stock.
Alaska Reports
In 2019, NMFS reviewed all 45 stocks
in the Alaska region for new
information, and revised 18 SARs under
NMFS jurisdiction representing 29
stocks (15 strategic and 14 nonstrategic). The Alaska ringed seal stock
changed from non-strategic to strategic
status because the stock is now
considered threatened under the ESA
(see below). A list of the 29 stocks
revised in 2019 for the Alaska region
(contained in 18 reports) is presented in
Table 1. Information on the remaining
Alaska region stocks can be found in the
final 2018 reports (Muto et al., 2019).
TABLE 1—LIST OF MARINE MAMMAL STOCKS IN THE ALASKA REGION REVISED IN 2019
Strategic stocks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Non-strategic stocks
Steller sea lion, Western U.S ...............................................................
Northern fur seal, Eastern Pacific .........................................................
Bearded seal, Alaska ............................................................................
Ringed seal, Alaska ..............................................................................
Beluga whale, Cook Inlet ......................................................................
Killer whale, AT1 Transient ...................................................................
Harbor porpoise, Southeast Alaska ......................................................
Harbor porpoise, Gulf of Alaska ...........................................................
Harbor porpoise, Bering Sea ................................................................
Sperm whale, North Pacific ..................................................................
Humpback whale, Western North Pacific .............................................
Humpback whale, Central North Pacific ...............................................
Fin whale, Northeast Pacific .................................................................
North Pacific right whale, Eastern North Pacific ..................................
Bowhead whale, Western Arctic ...........................................................
Revisions to the Alaska SARs
included updates of abundance and/or
M/SI estimates. New abundance
estimates are available for the Western
and Eastern U.S. Steller sea lion, harbor
seal (12 stocks), Alaska ringed seal, AT1
Transient and Eastern North Pacific
Northern Resident killer whale,
Southeast Alaska and Gulf of Alaska
harbor porpoise, North Pacific sperm
whale, Northeast Pacific fin whale, and
Western Arctic bowhead whale stocks.
Alaska Ringed Seal
In 2012, NMFS listed the Arctic
ringed seals (Pusa hispida hispida), and
thus the Alaska stock of ringed seals, as
threatened under the ESA (77 FR 76706,
December 28, 2012). The primary
concern for this population is the
ongoing and projected loss of sea-ice
and snow cover stemming from climate
change, which is expected to pose a
significant threat to the persistence of
these seals in the foreseeable future. On
March 11, 2016, the U.S. District Court
for the District of Alaska issued a
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• Steller sea lion, Eastern U.S.
• Harbor seals (12 stocks):
Æ Aleutian Islands.
Æ Pribilof Islands.
Æ Bristol Bay.
Æ N Kodiak.
Æ S Kodiak.
Æ Prince William Sound.
Æ Cook Inlet/Shelikof Strait.
Æ Glacier Bay/Icy Strait.
Æ Lynn Canal/Stephens Passage.
Æ Sitka/Chatham Strait.
Æ Dixon/Cape Decision.
Æ Clarence Strait.
• Killer whale, Eastern North Pacific Northern Resident.
decision vacating NMFS’ listing in a
lawsuit that challenged listing ringed
seals under the ESA (Alaska Oil and
Gas Association v. Pritzker, Case No.
4:14–cv–00029–RPB). Consequently, it
was also no longer designated as
depleted or classified as a strategic
stock. In 2018, the 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals overturned the decision and
approved the agency’s protection of the
seals, and the ESA listing was
reinstated. Because of its threatened
status under the ESA, this ringed seal
stock is considered depleted under the
MMPA and is now classified as a
strategic stock. NMFS did not revise the
Alaska ringed seal report in 2018
because at the time the draft 2018 SARs
were prepared, this stock was not
considered to be depleted or strategic
under the MMPA. The change in status
from non-strategic to strategic was
notated in the final 2018 Alaska Marine
Mammal Stock Assessments stock
summary table (Appendix 2, Muto et al.,
2019).
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Atlantic Reports
In 2019, NMFS reviewed all 116
stocks in the Atlantic region for new
information (including the Atlantic
Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S.
territories in the Caribbean) under
NMFS jurisdiction. This year, NMFS
revised 35 reports, created 1 new
common bottlenose dolphin report (St.
Andrew Bay) and resubmitted 1 new
common bottlenose dolphin report
(West Bay). These updated reports
represent 37 stocks (5 strategic and 32
non-strategic). The Western North
Atlantic (WNA) false killer whale stock
and three common bottlenose dolphin
stocks (St. Andrew Bay, St. Joseph Bay,
and West Bay) changed from strategic to
non-strategic status because they do not
meet the criteria to qualify as strategic.
A list of the 37 stocks in the Atlantic
region is presented in Table 2.
Information on the remaining Atlantic
region stocks can be found in the final
2018 reports (Hayes et al., 2019).
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65355
TABLE 2—LIST OF MARINE MAMMAL STOCKS IN THE ATLANTIC REGION REVISED IN 2019
Strategic stocks
•
•
•
•
•
Non-strategic stocks
North Atlantic right whale, Western Atlantic .........................................
Fin whale, WNA ....................................................................................
Sei whale, Nova Scotia .........................................................................
Blue whale, WNA ..................................................................................
Sperm whale .........................................................................................
