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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 157 / Wednesday, August 18, 2021 / Notices TABLE 1MARINE MAMMALS EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE SURVEY AREA
Common name
Scientific name
Stock
I

ESA/
MMPA
status;
strategic Y/N 1

I

Stock abundance CV, Nmin, most recent abundance survey 2

Annual M/SI 3

PBR

I

I

Order CetartiodactylaCetaceaSuperfamily Mysticeti baleen whales Family Eschrichtiidae:
Gray whale
Family Balaenidae:
Bowhead whale
Family Balaenopteridae rorquals:
Fin whale
Humpback whale
Minke whale

Eschrichtius robustus

Eastern N Pacific

-, -, N

26,960 0.05, 25,849, 2016 ..

801

131

Balaena mysticetus

Western Arctic

E, D, Y

16,820
0.052,16,100, 2011

161

56

Balaenoptera physalus
Megaptera novaeangliae
Balaenoptera acutorostrata

Northeast Pacific 4
Western N Pacific
Alaska 4

E, D, Y
E, D, Y
-, -, N

Unknown
1,107 0.3, 865, 2006
Unknown

UND
3 UND

0.6
2.8
0

Superfamily Odontoceti toothed whales, dolphins, and porpoises Family Delphinidae:
Beluga whale
Killer whale
Narwhal
Family Phocoenidae porpoises:
Harbor Porpoise

Orcinus orca
Monodon Monoceros

Beaufort Sea 4
Eastern Chukchi
Alaska resident
Unidentified 4

-, -, -, -,
N N
N N

39,258 0.229, N/A. 1992
13,305 0.51, 8,875, 2017
2,347 c N/A, 2347, 2012
Unknown

UND
178
24
UND

104
55
1 0

Phocoena phocoena

Bering Sea 4

-, -, Y

Unknown

UND

0.4

Unknown
184,687 see SAR, 163,086, 2013.
Unknown
461,625 see SAR, 423,237, 2013.

UND
9,785

6,709
163

5,100
25,394

6,459
5,254

Delphinapterus leucas

-, -, -, -,
Order CarnivoraSuperfamily Pinnipedia Family Phocidae earless seals:
Bearded Seal
Ribbon Seal

Erignathus barbatus
Histriophoca fasciata

Beringia 4
Unidentified

T, D, Y
-, -, N

Ringed Seal
Spotted Seal

Pusa hispida
Phoca largha

Arctic
Bering

T, D, Y
-, -, N

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Stocks marked with an asterisk are addressed in further detail in the text below.
1 Endangered Species Act 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 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 NMFS marine mammal stock assessment reports online at: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/sars/. CV is coefficient of variation; N
min is the minimum estimate of stock abundance. In some cases, CV is not applicable. For most stocks of killer whales, the abundance values represent direct counts of individually identifiable animals;
therefore there is only a single abundance estimate with no associated CV. For certain stocks of pinnipeds, abundance estimates are based upon observations of animals often pups ashore multiplied by some correction factor derived from knowledge of the species or similar species life history to arrive at a best abundance estimate; therefore, there is no associated CV. In these cases, the minimum abundance may represent actual counts of all animals ashore.
3 These values, found in NMFS 2020 SARs Muto et al., 2021, Carretta et al., 2021, represent annual levels of human-caused mortality plus serious injury from all sources combined e.g., commercial fisheries, ship strike.
4 Abundance estimates for these stocks are not considered current. PBR is therefore considered undetermined for these stocks, as there is no current minimum abundance estimate for use in calculation. We nevertheless present the most recent abundance estimates, as these present the best available information for use in this document.

As indicated above, all 13 species with 14 managed stocks in Table 1
could temporally and spatially co-occur with the activity to the degree that take is reasonably likely to occur, and we have authorized it. All species that could potentially occur in the survey areas are included in Table 4 of the IHA
application.
A detailed description of the species likely to be affected by the geophysical survey, including brief introductions to the species and relevant stocks as well as available information regarding population trends and threats, and information regarding local occurrence, were provided in the Federal Register notice for the proposed IHA 86 FR
28787; May 28, 2021; since that time, we are not aware of any changes in the status of these species or stocks;
therefore, detailed descriptions are not
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provided here. Please refer to that Federal Register notice for these descriptions. Please also refer to NMFS
website www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/
species/mammals/ for generalized species accounts.
Unusual Mortality Events UME
A UME is defined under the MMPA
as a stranding that is unexpected;
involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response. For more information on UMEs, please visit:
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/
marine-mammal-protection/marinemammal-unusual-mortality-events.
Currently recognized UMEs in Alaska involving species under NMFS
jurisdiction include those affecting ice seals in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, and gray whales. Since June 1, 2018,
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elevated strandings for bearded, ringed and spotted seals have occurred in the Bering and Chukchi seas in Alaska, with causes undetermined. As of August 5, 2021, there have been 357 recorded seal strandings. For more information, please visit: www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/
marine-life-distress/2018-2020-ice-sealunusual-mortality-event-alaska.
Since January 1, 2019, elevated gray whale strandings have occurred along the west coast of North America from Mexico through Alaska. As of August 5, 2021, there have been a total of 487
whales reported in the event, with approximately 225 dead whales in Mexico, 244 whales in the United States including 108 in Alaska, and 18
whales in British Columbia, Canada. For the United States, the historical 18-year 5-month average JanMay is 14.8
whales for this same time-period.

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