Regulations Governing the Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals; Threatened Fish and Wildlife; Cook Inlet Beluga Whales

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

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]

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