Revisions to the Atlantic SARs
included updates of abundance and/or
M/SI estimates. New abundance
estimates are available for the North
Atlantic right whale, WNA fin whale,
Nova Scotia sei whale, WNA blue
whale, North Atlantic sperm whale,
Gulf of Maine humpback whale,
Canadian East Coast minke whale, WNA
dwarf and pygmy sperm whale (Kogia
spp.), WNA false killer whale, WNA
beaked whale (Ziphius and Mesoplodon
spp.), WNA Risso’s dolphin, Longfinned pilot whale, WNA Atlantic
white-sided dolphin, WNA Whitebeaked dolphin, WNA common
dolphin, WNA Atlantic spotted dolphin,
WNA pantropical spotted dolphin,
WNA striped dolphin, WNA Clymene
dolphin, WNA spinner dolphin, WNA
common bottlenose dolphin, Gulf of
Maine/Bay of Fundy harbor porpoise,
and the West Bay, St. Andrew Bay, and
St. Joseph Bay common bottlenose
dolphin stocks.
Estimating Cryptic Mortality for North
Atlantic Right Whale and Gulf of Maine
Humpback Whale
The North Atlantic right whale and
Gulf of Maine humpback whale reports
include the presentation of cryptic
mortality estimates and attempt to
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Humpback whale, Gulf of Maine.
Minke whale, Canadian East Coast.
Dwarf sperm whale, WNA.
Pygmy sperm whale, WNA.
Pygmy killer whale, WNA.
False killer whale, WNA.
Cuvier’s beaked whale, WNA.
Blainville’s beaked whale, WNA.
Gervais beaked whale, WNA.
Sowerby’s beaked whale, WNA.
True’s beaked whale, WNA.
Melon-headed whale, WNA.
Risso’s dolphin, WNA.
Pilot whale, long-finned, WNA.
Pilot whale, short-finned, WNA.
Atlantic white-sided dolphin, WNA.
White-beaked dolphin, WNA.
Common dolphin, WNA.
Atlantic spotted dolphin, WNA.
Pantropical spotted dolphin, WNA.
Striped dolphin, WNA.
Fraser’s dolphin, WNA.
Clymene dolphin, WNA.
Spinner dolphin, WNA.
Common bottlenose dolphin, WNA offshore.
Harbor porpoise, Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy.
Harbor seal, WNA.
Gray seal, WNA.
Harp seal, WNA.
Bottlenose dolphin, West Bay.
Bottlenose dolphin, St. Andrew Bay.
Bottlenose dolphin, St. Joseph Bay.
apportion unseen mortality to various
sources while considering detection
bias. The cryptic mortality estimate is
calculated by taking the annual
population estimate generated from the
Pace et al. (2017) approach and
applying a basic population dynamic
formula. A method to assign cause to
these unseen mortalities is still being
established, as such these additions are
not counted towards PBR at this time.
North Atlantic Right Whale, Western
Atlantic
The western North Atlantic right
whale stock size is based on a statespace model of the sighting histories of
individual whales identified using
photo-identification techniques (Pace et
al. 2017). Using a hierarchical, statespace Bayesian open population model
of these histories produced a median
abundance value. The best abundance
estimate available for the North Atlantic
right whale stock is 428 individuals
(95% credible intervals 406 to 447). The
previous best abundance estimate in the
2018 SAR was 451 (95% credible
intervals 434 to 464). As a result of the
lower abundance estimate, the PBR
decreased from 0.9 (in the 2018 SAR) to
0.8. Only 5 and 0 calves were detected
in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
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Therefore, it is estimated the decline in
the right whale population will
continue for at least an additional 2
years.
Humpback Whale, Gulf of Maine
For the Gulf of Maine humpback
whale report, two new independent
abundance estimates are available from
different methods—one based upon ship
and aerial line-transect surveys, and a
second from applying mark and
recapture methods to photo
identification records from the J.
Robbins studies (Robbins and Pace
2018). The best abundance estimate for
the Gulf of Maine humpback whale
stock is 1,396 (based upon the mark and
recapture method). The minimum
abundance estimate is 1,380 (previously
896 in 2018 SAR) and PBR for the Gulf
of Maine humpback whale stock is 22
whales (previously 14.6). This stock is
not considered strategic, but if the
newly estimated cryptic mortality were
included, the estimated annual
anthropogenic mortality would be over
PBR.
False Killer Whale, Western North
Atlantic
The WNA false killer whale WNA
stock changed from strategic to non-
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 27, 2019 / Notices
strategic because it does not meet the
criteria to qualify as strategic. When this
stock was last revised in 2014, it was
considered strategic because the
abundance of the stock is small and
NMFS was concerned that relatively few
mortalities and serious injuries would
exceed PBR. While no fishery-related
mortality or serious injury has been
observed in the last five years, there was
a recorded interaction with the pelagic
longline fishery in 2011. False killer
whale interactions with longline
fisheries in the Pacific are of
considerable concern, but little is
known about interactions in the
Atlantic.
Common Bottlenose Dolphins
NMFS is in the process of writing
individual stock assessment reports for
each of the 31 bay, sound, and estuary
stocks of common bottlenose dolphins
in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Two
new individual reports, for St. Andrew
Bay and West Bay Estuarine System
stocks, were completed for the draft
2019 SARs. The West Bay report was
originally submitted with the draft 2018
SARs but was withdrawn because the
updated abundance estimate for this
stock was based on a publication that
was still under review at the time the
2018 SARs were finalized. That
publication is now ‘‘in press,’’ so NMFS
is resubmitting the West Bay stock as a
new draft 2019 report. The reader will
not see tracked changes in the West Bay
or St. Andrew Bay reports because these
are new reports. To date, NMFS has
completed seven individual bottlenose
dolphin stocks reports (St. Andrew Bay,
West Bay, Terrebonne-Timbalier Bay
Estuarine System, Barataria Bay
Estuarine System, Mississippi Sound/
Lake Borgne/Bay Boudreau,
Choctawhatchee Bay, and St. Joseph
Bay), and the remaining 24 stocks are
included in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Bay, Sound, and Estuary Stocks report.
