NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS NE 153
U.S. Atlantic
and Gulf of Mexico
Marine Mammal Assessments -- 1999
by Gordon T. Waring1,
Debra L. Palka1, Phillip J. Clapham1, Steven
Swartz2,
Marjorie C. Rossman1, Timothy V.N. Cole1, Larry J. Hansen3,
Kathryn D. Bisack1,
Keith D. Mullin4, Randall S. Wells5, Daniel K. Odell6,
and Neilo B. Barros6
1National
Marine Fisheries Service, 166 Water St., Woods Hole, MA 02543; 2National Marine Fisheries Service, 75 Virginia Beach
Dr., Miami, FL 33149; 3National Marine Fisheries Service, 219 Ft. Johnson Rd.,
Charleston, SC 29412; 4National Marine Fisheries Service, 3209 Frederic St.,
Pascagoula, MS 39567; 5Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy., Sarasota,
FL 34236; 6Sea World, Inc., 7007 Sea World Dr., Orlando, FL 32821
Print
publication date October 1999;
web version posted October 1999
Citation: Waring GT, Palka DL, Clapham PJ, Swart S, Rossman MC, Cole TVN, Hansen LJ, Bisack KD, Mullin DK, Wells RS, Odell DK, Barros NB. 2000. U.S. Atlantic
and Gulf of Mexico
Marine Mammal Assessments -- 1999. US Dep Commer, NOAA Tech Memo NMFS NE 153; 187 p.
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EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Under the 1994 amendments of the Marine Mammal Protection
Act (MMPA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) were required to generate stock assessment
reports (SAR) for all marine mammal stocks in waters within the U.S.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The first reports for the Atlantic (includes
the Gulf of Mexico) were published in July 1995 (Blaylock et al. 1995).
The MMPA requires NMFS and USFWS to review these reports annually for
strategic stocks of marine mammals and at least every 3 years for stocks
determined to be non-strategic. The second edition of the SARs (1996
assessments) was published in October 1997 and contained all the previous
reports, but major revisions and updating were only completed for strategic
stocks (Waring et al. 1997). Updated reports were identified by a 1997
date-stamp at the top right corner at the beginning of each report. The
3rd edition of the SARs (1998 assessments) only contained reports for
Atlantic stocks, and updated reports were identified by a 1998 date-stamp
(Waring et al. 1999). The current report contains only updated assessments
for Atlantic strategic stocks, and for Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico stocks
for which significant new information was available. These reports are
identified by a 1999 date-stamp at the beginning of each report.
This report was prepared by staff of the Northeast Fisheries
Science Center (NEFSC), and Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC).
NMFS staff presented the reports at the November 1998 meeting of the
Atlantic Scientific Review Group (ASRG), and subsequent revisions were
based on their contributions and constructive criticism.
Table 1 contains a summary, by species, of the information
included in the stock assessments, and also indicates those that have
been revised since the 1998 publication. A total of 28 of the 60 Atlantic
and Gulf of Mexico stock assessment reports were revised for 1999. Most
proposed changes incorporate new information into mortality estimates.
The revised SARs include 14 strategic and 14 non-strategic stocks. Information
on human interactions (fishery and ship strikes) between the North Atlantic
right whale, North Atlantic humpback whale, and Canadian east coast minke
whale stocks were re-reviewed and updated. The Western North Atlantic
stocks of Atlantic spotted dolphin, pantropical spotted dolphin, and
dwarf sperm whale are now considered “nonstrategic” based on
5-year (1993-1997) annual estimates of incidental mortality in commercial
fisheries. The Western North Atlantic stock of long-finned pilot whales
was changed to “strategic” based on the annual incidental mortality
estimate. Further, the stock definitions were changed for four Atlantic
stocks (Sei whale, gray, harp and hooded seal) based on stock areas definitions
used by international scientific organizations (i.e., IWC, ICES).
This is a working document and individual stock assessment
reports will be updated as new information becomes available and as changes
to marine mammal stocks and fisheries occur. The authors solicit any
new information or comments which would improve future stock assessment
reports.
INTRODUCTION
Section 117 of the 1994 amendments to the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA) requires that an annual stock assessment report
(SAR) for each stock of marine mammals that occurs in waters under U.S.
jurisdiction, be prepared by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), in consultation with regional
Scientific Review Groups (SRG). The SRGs are a broad representation of
marine mammal and fishery scientists and members of the commercial fishing
industry mandated to review the marine mammal stock assessments and provide
advice to the Assistant Administrator for NMFS. The reports are then
made available on the Federal Register for public review and comment
before final publication.
