NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS NE 162
U.S.
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
Marine Mammal Stock Assessments -- 2000
by Gordon T.
Waring1,
Janeen M. Quintal1, and Steven L. Swartz2,
Editors
with contributions from
(listed alphabetically):
Neilo B. Barros3, Phillip J. Clapham1, Timothy V.N.
Cole1, Carol P. Fairfield3,
Larry J. Hansen4, Keith D. Mullin5, Daniel K. Odell3,
Debra L. Palka1,
Marjorie C. Rossman1, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service6,
Randall S. Wells7,
and Cynthia Yeung2
1National
Marine Fisheries Service, 166 Water St., Woods Hole, MA 02543-1026
2National Marine Fisheries Service, 75 Virginia Beach
Dr., Miami, FL 33149-1003
3Sea World, Inc., 7007 Sea World Dr., Orlando, FL 32821-8097
4National Marine Fisheries Service, 219 Ft. Johnson Rd.,
Charleston, SC 29412
5National Marine Fisheries Service, P.O. Drawer 1207,
Pascagoula, MS 39568-1207
6U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6620 Southpoint Dr.,
S., Jacksonville, FL 32399-3000
7Mote Marine laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Hwy., Sarasota,
FL 34236
Print
publication date November 2000;
web version posted November 2000
Citation: Waring GT, Quintal JM, Swartz SL, Editors. 2000. US Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico marine mammal stock assessments -- 2000. US Dep Commer, NOAA Tech Memo NMFS NE 162; 298 p.
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The authors wish to acknowledge contributions by the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Sea Sampling Investigation, Dana Hartley
(Northeast Regional Office), Blair Mase (Southeast Fisheries Science
Center). Also, we acknowledge advice and comments provided by: Richard
Merrick, Fred Serchuk and Fred Wenzel (NEFSC); Doug Beach, Kim Thounhurst
and Pat Gerrior (NER); Kathy Wang (SER); and Solange Brault, Joseph DeAlteris,
Bill Foster, James Gilbert, Robert Kenney, James Mead, Daniel Odell,
Andrew Read, Randall Wells and Sharon Young of the Atlantic Scientific
Review Group. We also thank Ed Tripple, Canadian Department of Fisheries
and Oceans; Lynn LeFebvre , USGS-BRD Florida Caribbean Science Center
- Sirenia Project; Billy Brooks and Cathy Langtimm, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service; Vicki Cornish and Greg Silber, NMFS Office of Protected Resources;
and Tami Adams, Center for Marine Conservation, for their comments at
the SRG review meeting. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Jacksonville,
Florida, prepared the manatee reports.
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 4th edition of the SARs (1999 assessments)
only contained reports for Atlantic stocks, and updated reports were
identified by a 1999 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 September 2000 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 1999 meeting of the
Atlantic Scientific Review Group (ASRG), and subsequent revisions were
based on their contributions and constructive criticism. Further, the
Marine Mammal Commission, the Humane Society of the U.S., and the Center
for Marine Conservation provided comments on earlier versions of this
report.
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 1999 publication. A total of 28
of the 60 Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico stock assessment reports were revised
for 2000. Most of the proposed changes incorporate new information into
sections on population size and mortality estimates. The revised SARs
include 15 strategic and 13 non-strategic stocks. For the first time,
individual species abundance estimates are available for the Western
North Atlantic Stocks of Atlantic spotted and Pantropical spotted dolphins.
The Rmax value for the Western North Atlantic Stock of Northern right
whales has been set at zero, based on recent modeling that suggests the
population is in decline. Information on human interactions (fishery
and ship strikes) between the right whale, humpback whale, fin whale
and minke whale stocks were re-reviewed
and updated. The Western North Atlantic stock of long-finned pilot whales was
changed to “strategic” based on the annual incidental mortality estimate.
Further, the stock definition for humpback whale was changed from North Atlantic
Stock to Gulf of Maine Stock based on recent genetic analysis.
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), 1998
(Waring et al. 1999) and 1999 (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 September 2000 date-stamp
at the top right corner at the beginning of each report. The stock definition
for humpback whale was changed from North Atlantic Stock to Gulf of Maine
Stock based on recent genetic analysis. The western North Atlantic stock
of long-finned pilot whale was changed to strategic.
REFERENCES
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.
Waring, G. T., D. L. Palka, P. J. Clapham, S. Swartz, M.
C. Rossman, T. V. N. Cole, L .J. Hansen, K. D. Bisack, K. D. Mullin,
R. S. Wells, D. K. Odell and N. B. Barros. 1999. U. S. Atlantic and Gulf
of Mexico marine mammal stock assessments - 1999. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE-153,
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