The West Bay, St. Andrew Bay, and
St. Joseph Bay common bottlenose
dolphin stocks changed from strategic to
non-strategic. These stocks were
previously considered strategic in part
due to an Unusual Mortality Event
(UME) of unprecedented size and
duration (2010 through 2014) among
common bottlenose dolphins along the
northern Gulf of Mexico coast. Although
these stocks do not meet the criteria to
qualify as strategic under the GAMMS
(NMFS 2016), NMFS continues to have
concerns regarding these stocks due to
their small stock size and the high
number of common bottlenose dolphin
deaths associated with UMEs in the
Florida panhandle since 1999.
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Pacific Reports
In 2019, NMFS reviewed all 85 stocks
in the Pacific region (waters along the
west coast of the United States, within
waters surrounding the main and
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and
within waters surrounding U.S.
territories in the Western Pacific) for
new information, and revised SARs for
10 stocks (6 strategic and 4 nonstrategic). A list of the 10 reports revised
in 2019 is presented in Table 3.
Information on the remaining Pacific
region stocks can be found in the final
2018 reports (Carretta et al., 2019).
TABLE 3—LIST OF MARINE MAMMAL
STOCKS IN THE PACIFIC REGION REVISED IN 2019
Strategic stocks
Non-strategic stocks
• Guadalupe fur seal
• Harbor porpoise,
Morro Bay.
• Harbor porpoise,
Monterey Bay.
• Harbor porpoise,
San Francisco-Russian River.
• Harbor porpoise,
Northern CA/Southern OR.
• Hawaiian monk
seal
• Killer whale, Eastern N Pacific
Southern Resident
• Sperm whale, CA/
OR/WA
• Humpback whale,
CA/OR/WA
• Blue whale, Eastern N Pacific
References
New abundance estimates are
available for 8 stocks: Guadalupe fur
seals, Hawaiian monk seals, four harbor
porpoise stocks (Morro Bay, Monterey
Bay, San Francisco-Russian River, and
Northern California/Southern Oregon),
Southern Resident killer whales, and
Eastern North Pacific blue whales.
2018 Final Western North Pacific Gray
Whale SAR
In addition to releasing draft 2019
Pacific SARs for public comment,
NMFS is also providing an opportunity
to comment on the final 2018 WNP gray
whale SAR previously published in the
Federal Register on June 19, 2019 (84
FR 28489). NMFS is providing this
opportunity because of the difference in
abundance reported in the draft and
final reports.
The draft 2018 WNP gray whale stock
assessment was prepared during
autumn 2017/winter 2018 in advance of
the Pacific Scientific Review Group
meeting in February 2018. The draft
2018 report included an abundance
estimate and calculated PBR based on
results from Cooke et al. (2016), who
estimated WNP gray whale stock
abundance at 175 whales (95% credible
intervals 158 to 193). Following the
publication of the draft report, the SAR
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authors reviewed abundance estimates
by Cooke (2017) and Cooke et al. (2018)
published in November 2017 and
January 2018, respectively. Those
publications estimate WNP abundance
to be 290 individuals (90% credible
intervals 271 to 311) due to differences
in the data analyzed. Cooke et al. (2016)
estimated abundance based on Sakhalin
Island whales only, while Cooke (2017)
and Cooke et al. (2018) estimates
included whales from both Sakhalin
and Kamchatka regions. After
considering public comments on the
draft 2018 SAR regarding open versus
closed population assumptions on the
combined Sakhalin-Kamchatka feeding
aggregation (84 FR 28489, June 19,
2019), the SAR authors updated the
abundance estimate in the final 2018
report using the values from Cooke 2017
and Cooke et al. 2018. The WNP
abundance estimates in the final 2018
report are higher than the draft report
because the final estimates included
Kamchatka whales. As a result, PBR
values changed from 0.07 in the draft
report to 0.12 whales in the final 2018
WNP SAR. In light of these changes,
NMFS is now accepting public
comment on the abundance estimates
that appear in the final 2018 Western
North Pacific Gray Whale SAR.
Sfmt 4703
Cooke, J.G., Weller, D.W., Bradford, A.L.,
Sychenko, O.A., Burdin, A.M., Lang,
A.R. and Brownell, R.L., Jr. 2016.
Updated population assessment of the
Sakhalin gray whale aggregation based
on a photo-identification study at Piltun,
Sakhalin, 1995–2015. Paper SC/66b/
BRG25 presented to the International
Whaling Commission Scientific
Committee.
Cooke J.G. 2017. Updated assessment of the
Sakhalin gray whale population and its
relationship to gray whales in other
areas. IUCN Western Gray Whale
Advisory Panel document 18/24.
Cooke, J.G., Taylor, B.L., Reeves, R. &
Brownell Jr., R.L. 2018. Eschrichtius
robustus western subpopulation. The
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
2018: e.T8099A50345475. https://
dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20182.RLTS.T8099A50345475.en.
Muto, M.M., V.T. Helker, R.P. Angliss, P.L.
