NOAA Fisheries News Releases
NEWS RELEASE
October 10, 2000
Carol Tocco, Public Affairs NMFS
(907) 586-7032
NOAA FISHERIES ANNOUNCES PROPOSED REGULATIONS FOR COOK INLET BELUGA WHALES
NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service invites public comment on the proposed regulations to limit subsistence harvest of Cook Inlet beluga whales, as described in detail in a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), which is available at www.fakr.noaa.gov or can be obtained by calling (907) 586-7235. This is the agency's next step in its program to manage and recover the Cook Inlet, Alaska, stock of beluga whales.
"During the past two years, there has been a tremendous effort by the Cook Inlet Marine Mammal Council, Alaska Native hunters, and NOAA Fisheries to conserve beluga whales in Cook Inlet." said Jim Balsiger, Alaska Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, "We've worked together to develop an agreement that allows for the continued traditional subsistence use of these whales by Alaska Natives, while still allowing for recovery of the stock. These proposed regulations allow a limited harvest to occur, yet minimize the delay in recovery to non-depleted levels."
The abundance estimates for this stock indicated a decline of nearly 50 percent between 1994 and 1998, leading NOAA Fisheries to designate the stock as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act on May 31, 2000. The recovery of the Cook Inlet beluga whale stock is dependent on controlling the factors which have caused this stock to decline.
The impact of differing subsistence harvest levels has been evaluated through a model which examines the length of time it would take for the stock to recover under different harvest strategies. The harvest levels evaluated range are: (a) no strikes; (b) annual subsistence harvest levels of one (1) strike per year during 2000-2007, increasing to two (2) strikes per year from 2008 to recovery; (c) two (2) strikes per year; (d) 2 percent of annual recruitment (which provides for variable levels of harvest dependent upon the estimated population size). The proposed preferred alternative by NOAA Fisheries provides for the continuation of the subsistence harvest of Cook Inlet beluga whales through regulation and a co-management agreement that would authorize the harvest of up to two beluga whales per year until the stock is no longer depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The DEIS also presents an assessment of the impacts of other anthropogenic activities that occur in Cook Inlet and that might impact the Cook Inlet beluga whales or their habitat. This assessment includes a discussion of cumulative impacts and evaluates the need for measures for the protection and conservation of important Cook Inlet beluga whale habitat. No current population-level effects are thought to be occurring due to human-induced factors, except for the harvests. The upper Cook Inlet region is important habitat to this stock, and NOAA Fisheries believes that the potential pressures from activities needs continued monitoring with the recovery of the beluga whales in mind. However, with the exception of the subsistence harvest, no other identified activities can be directly linked to the recent decline in Cook Inlet beluga whales, nor does any of the information available identify a human-caused deleterious impact on the health of the beluga whales or any impact that would inhibit the recovery of the whales. Accordingly, NOAA Fisheries concludes that the cumulative impacts of activities other than subsistence harvest are minimal.
Comments on the proposed rule and the DEIS should be submitted by November 27, 2000, to Barbara Mahoney, NOAA/NMFS Alaska Region, 222 West 7th Avenue, Box 43, Anchorage, AK 99513-7595, (FAX 907 271-3030) or Michael Payne, NOAA/NMFS Alaska Region, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668 (FAX 907 586-7012).
NOAA Fisheries has also scheduled a hearing regarding these proposed regulations before an Administrative Law Judge. The hearing is set for December 5, 2000, at the Federal Building in Anchorage, Alaska. Persons wanting to participate in this hearing, or provide testimony and evidence, must file a notice to that effect by November 1, 2000. Addresses for filing are located in the Summary section of the DEIS.
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