Marine Mammal Protection Act; Draft Revised Stock Assessment Reports for Two Stocks of Polar Bears in Alaska, 114-116 [2024-31483]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
114
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 1 / Thursday, January 2, 2025 / Notices
(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Nos. 93.213, Research and Training
in Complementary and Alternative Medicine,
National Institutes of Health, HHS)
Dated: December 27, 2024.
David W Freeman,
Supervisory Program Analyst, Office of
Federal Advisory Committee Policy.
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
National Center for Complementary &
Integrative Health; Notice of Closed
Meeting
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Pursuant to section 1009 of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended, notice is hereby given of the
following meeting.
The meeting will be closed to the
public in accordance with the
provisions set forth in sections
552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), title 5 U.S.C.,
as amended. The grant applications and
the discussions could disclose
confidential trade secrets or commercial
property such as patentable material,
and personal information concerning
individuals associated with the grant
applications, the disclosure of which
would constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy.
Name of Committee: National Center for
Complementary and Integrative Health
Special Emphasis Panel; Exploratory Clinical
Trials of Mind and Body Interventions (MB).
Date: February 27–28, 2025.
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Agenda: To review and evaluate grant
applications.
Address: National Center for
Complementary and Integrative, Democracy
II, 6707 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, MD
20892.
Meeting Format: Virtual Meeting.
Contact Person: BAILA S Hall, Ph.D.,
Scientific Review Officer, Office of Scientific
Review, Division of Extramural Activities,
NCCIH/NIH, 6707 Democracy Blvd., Suite
401, Bethesda, MD 20892, (301) 443–9285,
baila.hall@nih.gov.
(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Nos. 93.213, Research and Training
in Complementary and Alternative Medicine,
National Institutes of Health, HHS)
[FR Doc. 2024–31478 Filed 12–31–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:23 Dec 31, 2024
Jkt 265001
National Institutes of Health
Center for Scientific Review; Notice of
Closed Meeting
[FR Doc. 2024–31477 Filed 12–31–24; 8:45 am]
Dated: December 27, 2024.
David W Freeman,
Supervisory Program Analyst, Office of
Federal Advisory Committee Policy.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Pursuant to section 1009 of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended, notice is hereby given of the
following meeting.
The meeting will be closed to the
public in accordance with the
provisions set forth in sections
552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C.,
as amended. The grant applications and
the discussions could disclose
confidential trade secrets or commercial
property such as patentable material,
and personal information concerning
individuals associated with the grant
applications, the disclosure of which
would constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy.
Name of Committee: Center for Scientific
Review Special Emphasis Panel; Topics in
Hepatobiliary Pathobiology.
Date: January 22, 2025.
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Agenda: To review and evaluate grant
applications.
Address: National Institutes of Health,
Rockledge II, 6701 Rockledge Drive,
Bethesda, MD 20892.
Meeting Format: Virtual Meeting.
Contact Person: Atul Sahai, Ph.D.,
Scientific Review Officer, Center for
Scientific Review, National Institutes of
Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 2188,
MSC 7818, Bethesda, MD 20892, 301–435–
1198, sahaia@csr.nih.gov.
(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Nos. 93.306, Comparative Medicine;
93.333, Clinical Research, 93.306, 93.333,
93.337, 93.393–93.396, 93.837–93.844,
93.846–93.878, 93.892, 93.893, National
Institutes of Health, HHS)
Dated: December 26, 2024.
Victoria E. Townsend,
Program Analyst, Office of Federal Advisory
Committee Policy.
[FR Doc. 2024–31447 Filed 12–31–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS–R7–ES–2024–0128;
FXES111607MRG01–245–FF07CAMM00]
Marine Mammal Protection Act; Draft
Revised Stock Assessment Reports for
Two Stocks of Polar Bears in Alaska
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00045
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,
as amended, and its implementing
regulations, we, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS), have developed
draft revised marine mammal stock
assessment reports (SARs) for the
Chukchi/Bering Seas and Southern
Beaufort Sea polar bear (Ursus
maritimus) stocks in Alaska. We invite
comments on the two draft revised
SARs from the public and from Federal,
Tribal, State, and local governments.
DATES: We must receive comments by
April 2, 2025. Comments submitted
electronically using the Federal
eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES,
below) must be received by 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Time on the closing date.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may view
the draft revised stock assessment
reports at https://www.regulations.gov
under Docket No. FWS–R7–ES–2024–
0128, or you may request copies from
the contact under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
Submitting Comments: You may
submit comments by one of the
following methods:
• Internet: https://
www.regulations.gov. Search for and
submit comments on FWS–R7–ES–
2024–0128.