Boveng, J.M. Breiwick, M.F. Cameron,
P.J. Clapham, S.P. Dahle, M.E. Dahlheim,
B.S. Fadely, M.C. Ferguson, L.W. Fritz,
R.C. Hobbs, Y.V. Ivashchenko, A.S.
Kennedy, J.M. London, S.A. Mizroch,
R.R. Ream, E.L. Richmond, K.E.W.
Shelden, K.L. Sweeney, R.G. Towell, P.R.
Wade, J.M. Waite, and A.N. Zerbini.
2019. Alaska marine Mammal Stock
Assessments, 2018. NOAA Technical
Memorandum NMFS–AFSC–393, June
2019. 390 pp.
Pace, R.M., III, P.J. Corkeron and S.D. Kraus.
2017. State-space mark-recapture
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 27, 2019 / Notices
estimates reveal a recent decline in
abundance of North Atlantic right
whales. Ecol. and Evol. 7:8730–8741.
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3406.
action is intended to provide the 2019
standard prices and fee percentages to
calculate the required payment for cost
recovery fees due by December 31, 2019.
DATES: The standard prices and fee
percentages are valid on November 27,
2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl
Greene, Fee Coordinator, 907–586–7105.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Dated: November 22, 2019.
Chris Oliver,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019–25809 Filed 11–26–19; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XY048]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Management Area;
Cost Recovery Programs
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of standard prices and
fee percentages.
AGENCY:
NMFS publishes standard
prices and fee percentages for cost
recovery for the Amendment 80
Program, the American Fisheries Act
(AFA) Program, the Aleutian Islands
Pollock (AIP) Program, and the Western
Alaska Community Development Quota
(CDQ) groundfish and halibut Programs.
The fee percentage for 2019 is 0.94
percent for the Amendment 80 Program,
0.23 percent for the AFA inshore
cooperatives, 3.0 percent for the AIP
program, and 0.70 percent for the CDQ
groundfish and halibut Programs. This
SUMMARY:
Section 304(d) of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens
Act) authorizes and requires the
collection of cost recovery fees for
limited access privilege programs and
the CDQ Program. Cost recovery fees
recover the actual costs directly related
to the management, data collection, and
enforcement of the programs. Section
304(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act
mandates that cost recovery fees not
exceed three percent of the annual exvessel value of fish harvested by a
program subject to a cost recovery fee,
and that the fee be collected either at the
time of landing, filing of a landing
report, or sale of such fish during a
fishing season or in the last quarter of
the calendar year in which the fish is
harvested.
NMFS manages the Amendment 80
Program, AFA Program, and AIP
Program as limited access privilege
programs. On January 5, 2016, NMFS
published a final rule to implement cost
recovery for these three limited access
privilege programs and the CDQ
groundfish and halibut programs (81 FR
150). The designated representative (for
the purposes of cost recovery) for each
65357
program is responsible for submitting
the fee payment to NMFS on or before
the due date of December 31 of the year
in which the landings were made. The
total dollar amount of the fee due is
determined by multiplying the NMFS
published fee percentage by the exvessel value of all landings under the
program made during the fishing year.
NMFS publishes this notice of the fee
percentages for the Amendment 80,
AFA, AIP, and CDQ groundfish and
halibut fisheries in the Federal Register
by December 1 each year.
Standard Prices
The fee liability is based on the exvessel value of fish harvested in each
program. For purposes of calculating
cost recovery fees, NMFS calculates a
standard ex-vessel price (standard price)
for each species. A standard price is
determined using information on
landings purchased (volume) and exvessel value paid (value). For most
groundfish species, NMFS annually
summarizes volume and value
information for landings of all fishery
species subject to cost recovery in order
to estimate a standard price for each
species. The standard prices are
described in U.S. dollars per pound for
landings made during the year. The
standard prices for all species in the
Amendment 80, AFA, AIP, and CDQ
groundfish and halibut programs are
listed in Table 1. Each landing made
under each program is multiplied by the
appropriate standard price to arrive at
an ex-vessel value for each landing.
These values are summed together to
arrive at the ex-vessel value of each
program (fishery value).
TABLE 1—STANDARD EX-VESSEL PRICES BY SPECIES FOR THE 2019 FISHING YEAR
Standard exvessel price
per pound
($)
Species
Gear type
Reporting period
Arrowtooth flounder ........................
Atka mackerel ................................
Flathead sole ..................................
Greenland turbot ............................
CDQ halibut ....................................
Pacific cod ......................................
All .......................
All .......................
All .......................
All .......................
Fixed gear ..........
Fixed gear ..........
Trawl gear ..........
All .......................
All .......................
All .......................
All .......................
Fixed gear ..........
Trawl gear ..........
All .......................
January 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 .......................................................
January 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 .......................................................
January 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 .......................................................
January 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 .......................................................
October 1, 2019–September 30, 2019 ...................................................
January 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 .......................................................
January 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 .......................................................
January 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 .......................................................
January 1, 2018–December 31, 2018 ....................................................
January 1, 2019–March 31, 2019 ..........................................................
April 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 .............................................................
October 1, 2018–September 30, 2019 ...................................................
January 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 .......................................................
January 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 .......................................................
Pacific ocean perch ........................
Pollock ............................................
Rock sole .......................................
Sablefish .........................................
Yellowfin sole .................................
