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Appendix A Final COMPTUEX/JTFEX EA/OEABottlenose DolphinThe bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is not listed as endangered under the ESA. In southernCalifornia, two populations occur: a coastal population within 0.5 nm (0.9 km) of shore and a largeroffshore population (Hansen 1990). There is a minimum population estimate of 186 (CV=0.12) for theCalifornia Coastal Stock of the bottlenose dolphin, and 3,053 (CV=0.66) for theCalifornia/Oregon/Washington Offshore Stock (Carretta et al., 2005). Neither stock is considereddepleted or strategic under the MMPA.The coastal population of bottlenose dolphins inhabits waters from Point Loma to San Pedro (Dohl et al.,1981; Hansen 1990). Occasionally, during warm-water incursions such as during the 1982–1983 El Niñoevent, their range extends as far north as Monterey Bay (Wells et al., 1990). Bottlenose dolphins in theSouthern California Bight appear to be highly mobile within a relatively narrow coastal zone (Defran etal., 1999), and exhibit no seasonal site fidelity to the region (Defran and Weller, 1999). Sightings ofcoastal bottlenose dolphins are common along the coast east of the SCIRC (Barlow et al., 1997).Offshore bottlenose dolphins are thought to have a continuous distribution in California (Mangels andGerrodette, 1994). They have been found in the Southern California Bight and in waters as far north as~41ºN (Barlow et al., 1997). During most of the year, a relatively large population of bottlenose dolphinsoccurs in offshore waters of the Southern California Bight centered around Santa Catalina Island and, to alesser degree, the eastern coast of San Clemente Island (Fig. A-11). The population may disperse morebroadly in summer than in winter (Dohl et al., 1981).Pantropical Spotted DolphinThe pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata) is not listed as endangered under the ESA, and is notconsidered to be a strategic stock under the MMPA. There are no abundance estimates available for thisspecies in the NOAA stock assessment report for this area of the Pacific.The pantropical spotted dolphin can be found throughout tropical and some subtropical oceans of theworld (Perrin and Hohn, 1994). In the eastern Pacific, its range is from 25ºN (Baja California, Mexico) to17ºS (southern Peru) (Perrin and Hohn, 1994). Pantropical spotted dolphins are associated with warmtropical surface water (Au and Perryman, 1985; Reilly, 1990; Reilly and Fiedler, 1994). Au andPerryman (1985) noted that the species occurs primarily north of the Equator, off southern Mexico, andwestward along 10ºN. They also noted its occurrence in seasonal tropical waters south of the GalápagosIslands.Pantropical spotted dolphins usually occur in deeper waters, and rarely over the continental shelf orcontinental shelf edge (Davis et al., 1998; Waring et al., 2002). They are extremely gregarious, forminggroups of hundreds or even thousands of individuals. In the ETP, spotted and spinner dolphins are oftenseen together in mixed groups (Au and Perryman, 1985).The SOCAL Range Complex is near the northern extent of the pantropical spotted dolphin’s range. Mostsightings in or near the SOCAL Range Complex have been offshore and at the southern extent of therange complex (Fig. A-12).Striped DolphinThe striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is not listed as endangered under the ESA, and theCalifornia/Oregon/Washington stock is not considered to be depleted or strategic under the MMPA. Thebest estimate of the size of the California/Oregon/Washington stock is 9,165 (CV=0.53; Carretta et al.,2005).Striped dolphins have a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical to warm temperate waters (Perrin et al.,1994a). Their preferred habitat seems to be deep water (Davis et al. 1998) along the edge and seaward ofthe continental shelf, particularly in areas influenced by warm currents (Waring et al., 2002). This speciesis well documented in both the western and eastern Pacific off the coasts of Japan and North AmericaFebruary 2007 A-34