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Ms. CooGAN. I am Colleen Coogan, I work with NMFS in the 

 Northeast Regional Office. Our conclusion, based on the best avail- 

 able information and a lot of that was the USGS modeling studies, 

 was that there may currently be effects of which we are not cer- 

 tain. But we know that marine mammals out there have toxins, re- 

 gardless of whether they are pathological. They are encountering 

 them. We know that Red Tide may affect them. We know that 

 there may be effects, and some of the effects may be caused by the 

 current outfall. 



Based on the USGS modeling and other studies that have been 

 done, we are not expecting those effects to change due to moving 

 outfall offshore. We think that our conservation recommendations 

 are geared toward identifying what the effects may be of the cur- 

 rent and of the continued discharge of primary treated sewage. 

 But, we think that, under current situations and when the dis- 

 charge is moved, there is not jeopardy to the populations. So, al- 

 though there may be effects currently caused by the Boston Harbor 

 discharge, we do not believe that those effects are the cause of the 

 continued decline of the right whale. They are contributing to it. 

 There may be effects, but we do not think it is the cause of the 

 jeopardy. 



Mr. Studds. Go ahead. 



Dr. Mayo. I would just make a point. I appreciate that thought 

 process, and I may share a lot of it; but I hope we do not leave here 

 thinking that we understand that we know that there are effects 

 on this population by something, whatever it is, and then make the 

 assumption that, although there are those effects, seen and unseen, 

 known and unknown, that there is not jeopardy being brought to 

 this species by those effects. We do not understand these animals 

 well enough to make that assumption. We may well have to go for- 

 ward. NMFS is probably correct — that the present plan makes a lot 

 of sense and will abate problem in the habitat; but, to say that 

 there will be effects and then to make the leap and say, but there 

 will not be jeopardy, is to make a larger assumption than I think 

 any of us in the work with the right whales can dare to make. 



Mr. Studds. Stormy, you still have the floor, if you want to 

 either think out loud or ask somebody else a question. 

 Dr. Mayo. Well, let's see — no, I will leave it. 

 Mr. Studds. We will come back to you, if you want. Mr. Kraus, 

 would you like to do the same? 

 Mr. Kraus. I have one question. 

 Mr. Studds. Use the mike, please. 

 Mr. Kraus. Excuse me. 



I understand that NMFS and EPA have both water quality and 

 long-term monitoring of oceanographic systems all along the East 

 Coast. I am curious about the whole cumulative effects section of 

 the biological opinion and what the process is. Is there anybody in 

 NMFS— is there a long-term strategic plan for assessing cumula- 

 tive effects on ecosystems, habitats and endangered species within 

 the agency, that actually looks specifically at things like right 

 whales and short-nose sturgeon and harbor porpoise, and whatever 

 else there is, relative to their distribution along the East Coast, vis- 

 a-vis outfalls and all of these other things? In other words, is there 



