94 



Monnuiils — Our Livnti^ Resources 



tailed deer {Odocoileus viri>iiiiii)iiis). showed 

 marked recovery after regulatory and conserva- 

 tion strategies began. Ardent wildlife manage- 

 ment and conservation programs, started pri- 

 marily for game species, have increased our 

 knowledge and understanding of species and 

 habitat interactions. Conservation programs 

 have also positively affected many species that 

 share habitat with the target species the pro- 

 grams are designed to aid. To complement these 

 efforts, however, integrated regulatory legisla- 

 tion and conservation policies that specifically 

 help sustain nontarget species and their habitats 

 are still imperative. 



The increased emphasis on the importance 

 of managing for biological diversity and adopt- 

 ing an ecosystem approach to management has 

 enhanced our efforts to move from resource- 

 management practices that are oriented to sin- 

 gle species to strategies that focus on the long- 

 term conser\ation of native populations and 

 their natural habitats. Thus, an integrated and 

 comprehensive inventory and monitoring pro- 



gram that coordinates data on the status and 

 trends of our natural resources is critical to suc- 

 cessfully manage habitats that support a diverse 

 array of plant and animal species. 



This section provides knowledge on the sta- 

 tus and trends of some higher vertebrate species 

 that occupy some of this country's most diverse 

 ecosystems. Many articles discuss historical 

 and present species distribution, while others 

 discuss the need for further research to fill our 

 gaps of knowledge regarding the species. The 

 articles cover a range of mammal species, some 

 that have benefited greatly from past conserva- 

 tion efforts, and others that are now threatened 

 or endangered, with the effort to recover them 

 just beginning. Some species have been directly 

 affected by habitat loss or modification, others 

 by past hunting and trapping pressures. 



We should not forget that our survival 

 depends on wildlife, particularly higher verte- 

 brates, nor should we forget that the status of 

 wildlife populations serves as an advance indi- 

 cator of overall environmental quality. 



Marine 

 Mammals 



hy 



Anne Kinsinger 

 National Biological Service 



Summarized from National 



Oceanic and Atmospheric 



Administration (1994) 



At least .^5 species of marine mammals are 

 lound along the U.S. Atlantic coast and in 

 the Gulf of Mexico: 2 seal species. I manatee, 

 and 32 species of whales, dolphins, and por- 

 poises (see Table 1 for status of selected 

 species). Seven of these species are listed as 

 endangered under the Endangered Species Act 

 (ESA). At least 50 species of marine mammals 

 are found in U.S. Pacific waters: 11 species of 

 seals and sea lions; walrus; polar bear; sea otter; 

 and 36 species of whales, dolphins, and por- 

 poises; 1 1 species are listed as endangered or 

 threatened under the ESA (see Table 2 for the 

 status of .selected species). 



Table I. Status of selected Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coast species of marine niammaf 



Species and geographic area Abundance 



Status 



Trends 



Official status in 

 designated U.S. waters 



Fin whale, NE U S 5,200 



Humpback whale, NWAtlantic 5,100(2.888-8,112) 



350 



Northern right whale, NW 



Atlantic 



Pilot whales, NE U.S. 



Bottlenose dolphin 



NE U.S. coastal type 



Unknown 



NE U.S. offshore type 



Gulf of Mexico (offshore and 



coastal types) 



Whitesided dolphin, NE U.S. 

 Spotted dolphin, NE US 

 Harbor porpoise. Gull of Maine 47,200 

 Harbor seal. NE US 26,000 



Beaked whales (six species in 

 U.S. waters) 



Unknown 



10.000-13,000 



35.000-45,000 



27,600 



200 



Unknown 



Unknown 



Possibly 65% of 1850 



population 



Probably <5°o of original 



number 



Unknown 



Possibly down by 50% 



1987-88 



Unknown 



Possibly down by 50°i 



1987-88 



Unknown 



Unknown 



Unknown 



Unknown 



Unknown 



Unknown 

 Unknown 



Unknown 

 Unknown 



Endangered' 

 Endangered' 



Endangered' 



Unknown Depleted" 



Unknown 



Unknown 



Unknown 

 Unknown 

 Increasing 



Proposed as threatened' 



Unknown 



"Endangered Species Act. 

 "Marine Mammal Protection Acf 



NMFS Assessments 



The National Marine Fisheries Service 

 (NMFS). an agency within the National Oceanic 

 and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), con- 

 ducts research and status studies on many of 

 these marine mammals under the authorities of 

 the Magnuson Fisheries Conservation and 

 Management Act, the Marine Mammal 

 Protecnion Act (MMPA), and the ESA. The 

 results of the status sur\eys include information 

 required by the MMPA and the ESA on abun- 

 dance (population size); status (as compared 

 with historical levels or current viability); trends 

 (changes in abundance); and status in U.S. 

 waters. These results, published annually by 

 NOAA, are the basis for this summary (NOAA 

 1994). 



Estimates of abundance in U.S. waters are 

 available for many, though not all, marine mam- 

 mal species. Information on status and trends, 

 however, is extremely limited because so little is 

 known of the basic life history of many marine 

 mammal species that scientists can determine 

 neither status nor whether a population estimate 

 represents a healthy, sustainable population. 

 Moreover, long-term trends in many populations 

 cannot be determined because historical popula- 

 tion data are not available. 



The NMFS provides assessments for 139 

 stocks (i.e., populations of species or groups of 

 species that are treated together for manage- 

 ment) of marine mammals; the status of 120 

 stocks is unknown, and trend data are only 



