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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 23 / Friday, February 5, 2021 / Notices in the project area and may be taken as a result of the proposed project. Table 3 summarizes information related to the population or stock, including regulatory status under the MMPA and Endangered Species Act ESA and potential biological removal PBR, where known. For taxonomy, NMFS
follows the Committee on Taxonomy 2020. PBR is defined by the MMPA as the maximum number of animals, not including natural mortalities, that may be removed from a marine mammal stock while allowing that stock to reach
or maintain its optimum sustainable population as described in NMFS
SARs. While no mortality is anticipated or authorized here, PBR is included here as a gross indicator of the status of the species and other threats.
Marine mammal abundance estimates presented in this document represent the total number of individuals that make up a given stock or the total number estimated within a particular study or survey area. NMFS stock abundance estimates for most species represent the total estimate of
individuals within the geographic area, if known, that comprises that stock. For some species, this geographic area may extend beyond U.S. waters. All managed stocks in this region are assessed in NMFS U.S. Atlantic SARs. All values presented in Table 3 are the most recent available at the time of publication and are available in the draft 2020 Atlantic SARs, available online at: https
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/
marine-mammal-protection/marinemammal-stock-assessments.

TABLE 3MARINE MAMMALS KNOWN TO OCCUR IN THE PROJECT AREA THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY SOUTH FORK
WINDS PROPOSED ACTIVITY
MMPA
and ESA
status;
strategic Y/N 1

Stock abundance CV, Nmin, most recent abundance survey 2

Common name scientific name
Stock
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas.
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis Atlantic white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus.
Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus

North Atlantic
W North Atlantic

E; Y
--; N

4,349 0.28; 3,451; 2016
39,215 0.3; 30,627; 2016

3.9
306

0
21

Rare.
Rare.

W North Atlantic
W North Atlantic

--; N
--; N

39,921 0.27; 32,032; 2016
93,233 0.71; 54,443; 2016

320
544

0
26

Rare.
Common year round.

W North Atlantic, Offshore.
W North Atlantic

--; N

62,851 0.23; 51,914; 2019

519

28

Common year round.

--; N

172,974 0.21; 145,216;
2016.
35,493 0.19; 30,298; 2016
95,543 0.31; 74,034; 2019

1,452

399

Common year round.

303
851

54.3
217

Rare.
Common year round.

Rare.
Year round in continental shelf and slope waters, occur seasonally.
Common year round.

PBR 3

Annual M/SI 3

Occurrence and seasonality in project area
Toothed whales Odontoceti
Common dolphin Delphinus delphis
Rissos dolphin Grampus griseus
Harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena

W North Atlantic
Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy.

--; N
--; N

Baleen whales Mysticeti Blue whale Balaenotpera musculus
North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis.

W North Atlantic
W North Atlantic

E; Y
E; Y

ukn unk; 402; 2008
412 0; 418; 2018

0.8
0.8

0
18.6

Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae.
Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus

Gulf of Maine

--; N

1,393 0.15; 1,375; 2016

22

58

W North Atlantic

E; Y

6,802 0.24; 5,573; 2016

11

2.35

Sei whale Balaenoptera borealis

Nova Scotia

E; Y

6,292 1.02; 3,098 ; 2016 ..

6.2

1.2

Minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Canadian East Coast
--; N

21,968 0.31; 17,002; 2016

170

10.6

1,389
2,006

4,729
350

Year round in continental shelf and slope waters, occur seasonally.
Year round in continental shelf and slope waters, occur seasonally.
Year round in continental shelf and slope waters, occur seasonally.

Earless seals Phocidae seal 4

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Gray Halichoerus grypus
Harbor seal Phoca vitulina

W North Atlantic
W North Atlantic

--; N
--; N

27,131 0.19; 23,158; 2016
75,834 0.15; 66,884; 2012

Common year round.
Common year round.

1 ESA status: Endangered E, Threatened T/MMPA status: Depleted D. A dash - indicates that the species is not listed under the ESA or designated as depleted under the MMPA. Under the MMPA, a strategic stock is one for which the level of direct human-caused mortality exceeds PBR see footnote 3 or which is determined to be declining and likely to be listed under the ESA within the foreseeable future. Any species or stock listed under the ESA is automatically designated under the MMPA as depleted and as a strategic stock.
2 Stock abundance as reported in NMFS marine mammal stock assessment reports SAR except where otherwise noted. SARs available online at:
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-stock-assessments. CV is coefficient of variation; Nmin is the minimum estimate of stock abundance. In some cases, CV is not applicable. For certain stocks, abundance estimates are actual counts of animals and there is no associated CV. The most recent abundance survey that is reflected in the abundance estimate is presented; there may be more recent surveys that have not yet been incorporated into the estimate. All values presented are from the draft 2020 Atlantic SARs.
3 Potential biological removal, defined by the MMPA as the maximum number of animals, not including natural mortalities, that may be removed from a marine mammal stock while allowing that stock to reach or maintain its optimum sustainable population size OSP. Annual Mortality/Serious Injury M/SI, found in NMFS
SARs, represent annual levels of human-caused mortality plus serious injury from all sources combined e.g., commercial fisheries, subsistence hunting, ship strike.
Annual M/SI values often cannot be determined precisely and is, in some cases, presented as a minimum value. All M/SI values are as presented in the draft 2020
Atlantic SARs.
4 NMFS stock abundance and PBR estimates apply to U.S. population only, actual stock abundance is approximately 505,000.

Four marine mammal species that are listed under ESA may be present in the project area and may be taken incidental
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to the proposed activity: The North Atlantic right whale, fin whale, sei whale, and sperm whale.

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Below is a description of the species that are likely to occur in the project area and are thus expected to potentially
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