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:21 Nov 26, 2019
Jkt 250001
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Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 27, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65353-65357]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25809]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XV011]
Draft 2019 Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments and new information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS reviewed the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regional
marine mammal stock assessment reports (SARs) in accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). SARs for marine mammals in the
Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regions were revised according to new
information. NMFS solicits public comments on the draft 2019 SARs. In
addition to releasing draft 2019 Pacific SARs for public comment, NMFS
is also providing an opportunity to comment on the final 2018 Western
North Pacific (WNP) gray whale SAR previously published in the Federal
Register on June 19, 2019 (84 FR 28489). NMFS is also requesting new
information for strategic stocks that were not updated in 2019.
DATES: Comments must be received by February 25, 2020.
ADDRESSES: The 2019 draft SARs are available in electronic form via the
internet at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/draft-marine-mammal-stock-assessment-reports. The 2018 final
Gray Whale Western North Pacific SAR is available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-stock-assessment-reports-species-stock#cetaceans---large-whales.
Copies of the Alaska Regional SARs may be requested from Marcia
Muto, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE,
Seattle, WA 98115-6349.
Copies of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Regional SARs
may be requested from Elizabeth Josephson, Northeast Fisheries Science
Center, 166 Water St., Woods Hole, MA 02543.
Copies of the Pacific Regional SARs may be requested from Jim
Carretta, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8604 La Jolla Shores
Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037-1508.
You may submit comments or new information, identified by NOAA-
NMFS-2019-0090, by either of the following methods:
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2019-0090, click the ``Comment Now!'' icon,
complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Mail: Send comments, new information, or requests for copies of
reports to: Dr. Zachary Schakner, Protected Species Science Branch,
Office of Science and Technology, National Marine Fisheries Service,
1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226, Attn: Stock
Assessments.
Instructions: NMFS may not consider comments if they are sent by
any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after
the end of the comment period. 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. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Zachary Schakner, Office of
Science and Technology, 301-427-8106, [email protected]; Marcia
Muto, 206-526-4026, [email protected], regarding Alaska regional
stock assessments; Elizabeth Josephson, 508-495-2362,
[email protected], regarding Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and
Caribbean regional stock assessments; or Jim Carretta, 858-546-7171,
[email protected], regarding Pacific regional stock assessments.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 117 of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) requires NMFS and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to prepare stock assessments
for each stock of marine mammals occurring in waters under the
jurisdiction of the United States, including the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone. These reports must contain information regarding the
distribution and abundance of the stock, population growth rates and
trends, estimates of annual human-caused mortality and serious injury
(M/SI) from all sources, descriptions of the fisheries with which the
stock interacts, and the status of the stock. Initial reports were
completed in 1995.
The MMPA requires NMFS and FWS to review the SARs at least annually
for strategic stocks and stocks for which significant new information
is available, and at least once every three years for non-strategic
stocks. The term ``strategic stock'' means a marine mammal stock: (A)
For which the level of direct human-caused mortality exceeds the
potential biological removal level or PBR (defined by the MMPA as the
maximum number of animals, not including natural mortalities, that may
be removed from a marine mammal stock while allowing that stock to
reach or maintain its optimum sustainable population); (B) which, based
on the best available scientific information, is declining and is
likely to be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) within the foreseeable future; or (C) which is listed
as a threatened species or endangered species under the ESA. NMFS and
the FWS are required to revise a SAR if the status of the stock has
changed or can be more accurately determined.
Prior to public review, the updated SARs under NMFS' jurisdiction
are peer-reviewed within NMFS Fisheries Science Centers and by members
of three regional independent Scientific Review Groups, established
under the MMPA to independently advise NMFS on information and
uncertainties related to the status of marine mammals.
The period covered by the 2019 draft SARs is 2013-2017. NMFS
reviewed the status of all marine mammal strategic stocks as required
and considered whether significant new information was available for
all other stocks under NMFS' jurisdiction. As a result of this review,
NMFS revised a total of 65 reports representing 76 stocks in the
Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regions to incorporate new information.
The 2019 revisions consist primarily of updated or revised M/SI
estimate, updated abundance estimates, including the
[[Page 65354]]
application of an established capture-mark-recapture method to estimate
the abundance of Gulf of Maine humpback whales, and the introduction of
a new method for estimating cryptic mortality for Gulf of Maine
humpback whales and North Atlantic right whales. One stock (Alaska
ringed seal) changed in status from non-strategic to strategic, and
four stocks (Western North Atlantic false killer whale and St. Andrew
Bay, St. Joseph Bay, and West Bay common bottlenose dolphin stocks)
changed in status from strategic to non-strategic. Substantive
revisions to the SARs are discussed below.
NMFS solicits public comments on the draft 2019 SARs. In addition
to releasing draft 2019 Pacific SARs for public comment, NMFS is also
providing an opportunity to comment on the final 2018 WNP gray whale
SAR previously published in the Federal Register on June 19, 2019 (84
FR 28489). NMFS is providing this opportunity because of the difference
in abundance reported in the draft and final reports. To ensure NMFS is
aware of new information relevant to all strategic stocks, NMFS
requests new information for strategic stocks that were not updated in
2019. Specifically, new relevant information could include peer-
reviewed information on human-caused serious injury and mortality,
fishery interactions, abundance, distribution, stock structure and
habitat concerns, which could be incorporated into the SARs, and other
information on emerging concerns for a strategic stock.
