North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Program

1. North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Program Gregory Silber Office of Protected Resources National Marine Fisheries Service 5 April 2005

2. Right Whale Budget – FY2005 • FY2005 Appropriation ~ $12.5 million • Reducing ship strikes (~1/4 of the total) • Aerial Surveys: NEUS; SEUS; Mid-Atlantic; sighting information relayed to mariners • survey information: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/read/protspp/RightWhale/; http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/rwhale.pl • Mandatory Ship Reporting systems operation & data analysis • Ship Strike Strategy Implementation – DEIS preparation • Other: analysis, passive acoustics, stranding response

3. Right Whale Budget- FY2005 • Reducing Entanglement(~1/6 of total) • Disentanglement program (CCS) • ALWTRP – DEIS, TRT meetings • Grants program - fishing gear modification innovation; buybacks, etc. • State Programs (~1/6 of total) • MA, NY, VA, GA, FL, others - primarily surveys, but other activities as well • Biology and Population Monitoring (~1/6 of total) • Sightings and photo-id data bases; surveys; analysis • Critical habitat analysis; Health studies • Vessel Surveys • Right Whale Grants Program • Recovery, general; Admin/overhead, Travel (~1/6 of total) • Implementation Teams; Enforcement; Salaries • -- FY2006 President's Request: $5.9 million --

4. FY2005 Project Funding • NEIT Funding • Funding & projects discussed this morning • e.g., Merchant Mariner training module; outreach; economic studies; etc. • Right Whale Competitive Grants Program • FY03: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/whaletrp/ • FY04: attached • FY05: continuation of year-two or multi-year studies; no new funding in FY05 • Ship Strike Strategy Implementation • Contract for preparation of DEIS; Strategy & Alternatives analysis

5. Report on ANPR Stakeholder Meetings • -- http://www.nero.noaa.gov/shipstrike/ -- • NMFS prepared draft Ship Strike Reduction Strategy • Strategy issued as an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR), Fall 2004 • 5 public comment meetings held at 5 different locations along the Atlantic coast

6. ANPR Stakeholder Meetings • Comment period ended 15 November • 11 meetings held with shipping industry representatives, ports, pilots, NGOs, other agencies, etc. at 11 different locations • Several hundred participants • Bruce Russell, JS&A Environmental Services contracted to prepare summary reports – Being finalized and will be posted

7. ANPR Stakeholder Meetings • Key comments - • Economic considerations • Questions about validity of data on population size/mortality • Use of speed restrictions as a measure • Use of technology (including acoustics) as a measure • Questions about triggers and durations for Dynamic Management Areas (DMA)

8. Status of Ship Strike Strategy • Comments from three sources: public comment meetings; stakeholder meetings; written comments on the ANPR • Public comments on the ANPR are posted at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/PR2/Conservation_and_Recovery_Program/msr/ship_strike.htm • Comments being considered and being used to develop Alternatives for DEIS • Plans for preparation of a DEIS • DEIS, possible proposed rule, expected by late summer/early fall • Economic study is part of the DEIS analysis

9. Other Activities • Port Access Route Studies – USCG – public comment period open through mid-April • Working with federal agencies, e.g., ESA Section 7 consultations • Considered emergency rulemaking • Ongoing dialog with shipping industry, recreational boaters, etc. – A role for the NEIT

10. Recovery Plan -- Status • Final draft provided for public comment • Comment period ended 1 November 2004 • Comments have been incorporated into Final Plan • Final Plan completed; preparing FR notice announcing release of Final Plan • FR notice nearly completed, will enter clearance