Marine Mammals

The U. S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management plans to join NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in supporting an initiative that will lay the foundation for the first national network to monitor marine biodiversity at scales ranging from microbes to whales.

The projects, funded at approximately $17 million over the next five years, subject to the availability of funds, will demonstrate how a nationally operational marine biodiversity observation network could be developed. Such a network would serve as a marine resource management tool to conserve existing biodiversity and enhance U.S. biosecurity against threats such as invasive species and infectious agents.

Ocean Science Consulting Limited is running a Marine Mammal Observer and Passive Acoustic Monitoring training course, which has been approved by the New Zealand Department of Conservation as being consistent with standards in the ‘2013 code of conduct for minimizing acoustic disturbance to marine mammals from seismic survey operations’. OSC’s DOC-approved course is the first and currently only combined MMO and PAM training available in the world for working in NZ waters. The first course ran successfully in May 2014, and due to popular demand, will be available to candidates again in November 2014, in preparation for the Antipodean seismic exploration season.

The U.S. Regulatory Flexibility Act requires that the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service periodically review existing regulations that have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, such as small businesses, small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions. This plan describes how NMFS will perform this review and describes the regulations that are being proposed for review during the current review cycle.

Written comments on this Plan must be received by NMFS by October 8, 2014.

Click here to read NMFS’ Federal Register notice seeking comment on its Reg Review Plan.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has announced a 5-year review of the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) and sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. A 5-year review is a periodic process conducted to ensure that the listing classification of a species is accurate. A 5-year review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. NMFS requests submission of any information on southern right whales and sperm whales that has become available since their last 5-year review in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service received a petition to “designate the Sakhalin Bay-Amur River stock of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) as a depleted stock under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).” On August 1, 2014, NMFS announced that the petition presented substantial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted and that NMFS would initiate a status review promptly. NMFS also solicited information from the public that may contribute to the status review. NMFS is extending the comment period for 30 days.

The comment period for the petition finding published August 1, 2014, at 79 FR 44733, is extended. Information and comments must be received by close of business on September 29, 2014.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service proposes to issue an amended permit to authorize the incidental, but not intentional, take of two stocks of marine mammals listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and under the Marine Mammal Protection Act , by the California (CA) thresher shark/swordfish drift gillnet fishery (≥14 in mesh) and the Washington /Oregon /CA sablefish pot fishery.

In accordance with the MMPA, NMFS must issue this permit provided that it can make the determinations that: the incidental take will have a negligible impact on the affected stocks; a recovery plan for all affected stocks of threatened or endangered marine mammals has been developed or is being developed; and as required by the MMPA, a take reduction plan and monitoring program have been implemented, and vessels in the CA thresher shark/swordfish drift gillnet fishery (≥14 in mesh) and the WA/OR/CA sablefish pot fisheries are registered.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has incorporated public comments into its revisions of the 2013 marine mammal stock assessment reports. Electronic copies of SARs are available on the Internet as regional compilations and individual reports at the following address: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/sars/. Copies of the  reports can also be requested from Chief, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910– 3226, Attn: Stock Assessments. Click here for NMFS’ Federal Register notice of the revised SARs.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has published the annual fur seal subsistence harvests on St. George and St. Paul Islands, Alaska (the Pribilof Islands) for 2011– 2013, and the annual estimates of fur seal subsistence harvests for 2014–2016. NMFS estimates the annual subsistence needs for 2014–2016 are 1,645–2,000 fur seals on St. Paul and 300–500 fur seals on St. George. Click here to read NMFS’ Federal Register notice of these  subsistence harvests.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has received a petition to ‘‘designate the Sakhalin Bay-Amur River stock of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) as a depleted stock under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).’’ NMFS has found that the petition presents substantial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted and will initiate a status review promptly. NMFS solicits information from the public that may contribute to the status review.  Information and comments must be received by NMFS by close of business on September 2, 2014.

Click here to read NMFS’ Federal Register notice seeking comment on this petition.