Alaska Reports
In 2019, NMFS reviewed all 45 stocks in the Alaska region for new
information, and revised 18 SARs under NMFS jurisdiction representing
29 stocks (15 strategic and 14 non-strategic). The Alaska ringed seal
stock changed from non-strategic to strategic status because the stock
is now considered threatened under the ESA (see below). A list of the
29 stocks revised in 2019 for the Alaska region (contained in 18
reports) is presented in Table 1. Information on the remaining Alaska
region stocks can be found in the final 2018 reports (Muto et al.,
2019).
Table 1--List of Marine Mammal Stocks in the Alaska Region Revised in
2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strategic stocks Non-strategic stocks
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steller sea lion, Western U.S. Steller sea lion,
Eastern U.S.
Northern fur seal, Eastern Harbor seals (12
Pacific. stocks):
Bearded seal, Alaska.......... [cir] Aleutian Islands.
Ringed seal, Alaska........... [cir] Pribilof Islands.
Beluga whale, Cook Inlet...... [cir] Bristol Bay.
Killer whale, AT1 Transient... [cir] N Kodiak.
Harbor porpoise, Southeast [cir] S Kodiak.
Alaska.
Harbor porpoise, Gulf of [cir] Prince William Sound.
Alaska.
Harbor porpoise, Bering Sea... [cir] Cook Inlet/Shelikof
Strait.
Sperm whale, North Pacific.... [cir] Glacier Bay/Icy
Strait.
Humpback whale, Western North [cir] Lynn Canal/Stephens
Pacific. Passage.
Humpback whale, Central North [cir] Sitka/Chatham Strait.
Pacific.
Fin whale, Northeast Pacific.. [cir] Dixon/Cape Decision.
North Pacific right whale, [cir] Clarence Strait.
Eastern North Pacific.
Bowhead whale, Western Arctic. Killer whale, Eastern
North Pacific Northern
Resident.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revisions to the Alaska SARs included updates of abundance and/or
M/SI estimates. New abundance estimates are available for the Western
and Eastern U.S. Steller sea lion, harbor seal (12 stocks), Alaska
ringed seal, AT1 Transient and Eastern North Pacific Northern Resident
killer whale, Southeast Alaska and Gulf of Alaska harbor porpoise,
North Pacific sperm whale, Northeast Pacific fin whale, and Western
Arctic bowhead whale stocks.
Alaska Ringed Seal
In 2012, NMFS listed the Arctic ringed seals (Pusa hispida
hispida), and thus the Alaska stock of ringed seals, as threatened
under the ESA (77 FR 76706, December 28, 2012). The primary concern for
this population is the ongoing and projected loss of sea-ice and snow
cover stemming from climate change, which is expected to pose a
significant threat to the persistence of these seals in the foreseeable
future. On March 11, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of
Alaska issued a decision vacating NMFS' listing in a lawsuit that
challenged listing ringed seals under the ESA (Alaska Oil and Gas
Association v. Pritzker, Case No. 4:14-cv-00029-RPB). Consequently, it
was also no longer designated as depleted or classified as a strategic
stock. In 2018, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the
decision and approved the agency's protection of the seals, and the ESA
listing was reinstated. Because of its threatened status under the ESA,
this ringed seal stock is considered depleted under the MMPA and is now
classified as a strategic stock. NMFS did not revise the Alaska ringed
seal report in 2018 because at the time the draft 2018 SARs were
prepared, this stock was not considered to be depleted or strategic
under the MMPA. The change in status from non-strategic to strategic
was notated in the final 2018 Alaska Marine Mammal Stock Assessments
stock summary table (Appendix 2, Muto et al., 2019).
Atlantic Reports
In 2019, NMFS reviewed all 116 stocks in the Atlantic region for
new information (including the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S.
territories in the Caribbean) under NMFS jurisdiction. This year, NMFS
revised 35 reports, created 1 new common bottlenose dolphin report (St.
Andrew Bay) and resubmitted 1 new common bottlenose dolphin report
(West Bay). These updated reports represent 37 stocks (5 strategic and
32 non-strategic). The Western North Atlantic (WNA) false killer whale
stock and three common bottlenose dolphin stocks (St. Andrew Bay, St.
Joseph Bay, and West Bay) changed from strategic to non-strategic
status because they do not meet the criteria to qualify as strategic. A
list of the 37 stocks in the Atlantic region is presented in Table 2.
Information on the remaining Atlantic region stocks can be found in the
final 2018 reports (Hayes et al., 2019).
[[Page 65355]]
Table 2--List of Marine Mammal Stocks in the Atlantic Region Revised in
2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strategic stocks Non-strategic stocks
------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Atlantic right whale, Humpback whale, Gulf
Western Atlantic. of Maine.
Fin whale, WNA................ Minke whale, Canadian
East Coast.
Sei whale, Nova Scotia........ Dwarf sperm whale,
WNA.
Blue whale, WNA............... Pygmy sperm whale,
WNA.
Sperm whale................... Pygmy killer whale,
WNA.
False killer whale,
WNA.
Cuvier's beaked whale,
WNA.
Blainville's beaked
whale, WNA.
Gervais beaked whale,
WNA.
Sowerby's beaked
whale, WNA.
True's beaked whale,
WNA.
Melon-headed whale,
WNA.
Risso's dolphin, WNA.
Pilot whale, long-
finned, WNA.
Pilot whale, short-
finned, WNA.
Atlantic white-sided
dolphin, WNA.
White-beaked dolphin,
WNA.
Common dolphin, WNA.
Atlantic spotted
dolphin, WNA.
Pantropical spotted
dolphin, WNA.
Striped dolphin, WNA.
