[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 1 (Friday, January 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 60]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-34218]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 122397E]
Marine Mammals
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of revised marine mammal stock
assessment reports.
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SUMMARY: NMFS has incorporated public comments into revisions of marine
mammal stock assessment reports. The revision, which was initiated in
1996 is now complete, and copies of the revised reports are available
to the public.
ADDRESSES: Printed copies may be obtained by writing to one of the
following: Chief, Marine Mammal Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1335 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226, Attn: Stock Assessments; Douglas P.
DeMaster, Alaska Fisheries Science Center (F/AKC), NMFS, 7600 Sand
Point Way, Seattle, WA 98115-0070 regarding Alaska regional stock
assessments; James Lecky, Southwest Regional Office, NMFS, 501 West
Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213, regarding Pacific regional
stock assessments; or Gordon Waring, Northeast Fisheries Science
Center, NMFS, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543-1097 regarding
Atlantic regional stock assessments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas C. Eagle, (301) 713-2322,
Douglas P. DeMaster, (206) 526-4045 regarding Alaska regional stock
assessments; James Lecky, (562) 980-4020 regarding Pacific regional
stock assessments; or Gordon Waring, (508) 495-2000 regarding Atlantic
regional stock assessments.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 117 of the Marine Mammal Protection
Act (MMPA) requires NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to
prepare stock assessment reports for all marine mammal stocks that
occur in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States. These
reports must contain information regarding the distribution and
abundance of the stock, population growth rates and trends, estimates
of annual human-caused mortality from all sources, descriptions of the
fisheries with which the stock interacts, and the status of the stocks.
NMFS completed the 1996 draft stock assessment reports and made them
available for public review and comment on January 21, 1997 (62 FR
3005). During the public comment period and subsequent to it, NMFS
consulted extensively with Scientific Review Groups (SRGs), established
also under the MMPA, to discuss their comments, as well as the comments
received from the public. The results of the different SRG discussions
and comments received from the public, conservation organizations,
state, and other Federal agencies were reviewed and incorporated into
these final reports as appropriate. The 1996 final marine mammal stock
assessment reports have now been completed and are available for
distribution.
Dated: December 24, 1997.
Hilda Diaz-Soltero,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 97-34218 Filed 12-31-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
