[Federal Register: March 5, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 43)]
[Notices]
[Page 10936-10937]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05mr98-94]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Marine Mammals; Stock Assessment Reports
AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of draft revised marine mammal stock
assessment reports for Alaska sea otter, walrus and polar bear; request
for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA),
the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has developed draft revised marine
mammals stock assessment reports for sea otter, polar bear and walrus
in Alaska which are available for public review and comment.
DATES: Comments must be received by June 3, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft revised stock assessment reports are
available from the (1) Office of Marine Mammals Management, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503; or (2)
Division of Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Room 840-ARLSQ, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA
22203. Copies of FWS's final stock assessment reports for the southern
sea otter in California, the northern sea otter in
[[Page 10937]]
Washington State, and the Florida and Antillean stocks of West Indian
manatees from the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico,
respectively, are available from address (2) above.
Comments on the draft revised stock assessment reports for Alaska
species should be sent to Supervisor, Office of Marine Mammals
Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Road,
Anchorage, AK 99503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jeff Horwath in the FWS's Division of Fish and Wildlife Management
Assistance, Arlington, Virginia at (703) 358-1718. For information
specifically about sea otter, polar bears, and Pacific walrus in
Alaska, contact David McGillivary at (907) 786-3800 or FAX: (907) 786-
3816.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 117 of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361-
1407) requires the FWS and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
to prepare stock assessment reports for each marine mammal stock that
occurs in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States. In late
1995, the FWS issued final stock assessment reports for marine mammals
in Alaska as required, and announced their completion and public
availability in a Federal Register notice on October 4, 1995 (60 FR
52008). These reports contained information regarding the distribution
and abundance of the stocks, population growth rates and trends,
estimates of human-caused mortality from all sources, descriptions of
the fisheries with which the stocks interact, and the status of each
stock.
Section 117 of the MMPA also requires the FWS and the NMFS,
consistent with any new information that indicates that the status of a
stock has changed or can be more accurately determined, to revise these
reports annually for strategic stocks of marine mammals and every three
years for stocks determined to be none-strategic. In accordance with
these statutory provisions, the FWS has reviewed all of the final stock
assessment reports and determined that it would be appropriate at this
time to revise the reports for the Alaska species in order to
incorporate new information that was not available in 1995. Although
the FWS has decided to revise these reports based on additional
information, the status of the stocks has not changed.
Table 1 in this notice summarizes the draft revised stock
assessment reports. The table lists the stocks, their geographic range,
regional designation, estimated abundance (N<INF>EST</INF>), minimum
abundance estimate (N<INF>MIN</INF>), Potential Biological Removal
level (PBR), maximum theoretical growth rate (R<INF>MAX</INF>),
recovery factor (F<INF>R</INF>), annual estimated average human-caused
mortality, and the status of the stock.
Table 1.--Summary of Draft Stock Assessment Reports for Sea Otter, Polar Bear, and Pacific Walrus in Alaska
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Mortality causes (5 yr average)
Species Stock N<INF>EST N<INF>MIN R<INF>MAX F<INF>R PBR ---------------------------------------------- Stock status
Subsistence Fishery Other
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Sea otter........................... Southeast Alaska....... 8,807 8,709 0.20 1.00 871 376 0 Unk Non-strategic.
Sea otter........................... Southcentral Alaska.... 22,867 20,948 0.20 1.00 2,095 312 <1 Unk Non-strategic.
Sea otter........................... Southwest Alaska....... 68,212 65,761 0.20 0.86 5,659 99 <2 Unk Non-strategic.
Polar bear.......................... Alaska Chukchi/Bering (\2\) (\2\) (\1\) 0.50 Unk 45 0 <10 Non-strategic.
Seas.
Polar bear.......................... Alaska Southern 1,801 1,599 0.06 1.00 72 55 0 <1 Non-strategic.
Beaufort Sea.
Pacific Walrus...................... Alaska................. 201,039 188,316 0.08 1.00 7,533 4,869 17 4 Non-strategic.
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\1\ Probably similar to Alaska Southern Beaufort Sea Stock.
\2\ Not available.
Dated: February 24, 1998.
Robyn Thorson,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 98-5701 Filed 3-4-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-01-M