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Appendix A Final COMPTUEX/JTFEX EA/OEAHumpback whales are found alone or in groups of two or three, but throughout their breeding and feedingranges they may congregate in groups of up to 12 or 15 (Leatherwood and Reeves, 1983).Humpback whale sightings in the SOCAL Range Complex are shown in Figure A-4.Minke WhaleThe minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is not listed as endangered under the ESA, and theCalifornia/Oregon/Washington Stock and is not considered depleted or strategic under the MMPA. In theNortheast Pacific Ocean, minke whales range from the Chukchi Sea south to Baja California(Leatherwood et al. 1987). They occur year-round off California (Dohl et al., 1983; Barlow, 1995;Forney et al., 1995). The minke whales found in waters off California, Oregon, and Washington appearto be resident in that area, and to have home ranges, whereas those farther north are migratory. Thepopulation abundance for offshore California, Oregon, and Washington as a whole was estimated to be585 (CV=0.73) individuals (Carretta et al., 2005).The minke whale generally occupies waters over the continental shelf, including inshore bays andestuaries (Mitchell and Kozicki, 1975; Ivashin and Vitrogov, 1981; Murphy, 1995; Mignucci-Giannoni1998; Calambokidis et al., 2004). However, based on whaling catches and surveys worldwide, there isalso a deep-ocean component to the minke whale’s distribution (Slijper et al., 1964; Horwood, 1990;Mitchell, 1991; Mellinger et al., 2000; Roden and Mullin, 2000).Minke whale abundance in the Southern California Bight fluctuates dramatically through the year, withwarm-water months being the period of greatest abundance (Dohl et al., 1981). Because of the apparentfluctuations in abundance, Bonnell and Dailey (1993) believed that some minke whales migratednorthward through the Southern California Bight in spring and returned southward through the same areain autumn. Leatherwood et al. (1987) suggested that minke whales may remain in the area throughout theyear, and that the scarcity of sightings during autumn and winter may be attributable to behavioral andenvironmental considerations. The lack of sightings in autumn and winter may also be attributable tomovements into offshore areas where there has been less survey effort. The surveys conducted in theSCIRC in 1998–1999 recorded minke whales during the cold-water but not the warm-water period(Carretta et al., 2000), whereas the densities calculated for the Point Mugu EIS/OEIS showed nopreference for cold or warm water (U.S. Navy, 1998).The summer distribution of minke whales was described by Bonnell and Dailey (1993). They are seencommonly along the shelves associated with the southern coasts of the Channel Islands and offshorefeatures south of there. Ship-based surveys during the summers of 1991 and 1993 seem to confirm theimportance of the Southern California Bight for minke whales. Three of the eight sightings made duringthose two extensive surveys were in or adjacent to the Southern California Bight despite relatively littlesurvey effort in that area.Few minke whales are present in the nearshore and continental slope parts of the Southern CaliforniaBight during winter, but they appear to be present in offshore waters. The few sightings in wintersometimes include newborn or small calves, suggesting that the Southern California Bight is part of, or atleast near, the calving grounds of this stock (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993).February 2007 A-20