Critical habitat in the Caribbean Sea area includes the waters adjacent to Sandy Point, St. Croix from the 100 fathom curve shoreward to the level of mean high tide.Critical habitat in the Pacific Ocean areas includes marine waters to a depth of 80 meters from the ocean surface and is delineated along the shoreline at the line of extreme low water, except in the case of estuaries and bays where COLREGS lines (defined at 33 CFR part 80) are used as the shoreward boundary. The seaward boundary of the nearshore Washington/Oregon area (from Cape Flattery south to Cape Blanco) is defined along the 2,000 meter isobath. The seaward boundary of the nearshore California area (from Point Arena south to Point Arguello) is defined along the 3,000 meter isobath.

These data represent the critical habitat for Right Whale as designated by Federal Register Vol. 59, No. 28805, May 19, 1993, Rules and Regulations. This rule was updated by Federal Register Vol. 81, No. 4838, January 27, 2016.

The following waterways, bottom and water of the waterways and adjacent riparian zones: The Sacramento River from Keswick Dam, Shasta County (River Mile 302) to Chipps Island (River Mile 0) at the westward margin of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, all waters from Chipps Island westward to Carquinez Bridge, including Honker Bay, Grizzly Bay, Suisun Bay, and Carquinez Strait, all waters of San Pablo Bay westward of the Carquinez Bridge, and all waters of San Francisco Bay (north of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge) from San Pablo Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge.Adjacent riparian zones are those areas above a streambank that provide cover and shade to the nearshore aquatic areas. This designation does not include any estuarine sloughs.

In nearshore marine areas, critical habitat includes areas contiguous with the shoreline from the line of extreme high water out to a depth no greater than 30 meters relative to mean lower low water.See the final rule (70 FR 52630) for descriptions of areas excluded from this critical habitat designation. Military areas ineligible for designation (qualifying Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan) were not clipped out of the data. Excluded military areas (due to national security impacts) and Indian lands were not clipped out of the data.

Critical habitat for the Western DPS of Steller sea lions includes:(a) Alaska rookeries, haulouts, and associated areas. In Alaska, all major Steller sea lion rookeries identified in Table 1 and major haulouts identified in Table 2 and associated terrestrial, air, and aquatic zones. Critical habitat includes a terrestrial zone that extends 3,000 feet (0.9 km) landward from the baseline or base point of each major rookery and major haulout in Alaska. Critical habitat includes an air zone that extends 3,000 feet (0.9 km) above the terrestrial zone of each major rookery and major haulout in Alaska, measured vertically from sea level. Critical habitat includes an aquatic zone that extends 3,000 feet (0.9 km) seaward in State and Federally managed waters from the baseline or basepoint of each major rookery and major haulout in Alaska that is east of 144° W. longitude. Critical habitat includes an aquatic zone that extends 20 nm (37 km) seaward in State and Federally managed waters from the baseline or basepoint of each major rookery and major haulout in Alaska that is west of 144° W. longitude.(b) California and Oregon rookeries and associated areas. In California and Oregon, all major Steller sea lion rookeries identified in Table 1 and associated air and aquatic zones. Critical habitat includes an air zone that extends 3,000 feet (0.9 km) above areas historically occupied by sea lions at each major rookery in California and Oregon, measured vertically from sea level. Critical habitat includes an aquatic zone that extends 3,000 feet (0.9 km) seaward in State and Federally managed waters from the baseline or basepoint of each major rookery in California and Oregon.(c) Three special aquatic foraging areas in Alaska. Three special aquatic foraging areas in Alaska, including the Shelikof Strait area, the Bogoslof area, and the Seguam Pass area.ESA timeline:Steller sea lions were originally listed (55 FR 49204, November 26, 1990) under the ESA throughout their range and critcal habitat was designated in 1993 (58 FR 45269, August 27, 1993). The critical habitat designation was amended (59 FR 30715, June 15, 1994) to correct data errors in Table 2 (Major Steller Sea Lion Haulout sites in Alaska) to Part 226 in the CFR.Steller sea lions were reclassified and listed as 2 DPSs: the Western DPS and Eastern DPS (62 FR 24345, May 5, 1997).The Eastern DPS of Steller sea lions was delisted (78 FR 66140, November 4, 2013). In the delisting final rule, NMFS clarified that the 1993 critical habitat designation remains in effect for the Western DPS of Steller sea lions.

The Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) population is threatened by a number of identified risk factors including prey availability, contaminants, vessel noise and disturbance, and small population size. In addition, there are several data gaps SRKW regarding their ecology. Although summer distribution is well documented, their winter distribution is not well known. Satellite tagging, acoustic recorders, and a compilation of public sightings has allowed for a much better assessment of this population’s winter distribution. Satellite tagging has been suspended in response to the mortality of a tagged SRKW, such that acoustic recorders and public sightings will be the primary approaches used to improve our understanding of the whale population’s occurrence and habitat use. Recent data has shown changes in the whales’ summer distribution patterns. Consequently, additional data on occurrence and movement patterns will be particularly important to document in the near term as the next couple of years to assess their potential response to the expected to have relatively lower abundance of returning Chinook, their primary prey. SRKW coastal sightings.

The eastern population of the North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) is the most endangered stock of whales in the world, with recent abundance estimates indicating a population size of approximately 30 animals. Photo-identification of the naturally occurring callosity patterns on the chin, rostrum, lips and post blowhole, and the lip and fluke trailing edge crenulations together represent a nonintrusive technique for obtaining information on their life history parameters, distribution and movements, stock structure, health assessment, and population size. As part of a study funded by the Minerals Management Service and North Pacific Research Board, a North Pacific right whale photo-identification catalog has been established using sighting data recorded since the late 1970s by various dedicated surveys and opportunistic sighting platforms. Date, time, position, photographer, picture quality and notes are documented for each of the approximately 1,780 photographs in the catalog. Within the catalog, there are 18 individual animals with both a high-quality left and right side oblique photograph or a high-quality aerial photograph of the head and dorsal surface; this should be considered the conservative minimum number of individuals catalogued. There are nine other animals with a high quality left or right oblique photograph, but not both. There are eight additional animals with the full suite of required photographs, but the images are of poor quality and cannot be reliably matched. Seven individuals were seen between years (over a period of 11 years), and one of those whales was seen in five separate years within that same period. Data from this catalog have been used to calculate the first abundance estimates for the population. Additionally, the first known match between high and low latitudes (the Bering Sea and Hawaii) was discovered in the catalog. Tracking the within- and between-year sighting histories of photo-identified individuals over decades broadens our knowledge of how these animals use their habitat, and can significantly assist the conservation and management of the species.

In nearshore marine areas, critical habitat includes areas contiguous with the shoreline from the line of extreme high water out to a depth no greater than 30 meters relative to mean lower low water.See the final rule (70 FR 52630) for descriptions of areas excluded from this critical habitat designation. Excluded Dept of Defense (DOD) lands and Indian lands were not clipped out of the data.

In nearshore marine areas, critical habitat includes areas contiguous with the shoreline from the line of extreme high water out to a depth no greater than 30 meters relative to mean lower low water.See the final rule (70 FR 52630) for descriptions of areas excluded from this critical habitat designation. Excluded Dept of Defense (DOD) lands and Indian lands were not clipped out of the data.

Orcinus spp. occur in the Pacific Ocean throughout the West Coast of North America. Data concerning their precise locations and abundance are critical to understanding their population trends and movement patterns. The Pacific Orcinus Distrbution Survey provides such data, allowing scientists and managers to better understand and manage Orcinus spp. Pacific Orcinus distribution.