1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



):j£~4.'- 



Hawaiian monk seal. Na- 

 tional Wildlife Refuge, 

 Northwestern Hawaiian Is- 

 lands. 



to 12% of marine mammal stocks, and that no trend characterizations, other than tor sea 

 turtles, can be made in the Pacific Ocean. The designation of strategic stock confers special 

 status which requires NMFS to prepare recovery plans for impacted stocks and closer scru- 

 tiny through annual status assessments. 



Marine Mammals C^ff tl:e Atlantic Coast, only the northeastern U.S. bottlenose dolphin 

 stock changed from unknown to stable trend status. Because the total annual mortality 

 estimate was higher than PBR, this stock was listed as depleted in l')')8. Mininumi popu- 

 lation estimates, as compared tt) l')^)2, are ec]tiivocal h)r fin, humpback, pilot, and north- 

 ern right whales, and trends cannot be assigned. Northwest Atlantic harbor porpoise and 

 harbor seals are the onlv species with increasing abtmdance o\-er l'-)92 levels. In the Ciult ol 

 Mexico, abundance estimates are available lor six stocks of bottlenose dolphins, but there 

 are more than 33 individual groups lound in bays, estuaries, and sounds that are ot un- 

 known status. 



The Flawaiian monk seal remains criticalK' endangered throughotit its range, with 

 no discernible improvement in stock si/e since last reported in OK) ''■)'^. I hree I'acihc 

 Coast stocks of harbor seal are increasing, but little else can be said about the remaining 

 species. In the eastern tropical Pacific, several dolphin stocks are thought to have stabilized, 

 largel}' from significant reductions in bycatch mortality associated with the tuna purse- 

 seine fishery. 



Steller sea lions hauled out 

 in Southeast Alaska. 



Recent stock assessments in Alaska show continued incremental improvement h)r 

 bowhead whales, grav whales, and Southeast Alaska harbor seals. Although the thre.iteiied 

 eastern Pacific stock of Steller sea lions (east of long. 144' W) has shown some improve- 

 ment, the western U.S. Pacific stock (west of long. 144"W) continues to decline precipi- 

 tousK' and has been placed in endangered status. In late 1498, NMFS issued a biological 

 opinion fmding the western U.S. Pacific stock to be in jeopard}- and implemented emer- 

 gency rtiles prior to the [aniiarv opening of the l')')') walle\e pollock fisher\'. Contiiuiing 

 their declining trend are harbor seals in the Ctilf of Alaska and Bering Sea. 1 he northern 

 fur seal population remains stable, but retains its depleted status under the MMPA. The 

 eastern stock of Notth Pacific gray whale has the distinction of being the first marine 

 mammal to be removed from ESA listing. This species has fully recovered and is at or above 

 its initial unexploited stock size. 



38 