• U.S. mail: Public Comments
Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R7–
ES–2024–0128, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–
3803.
We request that you send comments
only by one of the methods described
above. We will post all comments at
https://www.regulations.gov. You may
request that we withhold personal
identifying information from public
review; however, we cannot guarantee
that we will be able to do so. For more
information, see Public Comment
Procedures under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Charles Hamilton, Marine Mammals
Management, by telephone at 907–786–
3800; by email at FW7_ak_marine_
mammals@fws.gov; or by mail at U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, MS–341,
1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK
99503. Individuals in the United States
who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing,
or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States
should use the relay services offered
within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\02JAN1.SGM
02JAN1
115
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 1 / Thursday, January 2, 2025 / Notices
In
accordance with the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and its
implementing regulations in the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR
part 18, we, the FWS, have developed
draft revised marine mammal stock
assessment reports (SARs) for two
stocks of polar bears. The draft revised
SARs are for the Chukchi/Bering Seas
and Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear
(Ursus maritimus) stocks in Alaska. We
invite comments on the two draft SARs
from the public and from Federal,
Tribal, State, and local governments.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Under the MMPA and its
implementing regulations, we regulate
the taking, possession, transportation,
purchasing, selling, offering for sale,
exporting, and importing of marine
mammals. One of the goals of the
MMPA is to ensure that each stock of
marine mammals occurring in waters
under U.S. jurisdiction does not
experience a level of human-caused
mortality and serious injury that is
likely to cause the stock to be reduced
below its optimum sustainable
population level (OSP). The MMPA
defines the OSP as ‘‘the number of
animals which will result in the
maximum productivity of the
population or the species, keeping in
mind the carrying capacity of the habitat
and the health of the ecosystem of
which they form a constituent element’’
(16 U.S.C. 1362(9)).
To help accomplish the goal of
maintaining marine mammal stocks at
their OSPs, section 117 of the MMPA
requires the FWS and the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to
prepare a SAR for each marine mammal
stock that occurs in waters under U.S.
jurisdiction. When preparing SARs,
section 117 of the MMPA also requires
the FWS to consider the best scientific
information available and consult with
regional scientific review groups,
established under section 117(d) of the
MMPA. Pursuant to section 117(a) of the
MMPA, each SAR must include: (1) A
description of the stock and its
geographic range; (2) a minimum
population estimate, current and
maximum net productivity rate, and
current population trend; (3) an estimate
of the annual human-caused mortality
and serious injury of the stock by source
and, for a strategic stock, other factors
that may be causing a decline or
impeding recovery of the stock,
including effects on marine mammal
habitat and prey; (4) commercial fishery
interactions; (5) categorization of the
status of the stock; and (6) an estimate
on the potential biological removal
(PBR) level.
The MMPA defines the PBR level 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’’ (16 U.S.C. 1362(20)). The
PBR is the product of the minimum
population estimate of the stock (Nmin);
one-half the maximum theoretical or
estimated net productivity rate of the
stock at a small population size (Rmax);
and a recovery factor (Fr) of between 0.1
and 1.0, which is intended to
compensate for uncertainty and
unknown estimation errors. This can be
written as:
PBR = Nmin × 0.5Rmax × FR
Section 117 of the MMPA also
requires the FWS and NMFS to review
the SARs (1) at least annually for stocks
that are specified as strategic stocks; (2)
at least annually for stocks for which
significant new information is available;
and (3) at least once every 3 years for
all other stocks. If our review of the
status of a stock indicates that it has
changed or may be more accurately
determined, then the SAR must be
revised accordingly.
A strategic stock is defined in the
MMPA as a marine mammal stock ‘‘(A)
for which the level of direct humancaused mortality exceeds the PBR; (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 of 1973 [as amended (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.] within the foreseeable
future; or (C) which is listed as a
threatened or endangered species under
the ESA, or is designated as depleted
under [the MMPA]’’ (16 U.S.C.
1362(19)).
Summary of Draft Revised Stock
Assessment Reports
The SARs for the Chukchi/Bering
Seas and Southern Beaufort Sea polar
bear stocks in Alaska were last revised
in 2021 (June 24, 2021; 86 FR 33337).