Fraser's dolphin, WNA.
Clymene dolphin, WNA.
Spinner dolphin, WNA.
Common bottlenose
dolphin, WNA offshore.
Harbor porpoise, Gulf
of Maine/Bay of Fundy.
Harbor seal, WNA.
Gray seal, WNA.
Harp seal, WNA.
Bottlenose dolphin,
West Bay.
Bottlenose dolphin,
St. Andrew Bay.
Bottlenose dolphin,
St. Joseph Bay.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revisions to the Atlantic SARs included updates of abundance and/or
M/SI estimates. New abundance estimates are available for the North
Atlantic right whale, WNA fin whale, Nova Scotia sei whale, WNA blue
whale, North Atlantic sperm whale, Gulf of Maine humpback whale,
Canadian East Coast minke whale, WNA dwarf and pygmy sperm whale (Kogia
spp.), WNA false killer whale, WNA beaked whale (Ziphius and Mesoplodon
spp.), WNA Risso's dolphin, Long-finned pilot whale, WNA Atlantic
white-sided dolphin, WNA White-beaked dolphin, WNA common dolphin, WNA
Atlantic spotted dolphin, WNA pantropical spotted dolphin, WNA striped
dolphin, WNA Clymene dolphin, WNA spinner dolphin, WNA common
bottlenose dolphin, Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy harbor porpoise, and the
West Bay, St. Andrew Bay, and St. Joseph Bay common bottlenose dolphin
stocks.
Estimating Cryptic Mortality for North Atlantic Right Whale and Gulf of
Maine Humpback Whale
The North Atlantic right whale and Gulf of Maine humpback whale
reports include the presentation of cryptic mortality estimates and
attempt to apportion unseen mortality to various sources while
considering detection bias. The cryptic mortality estimate is
calculated by taking the annual population estimate generated from the
Pace et al. (2017) approach and applying a basic population dynamic
formula. A method to assign cause to these unseen mortalities is still
being established, as such these additions are not counted towards PBR
at this time.
North Atlantic Right Whale, Western Atlantic
The western North Atlantic right whale stock size is based on a
state-space model of the sighting histories of individual whales
identified using photo-identification techniques (Pace et al. 2017).
Using a hierarchical, state-space Bayesian open population model of
these histories produced a median abundance value. The best abundance
estimate available for the North Atlantic right whale stock is 428
individuals (95% credible intervals 406 to 447). The previous best
abundance estimate in the 2018 SAR was 451 (95% credible intervals 434
to 464). As a result of the lower abundance estimate, the PBR decreased
from 0.9 (in the 2018 SAR) to 0.8. Only 5 and 0 calves were detected in
2017 and 2018, respectively. Therefore, it is estimated the decline in
the right whale population will continue for at least an additional 2
years.
Humpback Whale, Gulf of Maine
For the Gulf of Maine humpback whale report, two new independent
abundance estimates are available from different methods--one based
upon ship and aerial line-transect surveys, and a second from applying
mark and recapture methods to photo identification records from the J.
Robbins studies (Robbins and Pace 2018). The best abundance estimate
for the Gulf of Maine humpback whale stock is 1,396 (based upon the
mark and recapture method). The minimum abundance estimate is 1,380
(previously 896 in 2018 SAR) and PBR for the Gulf of Maine humpback
whale stock is 22 whales (previously 14.6). This stock is not
considered strategic, but if the newly estimated cryptic mortality were
included, the estimated annual anthropogenic mortality would be over
PBR.
False Killer Whale, Western North Atlantic
The WNA false killer whale WNA stock changed from strategic to non-
[[Page 65356]]
strategic because it does not meet the criteria to qualify as
strategic. When this stock was last revised in 2014, it was considered
strategic because the abundance of the stock is small and NMFS was
concerned that relatively few mortalities and serious injuries would
exceed PBR. While no fishery-related mortality or serious injury has
been observed in the last five years, there was a recorded interaction
with the pelagic longline fishery in 2011. False killer whale
interactions with longline fisheries in the Pacific are of considerable
concern, but little is known about interactions in the Atlantic.
Common Bottlenose Dolphins
NMFS is in the process of writing individual stock assessment
reports for each of the 31 bay, sound, and estuary stocks of common
bottlenose dolphins in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Two new individual
reports, for St. Andrew Bay and West Bay Estuarine System stocks, were
completed for the draft 2019 SARs. The West Bay report was originally
submitted with the draft 2018 SARs but was withdrawn because the
updated abundance estimate for this stock was based on a publication
that was still under review at the time the 2018 SARs were finalized.
That publication is now ``in press,'' so NMFS is resubmitting the West
Bay stock as a new draft 2019 report. The reader will not see tracked
changes in the West Bay or St. Andrew Bay reports because these are new
reports. To date, NMFS has completed seven individual bottlenose
dolphin stocks reports (St. Andrew Bay, West Bay, Terrebonne-Timbalier
Bay Estuarine System, Barataria Bay Estuarine System, Mississippi
Sound/Lake Borgne/Bay Boudreau, Choctawhatchee Bay, and St. Joseph
Bay), and the remaining 24 stocks are included in the Northern Gulf of
Mexico Bay, Sound, and Estuary Stocks report.
