The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed 

 OCS Sale #78 was forwarded to the Commission and others for 

 review and comment on 20 October 1982. The document noted, 

 among other things, that seven species of endangered marine 

 mammals, including the West Indian manatee and six species 

 of whales (right, humpback, sperm, blue, fin, and sei) occur 

 in or adjacent to the lease sale area and that effects on 

 these species were expected to be temporary, local, and 

 minor except in the case of a disaster such as a large oil 

 spill. The document listed non-endangered species of marine 

 mammals that occur in or adjacent to the lease sale area, 

 but did not indicate how these species might be affected by 

 the proposed action. 



The Commission, in consultation with its Committee of 

 Scientific Advisors, reviewed the DEIS and, by letter of 13 

 December 1982, questioned whether available information was 

 sufficient to conclude that possible impacts on right and 

 humpback whales would be temporary, local, and minor except 

 in the case of a disaster such as a large oil spill. The 

 Commission noted that recent sightings and strandings of 

 right whales suggest that calving and breeding may occur in 

 or near the lease sale area, and recommended that the DEIS 

 be revised and expanded to provide a more complete and 

 accurate assessment of available information concerning the 

 distribution, abundance, and movements of both right and 

 humpback whales in and near the proposed lease sale area. 

 The Commission also recommended that the Minerals Management 

 Service consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 to determine: (1) whether all available sighting and stranding 

 data had been considered when the NMFS re-evaluated its 14 

 July 1980 Biological Opinion concerning the possible direct 

 and indirect effects of the proposed action on endangered 

 cetaceans; (2) whether recent sightings and strandings of 

 right whales in and near the proposed lease sale area 

 warranted reassessment of certain conclusions provided in 

 the Service's Biological Opinion; and (3) whether additional 

 information, studies, monitoring programs, and lease stipulations 

 are necessary to assure that right, humpback, or other 

 endangered whales will not be affected adversely by the 

 proposed action. 



The Minerals Management Service's 

 Regional Studies Program 



As noted above, the Minerals Management Service has 

 been delegated responsibility for assessing and mitigating 

 the possible adverse effects of activities and events, such 

 as oil spills, associated with the exploration and development 



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