Marine Mammals

Ocean Science is the science and technology journal of the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The latest issue of Ocean Science contains a series of article on the Arctic Council. The Arctic Council describes itself as “the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic states, Arctic Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic.”

Click here to read the BOEM journal articles on the Arctic Council.

The 30th Annual European Cetacean Society conference will take place in Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal, from 14 – 16 March 2016, organized by the Madeira Whale Museum (Museu da Baleia da Madeira). Associated workshops will take place on the 12 and 13 March.

The theme of the conference is: “Into the Deep – Research and Conservation
on Oceanic Marine Mammals.”

For more information check the conference webpage at
http://europeancetaceansociety.eu/conference/30th-annual-conference-funchal-madeira.

Submission of abstracts and workshop proposals will be welcome from the 14th September (Monday) until the 16 October 2015 (23:45 CET).

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Navy (Navy) for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to Civilian Port defense activities within and near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach from October through November 2015. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to the Navy to incidentally take, by Level B harassment only, marine mammals during the specified activity

NMFS uses “functional hearing groups” to assess marine mammal effects for this proposed IHA.  According to NMFS:

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has posted the following article discussing the Hawaiian Monk Seal:

“The Hawaiian monk seal is one of
NOAA Fisheries’ Species in the Spotlight.

Background
The Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schaunislandi) is the last surviving species in its genus, and is endemic to the 1,500-mile-long Hawaiian Islands archipelago, from Hawaii Island to Kure Atoll.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has issued a final rule to revise the critical habitat for the Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act. Specific areas for designation include sixteen occupied areas within the range of the species: ten areas in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and six in the main Hawaiian Islands. These areas contain one or a combination of habitat types: Preferred pupping and nursing areas, significant haul-out areas, and/or marine foraging areas, that will support conservation for the species. Specific areas in the NWHI include all beach areas, sand spits and islets, including all beach crest vegetation to its deepest extent inland, lagoon waters, inner reef waters, and including marine habitat through the water’s edge, including the seafloor and all subsurface waters and marine habitat within 10 meters (m) of the seafloor, out to the 200-m depth contour line around the following 10 areas: Kure Atoll, Midway Islands, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Lisianski Island, Laysan Island, Maro Reef, Gardner Pinnacles, French Frigate Shoals, Necker Island, and Nihoa Island. Specific areas in the MHI include marine habitat from the 200-m depth contour line, including the seafloor and all subsurface waters and marine habitat within 10 m of the seafloor, through the water’s edge 5 m into the terrestrial environment from the shoreline between identified boundary points on the islands of: Kaula, Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui Nui (including Kahoolawe, Lanai, Maui, and Molokai), and Hawaii.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the comment period on its draft Polar Bear Conservation Management Plan for an additional 30 days. FWS is taking this action because it received a request from the State of Alaska for an extension of time to allow for public input. To ensure consideration of your comments in our preparation of the final plan, FWS must receive your comments and information by September 19, 2015.

Click here to read FWS’ Federal Register notice of this action.

The November 2015 issue of Marine Policy includes an article entitled “Saving the critically endangered Chinese white dolphin in Taiwan: Debate regarding the designation of an MPA,” Liu et al. This article’s abstract reads as follows:

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed regulations to amend the Code of Federal Regulations to implement the Endangered Species Act regarding experimental populations. The CFR would be amended to establish definitions and procedures for: establishing and/or designating certain populations of species otherwise listed as endangered or threatened as experimental populations; determining whether experimental populations are ‘‘essential’’ or ‘‘nonessential;’’ and promulgating appropriate protective measures for experimental populations. NMFS seeks public comment on this proposal. Any comments must be received by NMFS no later than October 2, 2015.

Click here to read NMFS’ Federal Register notice of these proposed rules.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed rule on the housing and care of marine mammals. The OMB website for this review states:

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of certain marine mammals under the Animal Welfare Act. The present standards for these animals have been in effect since 1979 and amended in 1984. During this time, advances have been made and new information has been developed with regard to the housing and care of marine mammals. This rulemaking addresses marine mammal standards on which consensus was not reached during negotiated rulemaking conducted between September 1995 and July 1996. These actions appear necessary to ensure that the minimum standards for the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of marine mammals in captivity are based on current general, industry, and scientific knowledge and experience.”

The article is titled Effects of subsampling of passive acoustic recordings on acoustic metrics (2015). Karolin Thomisch, Olaf Boebel, Daniel P. Zitterbart, Flore Samaran, Sofie Van Parijs and Ilse Van Opzeeland. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 138(1), 267-278 http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4922703. The article is published open-access and can be downloaded here.

It includes the following abstract: