Notice2026-07791
Final 2024 Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 22, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
As required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS has considered public comments for revisions of the 2024 marine mammal stock assessment reports (SARs). This notice announces the availability of 21 final 2024 SARs that were updated and finalized.
Full Text
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21421-21425]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07791]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XF155]
Final 2024 Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; response to comments.
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SUMMARY: As required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS
has considered public comments for revisions of the 2024 marine mammal
stock assessment reports (SARs). This notice announces the availability
of 21 final 2024 SARs that were updated and finalized.
ADDRESSES: The 2024 final SARs are available in electronic form via the
internet at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-stock-assessments">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-stock-assessments</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Zachary Schakner, Office of Science
and Technology, (301) 427-8106, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c298a3a1aaa3b0bbec91a1aaa3a9aca7b082acada3a3eca5adb4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6d370c0e050c1f14433e0e050c0603081f2d03020c0c430a021b">[email protected]</span></a>; Nancy Young,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1b557a7578623542746e757c5b75747a7a357c746d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e8a689868b91c6b1879d868fa886878989c68f879e">[email protected]</span></a>, regarding Alaska regional stock assessments;
Jessica McCordic, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a2e8c7d1d1cbc1c38cefc1e1cdd0c6cbc1e2cccdc3c38cc5cdd4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="eaa08f999983898bc4a789a985988e8389aa84858b8bc48d859c">[email protected]</span></a>, regarding Atlantic, Gulf
of America, and Caribbean regional stock assessments; or Amanda
Bradford, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#beffd3dfd0dadf90fcccdfdad8d1ccdafed0d1dfdf90d9d1c8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="83c2eee2ede7e2adc1f1e2e7e5ecf1e7c3edece2e2ade4ecf5">[email protected]</span></a>, regarding Pacific regional stock
assessments.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 117 of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) requires NMFS and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to prepare stock assessments
for each stock of marine mammals occurring in waters under the
jurisdiction of the United States. These SARs must contain information
regarding the distribution and abundance of the stock, population
growth rates and trends, estimates of annual human-caused mortality and
serious injury (M/SI) from all sources, descriptions of the fisheries
with which the stock interacts, and the status of the stock. Initial
SARs were completed in 1995.
The MMPA requires NMFS and USFWS to review the SARs at least
annually for strategic stocks and stocks for which significant new
information is available and at least once every three years for non-
strategic stocks. The term ``strategic stock'' means a marine mammal
stock: (A) for which the level of direct human-caused mortality exceeds
the potential biological removal level or Potential Biological Removal
(PBR); (B) which, based on the best available scientific information,
is declining and is likely to be listed as a threatened species under
the Endangered Species Act (ESA) within the foreseeable future; or (C)
which is listed as a threatened species or endangered species under the
ESA or is designated as depleted under the MMPA (see 16 U.S.C.
1362(19)-(20) (PBR is defined 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). NMFS and USFWS are required to revise a SAR if
they determine the review indicates that the status of the stock has
changed or can be more accurately determined.
In order to ensure that SARs constitute the best scientific
information available, the updated SARs under NMFS' jurisdiction are
peer-reviewed within NMFS Science Centers and by members of three
regional independent scientific review groups established under the
MMPA to independently advise NMFS and the USFWS on marine mammals. As a
result of the time involved in the assessment of new scientific
information, revision, and peer-review of the SARs, the period covered
by the 2024 final SARs is generally 2018 through 2022.
[[Page 21422]]
NMFS reviewed the status of all marine mammal strategic stocks and
considered whether significant new information was available for all
other stocks under NMFS' jurisdiction. As a result of this review, NMFS
revised or developed new reports for 21 stocks in the Alaska, Atlantic,
and Pacific regions. The 2024 revisions to the SARs consist primarily
of updated or revised human-caused M/SI estimates and updated abundance
estimates.
Pursuant to Executive Order 14172 Restoring Names that Honor
American Greatness (January 20, 2025), the Gulf of Mexico is renamed
the Gulf of America. This notice announces updates to stock names
consistent with renaming of the Gulf. Commercial fishery names will be
updated in future SARs to reflect name changes on the MMPA List of
Fisheries.
Comments and Responses
On March 21, 2025, NMFS published a Notice in the Federal Register
soliciting public comments on the draft 2024 SARs (90 FR 13344). NMFS
received comments from the Marine Mammal Commission (Commission) and an
environmental non-governmental organization (Center for Biological
Diversity (CBD)). Our responses to substantive comments are below. We
have not responded to comments that failed to raise a significant point
for us to consider (e.g., comments that are out of scope of the draft
SARs). We appreciate the Commission's program-level comments and will
take them into consideration, as appropriate, in the future.
Comments on National Issues
Comment 1: CBD commented that fishing gear is the primary source of
at-sea plastic pollution and claims the draft SARs fail to adequately
address the impact of lost and derelict gear on stocks. CBD recommends
that the SARs include estimates of gear loss from the 2024 Report to
Congress on Derelict Fishing Gear, providing the Hawai[revaps]i and
American Samoa pelagic longline fisheries as an example of significant
annual gear loss, including problematic monofilament line. They also
suggest gear loss information should be used to help apportion
entanglements from unknown fishing gear to specific marine mammal
stocks. Furthermore, CBD expresses disappointment in the NMFS'
``failure to provide reliable estimates of marine mammal serious injury
and death from commercial fisheries, including both active and lost
gear'', emphasizing that the MMPA mandates such estimates through
commercial fishery observer programs. They advocate for incorporating
alternative data collection methods like satellite and drone imagery
analysis to improve these estimates, which they claim would allow NMFS
to better prioritize entanglement reduction efforts.
Response 1: The MMPA requires that SARs contain estimates of the
annual human-caused mortality and serious injury (M/SI) of the stock by
source, and for strategic stocks, the MMPA requires the SARs to
identify other factors that might be causing population decline or
hindering recovery, such as impacts on marine mammal habitat and prey
(16 U.S.C. 1386(a)(3)).
When information confirms that lost or derelict fishing gear has
led to the M/SI of a marine mammal from a specific stock, regardless of
whether it can be attributed to a specific fishery, these data are
incorporated into the SAR. We rely on all available data for this
assessment, which can typically be found under the ``Fisheries
Information'' subheading within the ``Human-caused M/SI'' section of
the SAR.
NMFS will continue to review all known and confirmed human-caused
M/SI data as the information relates to lost and derelict fishing gear
and incorporate it into the SARs as appropriate and required by
statute.
Comments on Alaska Issues
Comment 2: CBD expressed concern regarding the declining Eastern
Pacific northern fur seal population on St. Paul Island, and commented
that there is well-established information on the competition between
fur seals and commercial fisheries, contrary to the draft SAR's
statement that the threat of prey competition is ``unclear.'' CBD cited
research (Divine et al., 2022; Short et al., 2021; Kuhn et al., 2014;
Benoit-Bird et al., 2013) linking this decline to the pollock trawl
fishery, particularly for the Pribilof Islands population. CBD noted
research showing direct competition with seals for prey in the Eastern
Bering Sea during breeding season, impacting lactating females (McHuron
et al., 2020, 2023), and indirect competition affecting Pribilof
Islands seals (Short et al., 2021).
Response 2: We have clarified statements in the Eastern Pacific
northern fur seal final SAR regarding the ``unclear'' threat of prey
competition between fur seals and commercial fisheries, acknowledging
that while evidence suggests nutritional limitation impacts the fur
seal population, the decline on the Pribilof Islands has not been
definitively linked to commercial fisheries, particularly the pollock
fishery. We recognize the potential for competition and that
understanding these impacts is an ongoing research focus. We contend
that CBD's claim of ``extensive scientific research'' proving the link
between the pollock trawl fishery and the fur seal decline overstates
the findings. Most of the studies cited by CBD (Divine et al., 2022;
Short et al., 2021; Kuhn et al., 2014; Benoit-Bird et al., 2013;
McHuron et al., 2020, 2023) only suggest potential competition or
nutritional limitation, with only one study (Short et al., 2021)
directly implicating the pollock fishery. We have added language to the
final SAR to address this Short et al. (2021), emphasizing the
importance of continued research and scientific debate on the causes of
the northern fur seal decline.
Comment 3: The Commission supports using the critical Nmin approach
for stock classification but cautioned against its use for the Bering
Sea harbor porpoise stock due to limited M/SI data and unresolved stock
structure. They noted the 2020 SAR deemed this stock strategic and that
M/SI is likely underestimated due to data gaps and low detection. The
Commission recommends NMFS expand discussion in the SAR.
Response 3: NMFS agrees that the minimum M/SI recorded for this
stock is very likely underestimated because the estimate is based
solely on information reported through the Alaska stranding network and
through self-reports. This and other important caveats are repeated in
multiple sections of the SAR. However, the available information
provides reasonable assurance that the actual range-wide stock
abundance is very likely greater than the abundance threshold where
human-caused M/SI would exceed a PBR based on that abundance (i.e., the
critical Nmin). Although the stock's Nmin is currently considered to be
unknown, Nmins calculated from the 2008 partial-range ship-board survey
and the 1999 aerial survey are 23 to 223 times greater than the
critical Nmin value. NMFS considers this sufficient to support a non-
strategic determination despite the uncertainties and the Alaska SRG
agreed. This is in contrast to the Gulf of Alaska harbor porpoise
stock, where the outdated Nmin was only 3.6 times greater than the
critical Nmin, which NMFS did not consider sufficient to support a non-
strategic determination, again with agreement from the Alaska SRG.
