Alaska marine mammal stock assessments, 1999

Preface

On April 30, 1994, Public Law 103-238 was enacted allowing significant changes to provisions within the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Interactions between marine mammals and commercial fisheries are addressed under three new sections. This new regime replaced the interim exemption that has regulated fisheries-related incidental takes since 1988. Section 117, Stock Assessments, required the establishment of three regional scientific review groups to advise and report on the status of marine mammal stocks within Alaska waters, along the Pacific Coast (including Hawaii), and the Atlantic Coast (including the Gulf of Mexico). This report provides information on the marine mammal stocks of Alaska under the jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Each stock assessment includes a description of the stock's geographic range, a minimum population estimate, current population trends, current and maximum net productivity rates, optimum sustainable population levels and allowable removal levels, and estimates of annual human-caused mortality and serious injury through interactions with commercial fisheries and subsistence hunters. Under the new regime, these data will be used to evaluate the progress of each fishery towards achieving the MMPA's goal of zero fishery-related mortality and serious injury of marine mammals.

This is a working document. This document represents the third revision since the original development of the stock assessment reports in 1995 (Small and DeMaster 1995). The first and second revisions were labeled the 1996 (Hill et al. 1997) and 1998 (Hill and DeMaster 1998) stock assessment reports, respectively. Each stock assessment report is designed to stand alone and will be updated as new information becomes available. The MMPA requires stock assessment reports to be reviewed annually for stocks designated as strategic, annually for stocks where there are significant new information available, and at least once every 3 years for all other stocks. New information for all strategic stocks (Steller sea lions, northern fur seals, Cook Inlet beluga whales, sperm whales, humpback whales, fin whales, right whales, and bowhead whales), beaked whales, transient killer whales, and beluga whales were reviewed in late 1998. This review led to the revision of the following stock assessments for the 1999 document: Steller sea lions (2 stocks), beluga whales (5 stocks), humpback whales (2 stocks) and beaked whales (3 stocks). The stock assessment reports for all stocks, however, have been included in this document for completeness. Those sections of each stock assessment report containing significant changes are listed in Appendix Table 1. In addition, the assessment for the eastern North Pacific Transient killer whale stock was revised and moved to the Pacific Region document (see Barlow et al. 1999). The authors solicit any new information or comments which would improve future stock assessment reports.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has management authority for polar bears, sea otters and walrus. Copies of the stock assessments for these species may be obtained through USFWS, Marine Mammals Management, 1011 E. Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK, 99501. Ideas and comments from the Alaska Scientific Review Group (SRG) have significantly improved this document from its draft form. The authors wish to express their gratitude for the thorough reviews and helpful guidance provided by the Alaska SRG members: Lloyd Lowry (chairman), Milo Adkison, John Gauvin, Carl Hild, Sue Hills, Charlie Johnson (new member), Brendan Kelly, Matt Kookesh, Denby Lloyd, Beth Mathews, Craig Matkin, Jan Straley, and Kate Wynne.

The information contained within the individual stock assessment reports stems from a variety of sources. Where feasible, we have attempted to utilize only published material. When citing information contained in this document, authors are reminded to cite the original publications, when possible.


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