Marine Mammals

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has sent an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. This Information Collection is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2014.  FWS may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. However, under OMB regulations, FWS may continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is pending at OMB.

Comments on this ICR must be submitted or before February 27, 2014.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act , the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  has revised its stock assessment report for the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) stock in California State. The revised SAR incorporates public comments.  The final revised SAR is available here.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation has published a report entitled:  Marine Renewable Energy: A Global Review of the Extent of Marine Renewable Energy Developments, the Developing Technologies and Possible Conservation Implications for Cetaceans.

The report pulls together all the current information on the impacts of marine renewable developments on cetaceans, and different countries approaches to these developments. The report is aimed at helping governments, developers and other key parties in the marine renewable energy industry to make the best-informed decisions as to where and how to site their facilities.

To download the report, or for German and Spanish Executive summaries, Click here for to WDC website.

The Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM) is hosting two linked workshops in the summer of 2014 at the University of St. Andrews,Scotland. The aim of these workshops is to train participants in the latest methods for design and analysis of distance sampling surveys, including line and point transects. The workshops are taught by leading researchers in the field, using industry-standard software.

The first workshop (19-22 August) will run at an introductory level, and will focus on distance sampling methods, largely described in the standard reference book “Introduction to Distance Sampling.” The workshop will be a blend of theory and practice and participants will learn how to use the program “Distance.” Participants will gain a solid grounding in both survey design and methods of analysis for distance sampling survey.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization to the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Study of Coastal Oceans at the University of California Santa Cruz for an Incidental Harassment Authorizatio to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to rocky intertidal monitoring surveys.  This IHA is effective December 17, 2013,through December 16, 2014.

Click here to read Federal Register notice of this IHA.