RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE STELLER SEA LION Eastern and Western Distinct Population Segments (Eumetopias jubatus) REVISION National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration March 2008 Steller Sen Lion Recovenj Plan RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE STELLER SEA LION Eastern and Western Distinct Population Segments (Eumetopias ju batus) REVISION Original Version: December 1992 Prepared by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Services Office ?$ Protected Resources Approved: James W. Balsiger, Ph.D. Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Date: - 24-g'~ Steller Sea Lion Recovery Plan PREFACE Congress passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 USC 1531 et seq.) (ESA) to protect species of plants and animals endangered or threatened with extinction. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) share responsibility for the administration of the Act. NMFS is responsible for most marine mammals including the Steller sea lion. Section 4(f) of the ESA directs the responsible agency to develop and implement a Recovery Plan, unless such a plan will not promote the conservation of a species. NMFS has determined that a Recovery Plan would promote the conservation of the eastern and western distinct population segments of Steller sea lion. NMFS completed the first recovery plan for Steller sea lions in December 1992. At that time, the entire species was listed as threatened under the ESA. Because that recovery plan became obsolete after the reclassification of Steller sea lions into two distinct population segments (DPS) in 1997, and because nearly all of the recovery actions contained in the first plan had been completed, NMFS assembled a new Steller Sea Lion Recovery Team (Team) in 2001 to assist NMFS in revising the Plan to promote the conservation of the Steller sea lion. The first draft of the revised plan was written by the Team at the request of the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries. The recovery team included: experts on marine mammals from the private sector, academia, and government; experts on endangered species conservation; and representatives of the commercial fishing industry, the Alaska Native Steller sea lion subsistence hunting community, and the environmental community. In March 2006, the Team submitted a draft of the Recovery Plan to NMFS, at which time it became an agency document. NMFS made minor editorial changes prior to releasing the first draft for public review and comment in May 2006. Upon review of the comments and recommendations submitted by peer reviewers and the public, and in light of new information available, NMFS further revised and updated the Plan. The changes made by NMFS were reflected in the Agency’s updated (May 2007 version) Draft Revised Steller Sea Lion Recovery Plan, released by NMFS for further public review and comment on May 21, 2007 (72 FR 28473), with the comment period closing on August 20, 2007. NMFS received 8,058 letters of comment on the May 2007 draft of the revised Plan. Comments were provided by a wide range of interested parties: members of the fishing industry, non- governmental organizations (NGOs), members of academia, the public, and other interested parties. In response to two solicitations, from NMFS and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC), peer review comments were received from the Center for Independent Experts and from scientific experts commissioned by the North Pacific Research Board, at the request of the NPFMC. NMFS reviewed the comments and recommendations submitted by peer reviewers and the public on the 2007 version of the draft revised plan and modified the plan as appropriate to produce this Final Revised Steller Sea Lion Recovery Plan (Plan). NMFS’s response to comments on the May 2007 draft of the Plan is available at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/ i Steller Sea Lion Recovery Plan NMFS believes that the goals and objectives of the Plan can be achieved only with a long-term commitment to support the actions recommended here. Achievement of these goals and objectives will require the continued cooperation of the governments of the United States, Canada, and Russia. Within the United States, the shared resources and cooperative involvement of federal, state (especially the State of Alaska) and local governments, industry, academia, non-government organizations, and individual citizens will be required throughout the recovery period. ii Steller Sea Lion Recovery Plan DISCLAIMER Recovery plans delineate such reasonable actions as may be necessary, based upon the best scientific and commercial data available, for the conservation and survival of listed species. Plans are published by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, State agencies and others. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views, official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than NMFS. They represent the official position of NMFS only after they have been signed by the Assistant Administrator. Recovery plans are guidance and planning documents only; identification of an action to be implemented by any public or private party does not create a legal obligation beyond existing legal requirements. Nothing in this plan should be construed as a commitment or requirement that any Federal agency obligate or pay funds in any one fiscal year in excess of appropriations made by Congress for that fiscal year in contravention of the Anti-Deficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. 1341, or any other law or regulation. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery actions. Literature Citation should read as follows: National Marine Fisheries Service. 2008. Recovery Plan for the Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus). Revision. National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD. 325 pages. Additional Copies May Be Obtained From: National Marine Fisheries Service Alaska Regional Office 709 West 9th Street Juneau, AK 99802-1668 907-586-7235 On Line: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov Recovery plans can be downloaded at no cost from: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/recovery/plans.htm Cover photo by Lowell Fritz, National Marine Mammal Laboratory, NMFS. iii Steller Sea Lion Recovery Plan ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The National Marine Fisheries Service gratefully acknowledges the Steller Sea Lion Recovery Team for their work in developing their draft (the first draft) of this Recovery Plan for the Steller Sea Lion. That draft was subsequently modified by NMFS, and revised again after peer review and public review to produce this final plan. The members of the Steller Sea Lion Recovery Team are given below RECOVERY TEAM MEMBERS Team Member Affiliation Dr. Robert J. Small – Chair Alaska Department of Fish and Game Dr. Shannon Atkinson Alaska SeaLife Center/University of Alaska Fairbanks Ms. Linda Behnken Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association Mr. Vernon Byrd U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mr. Dave Fraser F/V Muir Milach Mr. Lowell Fritz National Marine Fisheries Service Dr. Tom Gelatt National Marine Fisheries Service Dr. David Hanson Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission Ms. Lianna Jack Alaska Sea Otter and Steller Sea Lion Commission Mr. Denby Lloyd Alaska Department of Fish and Game Ms. Donna Parker F/V Arctic Storm Mr. Ken Pitcher Alaska Department of Fish and Game Dr. Alan Springer Institute of Marine Science/University of Alaska Fairbanks Mr. Ken Stump Citizen North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Dr. Andrew Trites Consortium Dr. Terrie Williams University of California Santa Cruz Ms. Kate Wynne University of Alaska iv Steller Sea Lion Recovery Plan ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FROM THE STELLER SEA LION RECOVERY TEAM The Steller Sea Lion Recovery Team acknowledged and thanked the following individuals for their expert advice, research results, and general guidance and assistance that allowed them to complete the monumental task of writing the first draft of the Steller Sea Lion Recovery Plan: Shane Capron, the Steller sea lion coordinator for NMFS, invested a tremendous amount of time and energy in guiding the Team through the recovery planning process. He also engaged the Team in critically important discussions that resulted in substantial improvements to the Plan. Don Calkins, Doug Eggers, Tom Loughlin, and Robin Samuelsen all contributed as members of the Team when our endeavor began. Al Didier demonstrated an amazing ability to accurately transcribe the important and pertinent points of the discussions at our meetings into useful meeting summaries. The following NMFS staff, especially of the Alaska Region and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, provided unpublished data and reports, and substantial time and advice on most aspects of the Plan: Tammy Adams, Robyn Angliss, Vladimir Burkanov, Marilyn Dalheim, Robert DeLong, John Durbin, Tom Eagle, Brandee Gerke, Jim Hale, Lee Hulbert, Peggy Krahn, Marina Lindsey, Libby Loggerwell, Mark Lowry, Greg O’Corry-Crowe, Erika Green Phillips, Sharon Melin, Mike Payne, Susan Pultz, Mike Sigler, Beth Sinclair, Barbara Taylor, Johanna Vollenweider, Paul Wade, Bill Wilson, and Anne York. Several other individuals provided expert advice, including Lance Barrett-Lennard (Vancouver Aquarium), Kimberlee Beckmen (ADF&G), John Bickham (Texas A&M University), Kathy Burek (Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services), Michael