In 2022, the FWS preliminarily
concluded that stock assessment
revisions are warranted for each of these
stocks because the status of the stocks
can be more accurately determined at
this time. We based this determination
on new information that has become
available, such as new population
estimates for these stocks, which allows
us to better describe their statuses. The
FWS consulted with the Alaska
Regional Scientific Review Group,
established under section 117 of the
MMPA, on these draft revised SARs.
Therefore, we are providing these draft
revised SARs for public comment in
accordance with section 117(b) of the
MMPA.
Table 1 summarizes the draft revised
SARs for the Chukchi/Bering Seas and
Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear stocks,
listing each stock’s Nmin, Rmax, Fr, PBR,
annual estimated human-caused
mortality and serious injury, and status.
TABLE 1—SUMMARY OF DRAFT REVISED STOCK ASSESSMENT REPORTS FOR THE CHUKCHI/BERING SEAS AND SOUTHERN
BEAUFORT SEA POLAR BEAR STOCKS
Stock
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Chukchi/Bering Sea ..............
Southern Beaufort Sea .........
I
2,172
589
Annual estimated human-caused mortality
Rmax
(%)
Nmin
I
Fr
10
10
I
0.48
0.48
US = United States, RU = Russian Federation, CA = Canada.
a 10-year average from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2023.
b Kochnev and Zdor (2015).
Public Comment Procedures
If you wish to comment on either or
both of the revised draft SARs, you may
submit your comments by one of the
methods in ADDRESSES. Please identify
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:23 Dec 31, 2024
Jkt 265001
PBR
I
Stock status
52
14
Fishery/other
Subsistence
0.1 a (US) ...............
0.7 a (US) ...............
13.6 (US), 32 b (RU) ..
18.5 (US), 2.8 (CA) ...
I
which draft revised SAR you are
commenting on, make your comments
as specific as possible, confine
comments to issues pertinent to the
draft revised SARs, and explain the
PO 00000
Frm 00046
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Strategic.
Strategic.
reasons for any changes you
recommend. Where possible, your
comments should reference the specific
section or paragraph of the SAR that you
are addressing. We will consider all
E:\FR\FM\02JAN1.SGM
02JAN1
116
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 1 / Thursday, January 2, 2025 / Notices
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives, Department of
Justice.
ACTION: 60-Day notice.
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and approval in accordance with
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Comments are encouraged and
will be accepted for 60 days until March
3, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If
you have additional comments
especially on the estimated public
burden or associated response time,
suggestions, or need a copy of the
proposed information collection
instrument with instructions or
additional information, contact: Jeffrey
Hosmer, Office of Strategic
Management, either by mail at Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives, 99 New York Avenue NE,
Rm. 5E–409, Washington, DC 20226, by
email at Jeffrey.hosmer@atf.gov or
telephone at 202–648–7132.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Written
comments and suggestions from the
public and affected agencies concerning
the proposed collection of information
are encouraged. Your comments should
address one or more of the following
four points:
—Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
—Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s
estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
—Evaluate whether and if so how the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected can be
enhanced; and
—Minimize the burden of the collection
of information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms
of information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of
responses.
The Department of Justice
(DOJ), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF), will be
submitting the following information
Abstract: Under the Government
Performance and Results Modernization
Act of 2010, ATF must update its
strategic plan every four years and
comments that are received by the close
of the comment period (see DATES).
Comments, including names and
addresses of respondents, will become
part of the administrative record. Before
including your address, telephone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, be advised that your entire
comment, including your personal
identifying information, may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your comments to
withhold from public review your
personal identifying information, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
References
The complete list of references used
during the drafting of each of the draft
revised SARs is available at https://
www.regulations.gov under Docket
FWS–R7–ES–2024–0128 and upon
request from the Alaska Marine
Mammals Management Office (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Authority
The authority for this action is the
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,
as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.).
Gary Frazer,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–31483 Filed 12–31–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
[OMB 1140–0052]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Proposed eCollection
eComments Requested; Revision of a
Previously Approved Collection; Office
of Strategic Management
Environmental Assessment Outreach
AGENCY:
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
identify key external factors that could
significantly affect their ability to
achieve strategic goals and objectives.
For this purpose, ATF conducts
outreach for feedback from ATF
stakeholders as part of the Bureau’s
quadrennial assessment process.