Comment 4: CBD expressed concern that the draft Cook Inlet beluga
whale SAR might misrepresent the population trend as increasing and
recommended that NMFS explicitly state up front that no definitive
trend can be determined,
[[Page 21423]]
rather than suggesting that future data might confirm stabilization and
increase. They commented that the draft SAR's statement that
``additional data collection and analysis from future years are needed
before population stabilization and increase can be confirmed'' is an
``overly-optimistic assessment of a very small population that lacks
clear signs of population growth, especially given that significant
threats--noise pollution, toxins, and prey availability--have not
lessened.''
Response 4: The draft SAR's section on trend indicated that a
statistical analysis of the past 10 years of Cook Inlet beluga
abundance data shows a trend of 0.2 percent and a confidence interval
that includes both negative and positive trends (95 percent PI of -1.8-
2.6 percent), indicating that it is not statistically significant. This
lack of significance in the 10-year trend has been clarified in the
final SAR, and the description of the 10-year trend as an increase has
been removed. We also revised the statement in the SAR to specify that
additional data are needed to address the uncertainty in the trend.
Regardless of the number of animals, the population is greatly reduced
relative to the estimated abundance in the 1990s, and a slight recent
increase in abundance does not eliminate or mitigate concern about
threats to the population.
Comment 5: CBD noted disappointment that the 2024 draft SARs did
not include a revision of the Eastern North Pacific Alaska Resident
killer whale stock, citing NMFS' intention to initiate a review in 2025
to determine if multiple demographically independent populations exist
within this stock (90 FR 12640, March 18, 2025).
Response 5: Per the process outlined in NMFS (2019), the first step
in revising stock structure is to evaluate the best scientific
information available on possible demographically independent
populations within an existing stock. This process is separate from and
occurs outside of the stock assessment process. NMFS began this process
for the Eastern North Pacific Alaska resident killer whale stock in
early 2025. This work remains a priority for NMFS and will be
completed, as resources allow.
Comments on Atlantic Issues
Comment 6: The Commission provided comment on the SARs for stocks
injured by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill and noted that many of
these SARs have not been updated recently, which has led to outdated
estimates from the population models previously used (DWH MMIQT 2015
and Schwacke et al., 2017). The Commission suggested that these SARs
may not reflect best available science, citing the pelagic species in
the Gulf (updated in 2020) as an example. The Commission commented that
DWH M/SI estimates are orders of magnitude greater than any other
source of M/SI, therefore, those estimates should be updated and
available to inform both fisheries- and non fisheries-related
negligible impact determinations. They recommend that NMFS revise all
relevant Gulf SARs to include DWH M/SI estimates projected for either
10 years or until the estimates are less than one, using refined
population models that have been developed since the Natural Resource
Damage Assessment (NRDA, Schwacke et al., 2022; Marques et al., 2023).
Response 6: The MMPA requires NMFS to review SARs at least annually
for strategic stocks and stocks for which significant new information
is available and at least once every three years for non-strategic
stocks and to revise SARs if such review indicates the status of the
stock has changed or can be more accurately determined (16 U.S.C.
1386(c)). In the case of estuarine and coastal bottlenose dolphin
stocks, the Schwacke et al. (2022) models cited above serves as the
best available scientific information on abundance. For the oceanic
stocks, the most recent surveys to support updated abundance estimates
were conducted during the summers of 2023 and 2024. We anticipate
completion of the analyses of these data during 2025. There have been
no additional aerial surveys of the continental shelf since 2017-2018.
However, we anticipate conducting similar aerial surveys during 2026-
2027 under a new interagency agreement with the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (under review). During the appropriate SAR cycle, NMFS will
review the best scientific information available for these stocks and
determine whether a SAR revision is warranted consistent with Section
117(c) of the MMPA.
Comment 7: The Commission provided comment on the depleted status
of all Tamanend's bottlenose dolphin coastal stocks. They commend NMFS
for the collaborative research on the structure of Tursiops spp. and
stocks in the western North Atlantic, including the identification of
Tamanend's bottlenose dolphin as a distinct species; and new abundance,
M/SI, and population trends for the Central Florida Coastal, the
Northern Florida Coastal, and the South Carolina/Georgia Coastal Stocks
in the Draft SARs. The Commission commented on the ``depleted'' and
``strategic'' status of these three stocks, that resulted from the
1987-1988 Unusual Mortality Event (UME) which caused a significant
population decline in the previously recognized single coastal
migratory stock, and recognized that while the stock structure has
since been refined into ten estuarine, two migratory coastal, and three
resident coastal stocks, commented that the depleted designation
correctly applies to the two migratory and three resident coastal
stocks. Given that 27 years have passed since the initial UME and new
scientific data, including impacts from subsequent UMEs like the 2013-
2015 Mid-Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin UME, are available, the Commission
recommends that NMFS re-evaluate the depleted status of these five
coastal Tamanend's bottlenose dolphin stocks. This re-evaluation should
involve reanalyzing population trends and potentially using risk
assessment models that account for both the 1987-1988 and 2013-2015
UMEs, with the Commission offering assistance on these analyses as time
and budget allow.
