UNIT 22 



ATLANTIC MARINE MAMMALS 



98 



INTRODUCTION 



Marine mammals are managed under the 

 Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 

 1972 and the Endangered Species Act 

 (ESA) of 1973. Other responsibilities are 

 addressed in the Magnuson Fishery Con- 

 servation and Management Act (MFCMA) 



of 1976, which extends the jurisdiction of 

 the MMPA throughout the U.S. EEZ, and 

 the Whale Conservation Act of 1 976, which 

 was intended to further aid the recovery of 

 whales. 



SPECIES AND STATUS 



Thirty-six species of marine mammals 

 range the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico 

 waters (34 whales, dolphins, and por- 

 poises, and 2 seal species). Their status is 

 poorly known, but some, like the right 

 whale, Mid-Atlantic coastal bottlenose dol- 

 phin, and harbor porpoise, are under 

 stresses that may affect their survival. 



Table 22-1 shows what is (and is not) 

 known about the status and trends of sev- 

 eral Atlantic marine mammals. Brief sum- 

 maries below for selected species give 

 additional data on distribution, current and 

 historical abundance, and population 

 trends. 



Table 22-1— Stock assessments 

 of selected marine mammals in 

 U.S. waters of the North Atlantic 

 Ocean. 



'E = Listed as endangered under the Endangered Speaes Act 

 2 95% confidence interval 



Bottlenose Dolphin 



The number of stocks of bottlenose dol- 

 phins is unknown, although there appear 

 to be offshore and coastal types, possibly 

 forming two distinct populations. There are 

 no comprehensive population estimates, 

 but abundance in the Gulf of Mexico is 

 35,000-45,000 in waters of 100 fm or less. 

 Mearshore aerial surveys between Cape 



Hatteras and Nova Scotia in 1979-81 sug- 

 gest that summer abundance was 4,300- 

 12,900. However, a large die-off of 

 bottlenose dolphins in 1987-88 may have 

 resulted in a 50% or greater decline in the 

 nearshore and offshore types. An offshore 

 survey from New Jersey to Cape Hatteras 

 in 1987 found about 1,050-7,500. 