Information Collection (IC) OMB 1140–
0052 is being revised to include the
monetized value of respondent time in
this renewal (from $0 to $535), which
was not previously included. There has
also been a decrease in the number of
respondents over time, from 1,500 to 47
and a reduction in the collective hour
burden from 450 hours to 2 hours.
Overview of This Information
Collection
1. Type of Information Collection:
Revision of a previously approved
collection.
2. The Title of the Form/Collection:
Office of Strategic Management
Environmental Assessment Outreach.
3. The agency form number, if any,
and the applicable component of the
Department sponsoring the collection:
Form number: None.
Component: Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S.
Department of Justice.
4. Affected public who will be asked
or required to respond, as well as the
obligation to respond: Affected Public:
State, local and tribal governments,
Private Sector-for or not for profit
institutions, Federal Government.
The obligation to respond is
voluntary.
5. An estimate of the total number of
respondents and the amount of time
estimated for an average respondent to
respond: An estimated 7 respondents
will respond to this collection once
annually, and it will take each
respondent approximately 0.3 hours to
complete their responses.
6. An estimate of the total annual
burden (in hours) associated with the
collection: The estimated annual public
burden associated with this collection is
2 hours total, which is equal to 7 (total
respondents) * 1 (# of response per
respondent) * 0.3 (hours).
7. An estimate of the total annual cost
burden associated with the collection, if
applicable: $535.00.
TOTAL BURDEN HOURS
Number of
respondents
Activity
Frequency
Time per
response
(hours)
Total annual
responses
Total annual
burden
(hours)
Respond to Questionnaire ...................................................
7
1/annually ......
7
0.3
2
Unduplicated Totals ......................................................
7
1/annually ......
7
0.3
2
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:23 Dec 31, 2024
Jkt 265001
PO 00000
Frm 00047
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\02JAN1.SGM
02JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 1 (Thursday, January 2, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 114-116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-31483]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2024-0128; FXES111607MRG01-245-FF07CAMM00]
Marine Mammal Protection Act; Draft Revised Stock Assessment
Reports for Two Stocks of Polar Bears in Alaska
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,
as amended, and its implementing regulations, we, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS), have developed draft revised marine mammal
stock assessment reports (SARs) for the Chukchi/Bering Seas and
Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear (Ursus maritimus) stocks in Alaska. We
invite comments on the two draft revised SARs from the public and from
Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments.
DATES: We must receive comments by April 2, 2025. Comments submitted
electronically using the Federal eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES,
below) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may view the draft revised stock
assessment reports at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS-
R7-ES-2024-0128, or you may request copies from the contact under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the
following methods:
Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and
submit comments on FWS-R7-ES-2024-0128.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R7-ES-2024-0128, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W),
5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
We request that you send comments only by one of the methods
described above. We will post all comments at https://www.regulations.gov. You may request that we withhold personal
identifying information from public review; however, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so. For more information, see
Public Comment Procedures under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles Hamilton, Marine Mammals
Management, by telephone at 907-786-3800; by email at
[email protected]; or by mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, MS-341, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503. Individuals
in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
[[Page 115]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and
its implementing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
at 50 CFR part 18, we, the FWS, have developed draft revised marine
mammal stock assessment reports (SARs) for two stocks of polar bears.
The draft revised SARs are for the Chukchi/Bering Seas and Southern
Beaufort Sea polar bear (Ursus maritimus) stocks in Alaska. We invite
comments on the two draft SARs from the public and from Federal,
Tribal, State, and local governments.
Background
Under the MMPA and its implementing regulations, we regulate the
taking, possession, transportation, purchasing, selling, offering for
sale, exporting, and importing of marine mammals. One of the goals of
the MMPA is to ensure that each stock of marine mammals occurring in
waters under U.S. jurisdiction does not experience a level of human-
caused mortality and serious injury that is likely to cause the stock
to be reduced below its optimum sustainable population level (OSP). The
MMPA defines the OSP as ``the number of animals which will result in
the maximum productivity of the population or the species, keeping in
mind the carrying capacity of the habitat and the health of the
ecosystem of which they form a constituent element'' (16 U.S.C.
1362(9)).
To help accomplish the goal of maintaining marine mammal stocks at
their OSPs, section 117 of the MMPA requires the FWS and the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to prepare a SAR for each marine mammal
stock that occurs in waters under U.S. jurisdiction. When preparing
SARs, section 117 of the MMPA also requires the FWS to consider the
best scientific information available and consult with regional
scientific review groups, established under section 117(d) of the MMPA.
