[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 223 (Thursday, November 19, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64228-64229]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30833]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 216
[I.D. 110998A]
Regulations Governing the Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals;
Threatened Fish and Wildlife; Cook Inlet Beluga Whales
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to conduct a status review and request for
information.
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SUMMARY: NMFS is initiating a status review of the Cook Inlet beluga
whale (Delphinapterus leucas) to determine whether designation under
the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) or a change in listing
classification under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is warranted.
NMFS intends to undertake the review in conjunction with the Alaska
Beluga Whale Committee and the Cook Inlet Marine Mammal Council. The
review will give consideration to the current status of Cook Inlet
belugas, their distribution, abundance and trends, food habits,
biohealth parameters, and reproductive parameters. The effects of the
Native subsistence harvest, and the potential effects of other humanly
induced impacts, as well as beluga natural mortality will also be
examined. To ensure that the review is comprehensive, NMFS is
requesting that interested parties submit pertinent information and
comments regarding
[[Page 64229]]
the status of the Cook Inlet beluga whale.
DATES: Comments and information must be received by January 19, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Comments and information should be addressed to Chief,
Marine Mammal Division (PR2), Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD
20910.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Zimmerman, Protected Resources
Management Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, (907) 586-7235; Brad Smith/
Barbara Mahoney, Protected Resources Management Division, Alaska
Region, NMFS, (907) 271-5006; or Margot Bohan, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS (301) 713-2322.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4 of the ESA and 50 CFR part 424
contain provisions that allow the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to
add to or change the species' listing classification on the U.S. List
of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife when necessary. MMPA section 115
contains similar provisions regarding determinations on the status of
species pursuant to the MMPA. Currently, the Cook Inlet beluga whale is
on the candidate species list under the ESA. The candidate species list
serves to notify the public that NMFS has concerns regarding the
species that may warrant an ESA threatened or endangered listing in the
future. Ideally, the candidate list facilitates voluntary conservation
efforts prior to a need for listing under the ESA. If the Secretary
determines that there is substantial scientific or commercial
information to indicate that a change in listing classification may be
warranted, a status review is conducted. NMFS intends to undertake a
review of the Cook Inlet population of beluga whales in collaboration
with the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee and the Cook Inlet Marine Mammal
Council.
Background
Beluga whales are a circumpolar species. They are found in the
waters of Canada, Alaska, Russia, Norway and Greenland. In Alaska, five
populations are currently recognized and are found seasonally in (1)
the Beaufort Sea, (2) the eastern Chukchi Sea, (3) the eastern Bering
Sea, (4) Bristol Bay; and (5) Cook Inlet.
The Cook Inlet belugas make up a small, geographically isolated
remnant population. In fact, the habitat range used by belugas in Cook
Inlet appears to be decreasing. At present, the animals seem to
concentrate near river mouths in the northern part of the inlet during
much of the year. Limited sightings have occurred elsewhere in the
recent past.
Because Cook Inlet belugas are geographically isolated,
perturbations that are humanly-induced could have a dramatic effect on
the population. The summer concentrations of this beluga population are
exposed to the largest industrialized coastal area and to the largest
human component in Alaska.
NMFS data indicate that the Cook Inlet population may also be
declining in number. There are thought to be approximately 500 beluga
whales in Cook Inlet, based on data collected between 1994 and 1998.
The index count from the 1998 survey was the lowest reported to date
and demonstrates a downward trend that has been ongoing over the last 4
years.
An increasing amount of information has revealed serious threats to
this population. With its currently estimated rates of natural
mortality and Native harvest, there is concern that the beluga
population in Cook Inlet cannot be sustained by annual recruitment.
Specifically, there is concern that Native subsistence harvests are
exceeding sustainable removal levels. NMFS believes that maintaining a
healthy beluga population and ensuring the long-term sustainability of
a beluga whale subsistence harvest in Cook Inlet is in the best
interest of all parties concerned. However, if present harvest levels
continue to greatly exceed recruitment, the beluga whale population in
Cook Inlet could become severely depleted in the foreseeable future.
Effective actions must be developed and implemented soon to address
such pressing conservation and management issues.
In light of these factors, NMFS is initiating a formal and
comprehensive review of the status of the Cook Inlet beluga whale
through a cooperative process with the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee
and the Cook Inlet Marine Mammal Council. NMFS will obtain the best
available information regarding the population's condition and
sustainability to determine whether it warrants a depleted designation
under the MMPA or a threatened or endangered listing under the ESA, or
both.
Biological Information Solicited
To ensure that the review is comprehensive and is based on the best
available data, NMFS is soliciting information and comments from any
interested person concerning the status of Cook Inlet beluga whales. It
is requested that data, information, and comments be accompanied by (1)
supporting documentation, such as maps, logbooks, bibliographic
references, personal notes, or reprints of pertinent publications and
(2) the name of the person submitting the data, his/her address, and
any association, institution, or business that the person represents.
Dated: November 12, 1998.
Ann D. Terbush,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-30833 Filed 11-18-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
