[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 217 (Friday, November 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88735-88736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25969]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XE050]


Conservation Plan for the Eastern Pacific Stock of Northern Fur 
Seal (Laaquda)

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), 
NMFS has finalized the Conservation Plan for the Eastern Pacific Stock 
of Northern Fur Seal (Laaquda) based on public comments received. The 
goal of the Conservation Plan is to conserve and restore the stock to 
its optimum sustainable population. The Final Conservation Plan (Plan) 
for this stock is now available.

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Plan are available at the NMFS 
Alaska Region website: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/

[[Page 88736]]

northern-fur-seal#conservation-management.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Williams, NMFS Alaska Region, 
907-271-5117, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8de0e4eee5ece8e1a3fae4e1e1e4ece0fecde3e2ececa3eae2fb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a6cbcfc5cec7c3ca88d1cfcacacfc7cbd5e6c8c9c7c788c1c9d0">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Eastern Pacific (formerly Pribilof) stock of northern fur seals 
was designated as depleted under the MMPA on June 17, 1988, because the 
population had declined by over 50 percent from the highest population 
levels estimated in the 1950s (53 FR 17888, May 18, 1988). Consistent 
with the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1383b(b)), NMFS developed a Conservation Plan 
to conserve and restore the stock to its optimum sustainable 
population, which is defined as a population size within a range of 
population sizes from the largest supportable within the ecosystem 
(i.e., carrying capacity) to a level that results in maximum net 
productivity (50 CFR 216.3). NMFS first published a Conservation Plan 
in 1993, followed by a revised version in 2007. In 2023, NMFS published 
a revised draft Conservation Plan and invited public comment (88 FR 
38010, June 12, 2023).
    The 2024 revised Conservation Plan includes updated knowledge of 
threats, trends, and ecology of the Eastern Pacific stock of northern 
fur seals. Specifically, it summarizes advances in our understanding of 
pup production, pup mortality, pup mass, diet estimation, diving 
characterization, and use of Bering Sea marine foraging areas and 
foraging trip duration by the five rookery complexes on the Pribilof 
Islands. The Plan discusses critical information gaps, conservation 
actions and initiatives completed since the 2007 Conservation Plan as 
well as those that are ongoing or should be prioritized in future, and 
research and management actions intended to promote the conservation 
and restoration of the stock. The shared resources and cooperative 
involvement of Federal, State, and Tribal governments, Alaska Native 
people and Alaska Native Organizations, industry, academia, and non-
governmental organizations will be needed throughout the period 
necessary to restore the stock.
    Overall, the stock has continued to decline about 2 percent per 
year since the depleted designation, and differences exist in trends in 
abundance and habitat use for St. Paul, St. George, and Bogoslof 
islands and their associated rookery complexes. Preliminary estimates 
of age class survival rates since 2010 are similar for both St. Paul 
and St. George islands; however, since trends in abundance are 
significantly different (i.e., declining on St. Paul and increasing on 
St. George) our assumptions regarding site fidelity, emigration, and 
detection appear biased, and we are investigating whether rates of 
emigration are higher than previously assumed. Improved estimates of 
fur seal consumption of commercially important prey like pollock, and 
age-specific growth and bioenergetics of northern fur seals have 
increased the ability of ecosystem models to improve our understanding 
of fur seal population dynamics and how changes in prey abundance and 
distribution may be affecting population trends. Based on these recent 
model results, it is estimated that the northern fur seal population is 
one of the top four natural predators of pollock biomass and consumes 
both 0-2 year old and 3+ year old pollock. The new information 
presented regarding the separation of marine foraging habitat in the 
Bering Sea by fur seals and the differential consumption of pollock, 
squid, and other species based on this separation suggests there are 
opportunities to further investigate the indirect effects of fisheries 
on northern fur seals from the five rookery complexes identified on the 
Pribilof Islands. The extent of competition with the pollock fisheries 
is uncertain due to the spatial segregation of foraging fur seals among 
the five rookery complexes and in-season changes in the distribution of 
various segments of the commercial pollock fleet. NMFS intends to work 
with other interested parties to evaluate existing northern fur seal 
foraging and life history data as well as existing information on 
fisheries to assess observed variation in population trends among 
foraging complexes and guide decisions about new research related to 
the indirect effects of fishing. New ecosystem models are being 
developed to advance ecosystem-based fisheries management and are 
expected to include consumption of important commercial fish species by 
northern fur seals.
    Another notable revision to this Plan is the reflection of recent 
subsistence use regulation changes and the evolution of co-management 
relationships between NMFS and Tribes in the Pribilofs. The Plan 
revision includes valuable input and contributions from the Aleut 
Community of St. Paul Island, and recognizes Unanga contributions to 
management and research. As fur seal subsistence use is paramount to 
Pribilovian Unanga cultural identity, Unangam tunuu (i.e., Aleut 
language) words have been incorporated into the Plan.
    The Notice of Availability of the draft revised Plan was published 
on June 12, 2023, and the public comment period closed on August 11, 
2023 (88 FR 38010). Six public comment letters containing 28 unique 
substantive comments were received during the comment period, on the 
topics of direct fishery effects, indirect fishery effects, ecology and 
life history, Indigenous Knowledge, co-management, optimum sustainable 
population, disturbance, funding, threats, and effectiveness of the 
Conservation Plan. In response to these comments, the final version of 
the Plan contains many clarifications, and significant revisions were 
made to the indirect fishery effects and optimum sustainable population 
sections. Also in response to these comments, additional information 
has been incorporated regarding migration patterns, pup mortality, 
vital rates, pup health, and foraging trip duration. Finally, a new 
appendix containing migration and performance measure analyses has been 
added. A summary of substantive comments and responses to those 
comments, including whether and how the draft Conservation Plan was 
revised in response, has been created and is on file with the NMFS 
Alaska Region, Protected Resources Division.

Kimberly Damon-Randall,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-25969 Filed 11-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P


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