Evaluation of the Western North Pacific Distinct Population Segment of Humpback Whales as units under the Marine Mammal Protection Act

Oleson, Erin; Wade, Paul R.; Young, Nancy C.

doi:10.25923/n5p9-4m02

i

Evaluation of the Western North Pacific Distinct Population Segment of Humpback Whales as units under the Marine Mammal Protection Act

2022
By Oleson, Erin ; Wade, Paul R. ; Young, Nancy C.
Series: NOAA technical memorandum NMFS-PIFSC 124

Details

Personal Author:

Oleson, Erin ; Wade, Paul R. ; Young, Nancy C.
Corporate Authors:

Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (U.S.)
NOAA Program & Office:

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; PIFSC (Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center) ; AFSC (Alaska Fisheries Science Center)
Description:

The Guidelines for Preparing Stock Assessment Reports Pursuant to the 1994 Amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) specify that a stock under the MMPA should identify a demographically independent population (DIP). Considerable new data suggest the existence of potential DIPs within the Western North Pacific (WNP) distinct population segment (DPS) of the North Pacific subspecies of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae kuzira). Animals that winter near Pacific island nations off the Asian continent, including the Philippines and Japan, and other unidentified breeding areas in the western North Pacific, and summer off of Russia and in U.S waters surrounding the central and western Aleutian Islands together are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as the WNP DPS. However, even at the time of listing, this group was considered to comprise two discrete units, those wintering in the Philippines and Okinawa and those wintering in an as-yet unidentified location (or locations) in the western North Pacific.
Keywords:

Evaluation Humpback Whale Law And Legislation Marine Mammals Humpback Whale Law And Legislation Marine Mammals
Series:

NOAA technical memorandum NMFS-PIFSC 124
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25923/n5p9-4m02
Document Type:

Technical Memorandum
Place as Subject:

North Pacific Ocean
Rights Information:

Public Domain
Compliance:

Submitted
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:60c8a56530da4de17cf7cffd7c0deba8197ddfb1bea624e771412223f853b39d
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/36733/noaa_36733_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 756.14 KB ]

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