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Proposed PCS Lease Sale #90 

 South Atlantic 



As part of its preliminary planning for Proposed Sale 

 #90 off the southeastern U.S. coast in 1985, the Minerals 

 Management Service wrote to the Commission on 27 January 

 1983 requesting that it update information on the South 

 Atlantic OCS Planning Area which it had previously supplied 

 to assist with lease sale planning. 



The Commission, in consultation with its Committee of 

 Scientific Advisors, responded to the Service by letter of 

 14 March 1983. Noting that it had little to add to the 

 information provided in its 22 April 1981 and 13 December 

 1982 letters concerning the South Atlantic OCS Planning Area 

 (see previous Annual Reports) , the Commission restated its 

 recommendation that, if the Service had not already done so, 

 it consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service to 

 determine: if all available sighting and stranding data 

 were considered in re-evaluating the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service's 14 July 1980 Biological Opinion concerning the 

 possible direct and indirect effects of exploration and 

 exploitation activities on endangered cetaceans, especially 

 on right and humpback whales; if these data warrant reassessment 

 of certain conclusions provided in that Biological Opinion; 

 and whether additional information, studies, monitoring 

 programs, or lease stipulations are necessary to assure that 

 right, humpback, or other endangered whales would not be 

 affected adversely by activities in the proposed lease sale 

 area. 



In regard to bottlenose dolphins and other non-endangered 

 marine mammals, the Commission restated its 13 December 1982 

 recommendation that, if the Service had not already done so, 

 it consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service to 

 determine whether local bottlenose dolphin populations might 

 be adversely affected by the proposed action. 



The Commission also noted that it was currently funding 

 research both on the North Atlantic right whale population 

 and the bottlenose dolphin and that, once these studies were 

 completed, it would review the resulting reports and certain 

 other available information to determine whether additional 

 steps may be needed to protect right whales or bottlenose 

 dolphins. The results of this review will be provided 

 to the Minerals Management Service. 