The MMPA requires that each SAR contain several items,
including: (1) a description of the stock, including its geographic range;
(2) a minimum population estimate, a maximum net productivity rate, and
a description of current population trend, including a description of
the information upon which these are based; (3) an estimate of the annual
human-caused mortality and serious injury of the stock, and, for a strategic
stock, other factors that may be causing a decline or impeding recovery
of the stock, including effects on marine mammal habitat and prey; (4)
a description of the commercial fisheries that interact with the stock,
including the estimated number of vessels actively participating in the
fishery and the level of incidental mortality and serious injury of the
stock by each fishery on an annual basis; (5) a statement categorizing
the stock as strategic or not, and why; and (6) an estimate of the potential
biological removal (PBR) level for the stock, describing the information
used to calculate it. The MMPA also requires that SARs be updated annually
for stocks which are specified as strategic stocks, or for which significant
new information is available, and once every three years for nonstrategic
stocks.
Following enactment of the 1994 amendments, the NMFS and
FWS held a series of workshops to develop guidelines for preparing the
SARs. The first set of stock assessments for the Atlantic Coast (including
the Gulf of Mexico) were published in July 1995 in the NOAA Technical
Memorandum series (Blaylock et al. 1995). In April 1996, the NMFS held
a workshop to review proposed additions and revisions to the guidelines
for preparing SARs (Wade and Angliss 1997). Guidelines developed at the
workshop were followed in preparing the 1996 (Waring et al. 1997) and
1998 (Waring et al. 1999) SARs. A 1997 SAR was not produced.
In this document, major revisions and updating of the SARs
were only completed for Atlantic Coast strategic stocks and Atlantic
Coast and Gulf of Mexico stocks for which significant new information
were available. These are identified by the 1999 date-stamp at the top
right corner at the beginning of each report. The stock definitions were
changed for four Atlantic stocks (Sei whale, gray, harp and hooded seal)
based on stock areas definitions used by international scientific organizations
(i.e., IWC, ICES).
Further, the status of three western North Atlantic stocks
(Atlantic spotted dolphin, pantropical spotted dolphin, and dwarf sperm
whale) were changed to non-strategic because the 5-year (1993-1997) mean
annual mortalities in fishing operations were below PBR.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to thank and acknowledge Janeen Quintal for her technical
assistance throughout the preparation of this report. The authors also
wish to acknowledge contributions by the Northeast Fisheries Science
Center (NEFSC) Sea Sampling Investigation, Dana Hartley and Kim Thounhurst
(Northeast Regional Office, NER), and Blair Mase, (Southeast Fisheries
Science Center, SEFSC). Also, we acknowledge advice and comments provided
by: Richard Merrick and Fred Serchuk (NEFSC), Cynthia Yeung (SEFSC),
Doug Beach (NER), Kathy Wang (Southeast Regional Office), and the Atlantic
Scientific Review Group which included among its members: Donald Baltz,
Solange Brault, Joseph DeAlteris, James Gilbert, Robert Kenney, James
Mead, and Andrew Read. We also thank Paul Wade, NMFS Office of Protected
Species, for his comments and guidance at the SRG review meeting.
REFERENCES
CITED
Blaylock, R. A., J. W. Hain, L. J. Hansen, D. L.
Palka, and G. T. Waring. 1995. U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
marine mammal stock assessments. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-SEFSC-363,
211 pp.
Wade, P. R. and R. P. Angliss. 1997. Guidelines
for assessing marine mammal stocks: Report of the GAMMS workshop
April 3-5,
1996, Seattle, Washington. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-OPR-12, 93 pp.
Waring, G. T., D. L. Palka, K. D. Mullin, J. H.
W. Hain, L. J. Hansen, and K. D. Bisack. 1997. U.S. Atlantic
and Gulf of Mexico marine mammal stock assessments. NOAA Tech.
Memo. NMFS-NE-114, 250 pp.
Waring, G. T., D. L. Palka, P, J. Clapham, S. Swartz,
M. Rossman, T.V.N. Cole, K. D. Bisack, and L. J. Hansen. 1999.
U.S.
Atlantic marine mammal stock assessments-1998. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE-116,
182 pp.
