Composite Training Unit Exercises and Joint Task ... - Govsupport.us

COMPTUEX/JTFEX EA/OEA Final Chapter 3stock for which human activities may be having a deleterious effect on the population and may not besustainable. The stocks of blue, fin, sei, and humpback whales occurring off California are consideredstrategic (Barlow et al., 1997). In addition, the California/Oregon/Washington Stock of the short-finnedpilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) have beendesignated as strategic. The killer whale is not listed under the ESA, but the Eastern North PacificSouthern Resident Stock, members of which may occur off California, is considered depleted and astrategic stock. The stocks of minke whales and mesoplodont beaked whales off the coast ofCalifornia/Oregon/Washington have been reclassified as non-strategic (Barlow et al., 1998; Caretta et al.,2005). All marine mammals are protected by the MMPA.Overall, a comparison of cetacean abundance in 1979/80 vs. 1991 indicated that numbers of mysticetesand odontocetes have increased in offshore California waters over the 12-year period. However, this isnot so for the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and the short-finned pilot whale, which appear tohave decreased in numbers (Barlow, 1994 and 1995; Forney et al., 1995 and 2000). Also, the increasedabundance of blue whales reported previously in the Channel Islands and elsewhere off southernCalifornia (e.g., Calambokidis et al., 1990; Barlow, 1994 and 1995) was not confirmed by certain longtermvessel-based surveys (Larkman and Veit, 1998). The status of cetacean stocks and their abundanceestimates for California are summarized in Table 3.3-2 from Marine Mammal Stock Assessmentsprepared by Barlow et al. (1997), Forney et al. (2000), and Carretta et al. (2001 and 2004).3.3.2.5.2 PinnipedsSix species of pinnipeds may occur in the SOCAL OPAREA (Table 3.3-7). Only one of the species, theCalifornia sea lion (Zalophus californianus), is abundant in the Southern California Bight and breedsregularly on SCI. In the SOCAL OPAREA, a small rookery is located on Santa Barbara Island (Le Boeufand Bonnell, 1980; Bonnell and Dailey, 1993), and Guadalupe Island, just south of the OPAREA, is amajor haul-out site (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993; Ronald and Gots, 2003; Lowry and Forney, 2005). Largecolonies of California sea lions are found on San Nicolas and San Miguel Islands.Two other species, the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) and the northern elephant seal (Miroungaangustirostris), haul out regularly in small numbers and occasionally pup on SCI. The harbor seal (Phocavitulina) occupies haul-out sites on mainland beaches and all of the Channel Islands, including SantaBarbara, Santa Catalina, and San Nicolas Islands (Lowry and Carretta, 2003). Small colonies of northernelephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) breed and haul out on Santa Barbara Island with large colonieson San Nicolas and San Miguel Islands (Bonnell and Dailey, 1993; U.S. Navy, 1998 and 2002a). Allthree species are more abundant on the Channel Islands north of the SOCAL OPAREA.3-29 February 2007