Full report - Conservation Gateway

Chapter 10 - Cetaceanscetaceans, their prey and the containments that affectthem, including the DNA from the originating animal,DNA from their prey, marine biotoxins, and stress hormones,and is providing many new insights and data aboutthe interaction between cetaceans and contaminants.Management andConservationRegulatory AuthoritiesAll of the species studied in this assessment are federallyprotected by the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration’s National Marine Fisheries Service underthe Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). TheMMPA prohibits, with certain exceptions, the “take” ofmarine mammals in United States waters and by UnitedStates citizens on the high seas, and the importation ofmarine mammals and marine mammal products into theUnited States (NOAA 2007b). The Endangered SpeciesAct (ESA) also lists the fin, humpback, sei, sperm, andNorth Atlantic right whales as “endangered” and prohibits“take” of these species, in addition to mandating that criticalhabitat is designated for these species, where appropriate,and recovery plans are developed and implemented.Where these species are found within National MarineSanctuaries, they are also protected under the UnitedStates National Marine Sanctuaries Act.Current Conservation EffortsMany ongoing cooperative conservation efforts focus onmarine mammals, including federal, international, andstate agencies and academic institutions and non-profitorganizations. Internationally, one of the first protectionmeasures for whales came when right whales were protectedby the 1st International Convention for the Regulationof Whaling in 1935. Their protected status has been continuedby the International Whaling Commission, sinceits founding in 1946 (Donovan 1991).In the United States, as part of their listing as EndangeredSpecies, the ESA requires NMFS to develop and implementrecovery plans; many species listed as conservationtargets in this assessment have draft plans in review orfinal plans being implemented. A final Recovery Planhas been published for the North Atlantic right whaleunder the Marine Mammal Protection Act and is beingimplemented (NMFS 2005). Critical habitat has alsobeen designated for this species, including portions ofCape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Bank, and the Great SouthChannel (NMFS 1994). An intensive long-term effort,based primarily at the New England Aquarium in Boston,Massachusetts and NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries ScienceCenter in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, monitors theNorth Atlantic right whale population, identifies risk factors,and develops and implements measures to reduce human-inducedmortality and injury. A final Recovery Plan(1991) was also released by NMFS for the conservationof humpback whales that either occur seasonally or areresidents of United States waters. The plan has four mainobjectives: 1) to maintain and enhance historical and currentknown humpback whale habitats, 2) to identify andreduce human related injury and mortality, 3) to researchpopulation structure, and 4) to improve administrationand coordination of the recovery plan.A draft Recovery Plan for fin and sei whales was issuedby NMFS, and released for public comment and review.However, it was not finalized and it was subsequently determinedthat separate Recovery Plans should be issuedfor each species. A revised Draft Recovery Plan for thefin whale was released by NMFS for public comment in2006, but a Recovery Plan has not been drafted for the seiwhale at this point. The Fin Whale draft Recovery Plansuggests continued international cooperation to protectthe fin whale and further research on fin whale populationstructure (NMFS 2006a). A draft Sperm WhaleRecovery Plan was also released and suggests continuedresearch on the structure of sperm whale populations,identification and protection of relevant habitats withinand outside of United States waters, reduction of the frequencyof human caused injury and mortality, and maximizationof efforts to obtain scientific information fromstranded or entangled individuals (NMFS 2006c). Todate, these two draft plans have not been finalized.10-20Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment • Phase 1 Report