natural history, feeding habits, diet, important habitats, 

 status, abundance, and relative numbers of marine mammals 

 that could be affected by the proposed action, particularly 

 right and humpback whales, pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins, 

 and harbor seals; (2) identify and consider the possible 

 effects of the proposed action on important marine mammal 

 prey species, feeding areas, breeding areas, and migratory 

 paths; and (3) more clearly indicate the data, analyses, and 

 assumptions on which the conclusions were based. 



In its letter, the Commission noted that it was unlikely 

 that available information is adequate to fully and accurately 

 assess both the direct and indirect effects of the proposed 

 action on marine mammals and the ecosystems of which they are 

 a part. The Commission therefore recommended that the Minerals 

 Management Service, in consultation with the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service, develop and implement monitoring programs 

 to verify predicted effects and to detect possible unforeseen 

 effects before they reach unacceptable levels. The Commission 

 also recommended that, if it had not already done so, the 

 Minerals Management Service consult the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service to determine measures it should take to 

 help complete, adopt, and implement Recovery Plans for humpback 

 and right whales. In this regard, the Commission recommended 

 that the Service consult with the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service and undertake such additional studies as necessary 

 to: (1) identify the feeding and seasonal distribution and 

 movement patterns of right whales in the region; (2) assess 

 the possible effects of OCS activities on the availability of 

 food species and how right whales in the area might respond 

 to short- and long-term changes in the availability of food; 

 and (3) determine the nature and possible cumulative effects 

 of OCS activities along the Atlantic coast on the endangered 

 right whale population and habitats critical to its survival. 



Proposed OCS Lease Sales # 118 and #122 

 Gulf of Mexico 



Two OCS lease sales are planned for the Gulf of Mexico 

 during 1989. These are Lease Sale #118, scheduled for March 

 1989, and Lease Sale #122, planned for August 1989. The 

 former involves 6,265 blocks (approximately 33.5 million 

 acres) of submerged lands from 3 to 220 miles offshore in the 

 north-central Gulf area, and the latter involves 5,080 blocks 

 (approximately 27.9 million acres) from 9 to 222 miles offshore 

 in the northwestern Gulf area. 



The Minerals Management Service prepared a Draft Environ- 

 mental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the proposed actions, which 

 was distributed to the Commission and others for review and 

 comment in March 1988. The DEIS noted that 28 species of 



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