North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Program Gregory Silber Office of Protected Resources National Marine Fisheries Service 5 April 2005

FY2005 Appropriation ~ $12.5 million Reducing ship strikes (~1/4 of the total) Aerial Surveys: NEUS; SEUS; Mid-Atlantic; sighting information relayed to mariners survey information: Mandatory Ship Reporting systems operation & data analysis Ship Strike Strategy Implementation – DEIS preparation Other: analysis, passive acoustics, stranding response Right Whale Budget – FY2005

Reducing Entanglement (~1/6 of total) Disentanglement program (CCS) ALWTRP – DEIS, TRT meetings Grants program - fishing gear modification innovation; buybacks, etc. State Programs (~1/6 of total) MA, NY, VA, GA, FL, others - primarily surveys, but other activities as well Biology and Population Monitoring (~1/6 of total) Sightings and photo-id data bases; surveys; analysis Critical habitat analysis; Health studies Vessel Surveys Right Whale Grants Program Recovery, general; Admin/overhead, Travel (~1/6 of total) Implementation Teams; Enforcement; Salaries -- FY2006 President's Request: $5.9 million -- Right Whale Budget - FY2005

1. NEIT Funding Funding & projects discussed this morning e.g., Merchant Mariner training module; outreach; economic studies; etc. 2. Right Whale Competitive Grants Program FY03: FY04: attached FY05: continuation of year-two or multi-year studies; no new funding in FY05 3. Ship Strike Strategy Implementation Contract for preparation of DEIS; Strategy & Alternatives analysis FY2005 Project Funding

NMFS prepared draft Ship Strike Reduction Strategy Strategy issued as an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR), Fall public comment meetings held at 5 different locations along the Atlantic coast Report on ANPR Stakeholder Meetings

Comment period ended 15 November 11 meetings held with shipping industry representatives, ports, pilots, NGOs, other agencies, etc. at 11 different locations Several hundred participants Bruce Russell, JS&A Environmental Services contracted to prepare summary reports – Being finalized and will be posted ANPR Stakeholder Meetings

Key comments - Economic considerations Questions about validity of data on population size/mortality Use of speed restrictions as a measure Use of technology (including acoustics) as a measure Questions about triggers and durations for Dynamic Management Areas (DMA) ANPR Stakeholder Meetings

Comments from three sources: public comment meetings; stakeholder meetings; written comments on the ANPR Public comments on the ANPR are posted at ogram/msr/ship_strike.htm Comments being considered and being used to develop Alternatives for DEIS Plans for preparation of a DEIS DEIS, possible proposed rule, expected by late summer/early fall Economic study is part of the DEIS analysis Status of Ship Strike Strategy

Port Access Route Studies – USCG – public comment period open through mid-April Working with federal agencies, e.g., ESA Section 7 consultations Considered emergency rulemaking Ongoing dialog with shipping industry, recreational boaters, etc. – A role for the NEIT Other Activities

Final draft provided for public comment Comment period ended 1 November 2004 Comments have been incorporated into Final Plan Final Plan completed; preparing FR notice announcing release of Final Plan FR notice nearly completed, will enter clearance Recovery Plan -- Status