Pursuant to section 117(a) of the MMPA, each SAR must include: (1) A
description of the stock and its geographic range; (2) a minimum
population estimate, current and maximum net productivity rate, and
current population trend; (3) an estimate of the annual human-caused
mortality and serious injury of the stock by source and, for a
strategic stock, other factors that may be causing a decline or
impeding recovery of the stock, including effects on marine mammal
habitat and prey; (4) commercial fishery interactions; (5)
categorization of the status of the stock; and (6) an estimate on the
potential biological removal (PBR) level.
The MMPA defines the PBR level 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'' (16 U.S.C. 1362(20)). The PBR is the product
of the minimum population estimate of the stock (Nmin); one-
half the maximum theoretical or estimated net productivity rate of the
stock at a small population size (Rmax); and a recovery
factor (Fr) of between 0.1 and 1.0, which is intended to
compensate for uncertainty and unknown estimation errors. This can be
written as:
PBR = Nmin x 0.5Rmax x FR
Section 117 of the MMPA also requires the FWS and NMFS to review
the SARs (1) at least annually for stocks that are specified as
strategic stocks; (2) at least annually for stocks for which
significant new information is available; and (3) at least once every 3
years for all other stocks. If our review of the status of a stock
indicates that it has changed or may be more accurately determined,
then the SAR must be revised accordingly.
A strategic stock is defined in the MMPA as a marine mammal stock
``(A) for which the level of direct human-caused mortality exceeds the
PBR; (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 of 1973 [as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.]
within the foreseeable future; or (C) which is listed as a threatened
or endangered species under the ESA, or is designated as depleted under
[the MMPA]'' (16 U.S.C. 1362(19)).
Summary of Draft Revised Stock Assessment Reports
The SARs for the Chukchi/Bering Seas and Southern Beaufort Sea
polar bear stocks in Alaska were last revised in 2021 (June 24, 2021;
86 FR 33337). In 2022, the FWS preliminarily concluded that stock
assessment revisions are warranted for each of these stocks because the
status of the stocks can be more accurately determined at this time. We
based this determination on new information that has become available,
such as new population estimates for these stocks, which allows us to
better describe their statuses. The FWS consulted with the Alaska
Regional Scientific Review Group, established under section 117 of the
MMPA, on these draft revised SARs. Therefore, we are providing these
draft revised SARs for public comment in accordance with section 117(b)
of the MMPA.
Table 1 summarizes the draft revised SARs for the Chukchi/Bering
Seas and Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear stocks, listing each stock's
Nmin, Rmax, Fr, PBR, annual estimated
human-caused mortality and serious injury, and status.
Table 1--Summary of Draft Revised Stock Assessment Reports for the Chukchi/Bering Seas and Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear Stocks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual estimated human-caused mortality
Stock Nmin Rmax (%) Fr PBR -------------------------------------------------------- Stock status
Fishery/other Subsistence
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chukchi/Bering Sea........... 2,172 10 0.48 52 0.1 \a\ (US)............. 13.6 (US), 32 \b\ (RU)..... Strategic.
Southern Beaufort Sea........ 589 10 0.48 14 0.7 \a\ (US)............. 18.5 (US), 2.8 (CA)........ Strategic.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
US = United States, RU = Russian Federation, CA = Canada.
\a\ 10-year average from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2023.
\b\ Kochnev and Zdor (2015).
Public Comment Procedures
If you wish to comment on either or both of the revised draft SARs,
you may submit your comments by one of the methods in ADDRESSES. Please
identify which draft revised SAR you are commenting on, make your
comments as specific as possible, confine comments to issues pertinent
to the draft revised SARs, and explain the reasons for any changes you
recommend. Where possible, your comments should reference the specific
section or paragraph of the SAR that you are addressing. We will
consider all
[[Page 116]]
comments that are received by the close of the comment period (see
DATES).
Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will become
part of the administrative record. Before including your address,
telephone number, email address, or other personal identifying
information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment,
including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly
available at any time. While you can ask us in your comments to
withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
References
The complete list of references used during the drafting of each of
the draft revised SARs is available at https://www.regulations.gov
under Docket FWS-R7-ES-2024-0128 and upon request from the Alaska
Marine Mammals Management Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Authority
The authority for this action is the Marine Mammal Protection Act
of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.).
Gary Frazer,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-31483 Filed 12-31-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