Response 7: NMFS acknowledges the Commission's comment that the
status of Tamanend's bottlenose dolphin off the Atlantic coast may
warrant further evaluation. However, in order to further assess the
status of these stocks, we need to fully understand their population
structure. As we presented at the recent Bottlenose Dolphin Management
Workshop (held in person September 24-25, 2024), there are significant
new genetic findings pertaining to this question that are currently in
journal review. There also remain important data gaps, including the
identification of which stocks occupy the Chesapeake Bay and a clear
understanding of the southern boundary of the coastal stocks along the
Florida coast. NMFS is assessing whether these new results warrant
changes in stock structure and welcomes the support of the Commission.
Comment 8: The Commission commented on the Gray Seal Western North
Atlantic SAR, stating that the rate of increase of the gray seal
population in the United States is affected by pup production, juvenile
and adult survival, and immigration from Canada. The Commission noted
that since 2016, pup production has been relatively stable, and the
U.S. abundance estimate increased by only about 100 animals per year
from 2016 to 2021 (Wood et al., 2022; Hayes et al., 2024); during this
time, more than 1,200 seals were killed annually on average by the
Northeast sink gillnet fishery alone (Hayes et al.,
[[Page 21424]]
2024). They noted that ``because the combination of intrinsic growth
plus immigration from Canada is resulting in very slow total growth, it
is plausible that human-caused M/SI rates in the United States are
sufficiently high that U.S. pup production would be declining if not
for immigration from Canada.'' The Commission commented that NMFS's
non-strategic designation for this stock is unsupported, as it relies
on an unproven assumption that total M/SI would not exceed PBR.
Response 8: NMFS has endeavored to better understand the population
dynamics of, and human impacts to, this transboundary stock for some
time (Murray et al., 2021; Heywood et al., 2025) in part due to the
concerns highlighted. We will continue to assess scientific information
about the hypothesis that ``U.S. pup production would be declining if
not for immigration from Canada.'' Nevertheless, when evaluating a
stock's status, NMFS evaluates that status to the entire stock and what
is known about its abundance (see NMFS, Guidelines for Preparing Stock
Assessment Reports Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act
(2023)).
Comments on Pacific Issues
Comment 9: The Commission recommends that NMFS update the Eastern
North Pacific Southern Resident killer whale SAR to include the fact
that the two ecotypes are no longer considered unnamed subspecies,
following an update from the Society for Marine Mammalogy's Committee
on Taxonomy, that has provisionally named them Orcinus orca ater
(resident killer whale) and O. orca rectipinnus (Bigg's killer whale),
although Morin et al. (2024) recommended elevating these forms to full
species status.
Response 9: NMFS agrees that the Morin et al. (2024) reference
represents the best available scientific information, and the 2024 SAR
has been edited to include the new taxonomic information.
Comment 10: CBD comment recommended that the draft Southern
Resident killer whale (SRKW) SAR include recent research that shows
reducing threats could increase the population, following the
integrated population modeling framework assessing SRKW population
dynamics by Nelson et al. (2024). Given the delay in the SARs and the
very small SRKW population, CBD urges NMFS to provide updated
information. They recommend and request that NMFS include a reference
to Williams et al. (2024) on SRKW's ``bright extinction'' in the
section on Current Population Trend, and specifically, the baseline
population dynamics model predicted a mean annual population decline of
roughly 1 percent, which is consistent with the information in the
draft SARs at the bottom of page 32, but notes that the average decline
consists of gradual reduction followed by accelerating decline that
presages extinction.
Response 10: The draft 2024 SAR was completed prior to the
completion of the 2025 census, and thus, the abundance estimate
presented in that draft represented the best available science at that
time. However, for the final SAR, we have updated the abundance
estimate with the best available scientific information from the 2025
census and include reference to Williams et al. (2024) and Nelson et
al. (2024).
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endangered killer whales (Orcinus orca). Commun. Earth Environ. 5:
173. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01327-5">https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01327-5</a>.
Wood, S.A., E. Josephson, K. Precoda, and K. T. Murray. 2022. Gray
seal (Halichoerus grypus) pupping trends and 2021 population
estimate in U.S. waters. NEFSC Reference Document 22-14. U.S.
Dep.Commer., Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, 16
p.
Dated: April 8, 2026.
David Detlor,
Acting Director, Office of Science and Technology, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-07791 Filed 4-21-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 22, 2026.
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