In its letter, the Commission advised that, for most of the 

 species involved, there was not sufficient information on 

 distribution, abundance, movements, and habitat requirements to 

 determine how the proposed activities might affect the stocks. 

 The Commission noted that the bottlenose dolphin is the most 

 common marine mammal in the coastal waters of the northern Gulf 

 of Mexico and the species therefore is the one most likely to be 

 exposed to and be affected by the proposed action. The 

 Commission further noted that available information indicates 

 that bottlenose dolphins are not distributed uniformly throughout 

 their range and appear to be composed of a number of more or less 

 discrete "local" populations or subpopulations. Thus, possible 

 cumulative effects of deliberate and incidental take in the 

 course of commercial fishing operations and habitat 

 degradation/destruction on local populations must be considered 

 when assessing the possible effects of offshore oil and gas 

 exploration and development in the Gulf of Mexico. 



Accordingly, the Commission recommended that, if the Service 

 had not already done so, it consult with the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service to: (a) obtain the best available information 

 on the distribution, discreteness, size, productivity, essential 

 habitats, and status of bottlenose dolphin populations that could 

 be affected by the proposed action; and (b) determine the 

 research and monitoring programs that would be required to 

 accurately assess and detect the possible effects of activities 

 related to the proposed action on these populations and their 

 habitat. 



The Commission also noted that the marine mammal species 

 most at risk as a result of the proposed sale may be the 

 endangered West Indian manatee. The largest remaining 

 concentrations of manatees in the United States are located along 

 the east and west coasts of Florida, and if an oil spill or 

 activity related to the proposed sale were to damage essential 

 manatee habitat, it could seriously threaten the species 

 potential recovery and long-term survival. The Commission noted 

 that deferral of tracts within 20 miles of the West Florida coast 

 as discussed in the Service's Call for Information could 

 substantially reduce potential effects on manatees and their 

 habitats. The Commission recommended that, if the Minerals 

 Management Service had not already done so, it consult with the 

 Fish and Wildlife Service pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered 

 Species Act to determine measures that may be needed to assess 

 and avoid or mitigate both direct and indirect effects and to 

 detect and monitor the possible unforeseen effects of the 

 proposed action on West Indian manatees. 



174 