The West Bay, St. Andrew Bay, and St. Joseph Bay common bottlenose
dolphin stocks changed from strategic to non-strategic. These stocks
were previously considered strategic in part due to an Unusual
Mortality Event (UME) of unprecedented size and duration (2010 through
2014) among common bottlenose dolphins along the northern Gulf of
Mexico coast. Although these stocks do not meet the criteria to qualify
as strategic under the GAMMS (NMFS 2016), NMFS continues to have
concerns regarding these stocks due to their small stock size and the
high number of common bottlenose dolphin deaths associated with UMEs in
the Florida panhandle since 1999.
Pacific Reports
In 2019, NMFS reviewed all 85 stocks in the Pacific region (waters
along the west coast of the United States, within waters surrounding
the main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and within waters
surrounding U.S. territories in the Western Pacific) for new
information, and revised SARs for 10 stocks (6 strategic and 4 non-
strategic). A list of the 10 reports revised in 2019 is presented in
Table 3. Information on the remaining Pacific region stocks can be
found in the final 2018 reports (Carretta et al., 2019).
Table 3--List of Marine Mammal Stocks in the Pacific Region Revised in
2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strategic stocks Non-strategic stocks
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guadalupe fur seal Harbor porpoise, Morro
Bay.
Hawaiian monk seal Harbor porpoise, Monterey
Bay.
Killer whale, Eastern N Harbor porpoise, San
Pacific Southern Resident Francisco-Russian River.
Sperm whale, CA/OR/WA Harbor porpoise, Northern
CA/Southern OR.
Humpback whale, CA/OR/WA
Blue whale, Eastern N
Pacific
------------------------------------------------------------------------
New abundance estimates are available for 8 stocks: Guadalupe fur
seals, Hawaiian monk seals, four harbor porpoise stocks (Morro Bay,
Monterey Bay, San Francisco-Russian River, and Northern California/
Southern Oregon), Southern Resident killer whales, and Eastern North
Pacific blue whales.
2018 Final Western North Pacific Gray Whale SAR
In addition to releasing draft 2019 Pacific SARs for public
comment, NMFS is also providing an opportunity to comment on the final
2018 WNP gray whale SAR previously published in the Federal Register on
June 19, 2019 (84 FR 28489). NMFS is providing this opportunity because
of the difference in abundance reported in the draft and final reports.
The draft 2018 WNP gray whale stock assessment was prepared during
autumn 2017/winter 2018 in advance of the Pacific Scientific Review
Group meeting in February 2018. The draft 2018 report included an
abundance estimate and calculated PBR based on results from Cooke et
al. (2016), who estimated WNP gray whale stock abundance at 175 whales
(95% credible intervals 158 to 193). Following the publication of the
draft report, the SAR authors reviewed abundance estimates by Cooke
(2017) and Cooke et al. (2018) published in November 2017 and January
2018, respectively. Those publications estimate WNP abundance to be 290
individuals (90% credible intervals 271 to 311) due to differences in
the data analyzed. Cooke et al. (2016) estimated abundance based on
Sakhalin Island whales only, while Cooke (2017) and Cooke et al. (2018)
estimates included whales from both Sakhalin and Kamchatka regions.
After considering public comments on the draft 2018 SAR regarding open
versus closed population assumptions on the combined Sakhalin-Kamchatka
feeding aggregation (84 FR 28489, June 19, 2019), the SAR authors
updated the abundance estimate in the final 2018 report using the
values from Cooke 2017 and Cooke et al. 2018. The WNP abundance
estimates in the final 2018 report are higher than the draft report
because the final estimates included Kamchatka whales. As a result, PBR
values changed from 0.07 in the draft report to 0.12 whales in the
final 2018 WNP SAR. In light of these changes, NMFS is now accepting
public comment on the abundance estimates that appear in the final 2018
Western North Pacific Gray Whale SAR.
References
Cooke, J.G., Weller, D.W., Bradford, A.L., Sychenko, O.A., Burdin,
A.M., Lang, A.R. and Brownell, R.L., Jr. 2016. Updated population
assessment of the Sakhalin gray whale aggregation based on a photo-
identification study at Piltun, Sakhalin, 1995-2015. Paper SC/66b/
BRG25 presented to the International Whaling Commission Scientific
Committee.
Cooke J.G. 2017. Updated assessment of the Sakhalin gray whale
population and its relationship to gray whales in other areas. IUCN
Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel document 18/24.
Cooke, J.G., Taylor, B.L., Reeves, R. & Brownell Jr., R.L. 2018.
Eschrichtius robustus western subpopulation. The IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species 2018: e.T8099A50345475. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T8099A50345475.en.
Muto, M.M., V.T. Helker, R.P. Angliss, P.L. Boveng, J.M. Breiwick,
M.F. Cameron, P.J. Clapham, S.P. Dahle, M.E. Dahlheim, B.S. Fadely,
M.C. Ferguson, L.W. Fritz, R.C. Hobbs, Y.V. Ivashchenko, A.S.
Kennedy, J.M. London, S.A. Mizroch, R.R. Ream, E.L. Richmond, K.E.W.
Shelden, K.L. Sweeney, R.G. Towell, P.R. Wade, J.M. Waite, and A.N.
Zerbini. 2019. Alaska marine Mammal Stock Assessments, 2018. NOAA
Technical Memorandum NMFS-AFSC-393, June 2019. 390 pp.
Pace, R.M., III, P.J. Corkeron and S.D. Kraus. 2017. State-space
mark-recapture
[[Page 65357]]
estimates reveal a recent decline in abundance of North Atlantic
right whales. Ecol. and Evol. 7:8730-8741. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3406.
Dated: November 22, 2019.
Chris Oliver,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-25809 Filed 11-26-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
