Marine Resources Assessment for the Marianas Operating ... - SPREP

AUGUST 2005 FINAL REPORT
Table 1-1. The threatened and endangered species with potential occurrence in the Marianas
Marine Resource Assessment (MRA) study area. Marine mammals taxonomy follows Rice (1998)
for pinnipeds and sirenians and IWC (2004) for cetaceans except for the North Pacific right whale,
which was revised by Rosenbaum et al. (2000). Sea turtle taxonomy follows Pritchard (1997).
[ 1 Although the species as a whole is listed as threatened, the Mexican Pacific nesting stock of the green turtle is
listed as endangered. A risk-averse approach requires the assumption that at-sea animals encountered in the study
area may come from the Mexican Pacific population and are therefore endangered]
Marine Mammals
North Pacific right whale Eubalaena japonica Endangered
Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Endangered
Sei whale Balaenoptera borealis Endangered
Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus Endangered
Blue whale Balaenoptera musculus Endangered
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus Endangered
Hawaiian monk seal Monachus schlauinslandi Endangered
Dugong Dugong dugon Endangered
Sea Turtles
Green turtle Chelonia mydas Threatened 1
Hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata Endangered
Loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta Threatened
Olive ridley turtle Lepidochelys olivacea Threatened
Leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea Endangered
regional management system began allocating harvesting rights, with priority given to domestic
enterprises. Since a substantial portion of fishery resources in offshore waters was allocated for
foreign harvest, these foreign allocations were eventually reduced as domestic fish harvesting and
processing industries expanded under the domestic preference authorized by the MSFCMA. At that
time, exclusive federal management authority over U.S. domestic fisheries resources was vested in
the NMFS.
The authority to place observers on commercial fishing and processing vessels operating in specific
geographic areas is also provided by the MSFCMA. The data collected by the National Observer
Program, which is overseen by the NMFS, is often the best means to get current data on the status of
many fisheries. Without observers and observer programs, there would not be sufficient fisheries data
for effective management. Observer programs also satisfy requirements of the ESA and MMPA by
documenting incidental fisheries bycatch of federally protected species, such as marine mammals
and sea turtles.
In 1977, Congress addressed the heightened concern over water pollution by amending the Federal
Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) of 1948 (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.). The 1977 amendments,
known as the Clean Water Act (CWA), extensively amended the FWPCA. For a synopsis of FWPCA
initiatives prior to 1977, consult USFWS (2003b), which documents the history of the FWPCA since
its origin.
The CWA took the first step towards establishing a comprehensive solution to the country’s serious
water pollution problems (EPA 2003). Through standards, technical tools, and financial assistance,
the CWA works towards the accomplishment of two goals: (1) to make U.S. waters fishable and
swimmable and (2) to eliminate contaminant discharge into such waters. Under the authority of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the act sets water quality standards for all pollutants,
requires a permit for the discharge of pollutants from a point source, and funds sewage treatment
plant construction (EPA 2003). Section 403 of the CWA sets out permit guidelines specific to the
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