The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, May 8 on draft revised marine mammal stock assessment reports for the Pacific walrus, the southwest stock of the northern sea otter, southcentral stock of the northern sea otter, and southeast stock of the northern sea otter.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service to prepare stock assessment reports for each stock of marine mammals occurring in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States, and mandates that they be revised if the status of the stock changes or can be more accurately determined.
Information in the stock assessment reports is used to identify and evaluate the status of marine mammal populations and the effects of human activities on them, authorize the taking of marine mammals incidental to human activities, develop and implement conservation measures, and evaluate fishery progress in reducing incidental mortality and serious injury to insignificant levels.
