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We, NMFS, issue a final determination to revise the listing status of the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We divide the globally listed endangered species into 14 distinct population segments (DPS), remove the current species-level listing, and in its place list four DPSs as endangered and one DPS as threatened. Based on their current statuses, the remaining nine DPSs do not warrant listing. At this time, we find that critical habitat is not determinable for the three listed DPSs that occur in U.S. waters (Western North Pacific, Mexico, Central America); we will consider designating critical habitat for these three DPSs in a separate rulemaking.

Healthy coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse and economically valuable ecosystems on earth, providing hundreds of billions of dollars in food, jobs,

Coral reef ecosystems have great economic, social and cultural importance to communities, businesses and nations around the world. These ecosystems provide a wide range of valuable ecological services, constituting a major food source, economic base, and future hope for sustainable development in many countries, particularly small island nations. Given these important roles of coral reefs across the globe, U.S. efforts to promote healthy coral reefs internationally are critical to U.S. diplomatic and development strategies to promote economic and food security, social stability, democratic governance, improved human health, disaster and climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation in many countries.

A stock assessment of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) population in the North Pacific was conducted using catch and effort data from commercial longline and large mesh driftnet fisheries from the years 1971 through 2002 as well as small mesh driftnet fisheries operating primarily in the 1980s. Because reporting of shark catch has not been required in these fisheries, which target primarily tunas, a system for identifying the more reliable longline catch reports was utilized. Two different assessment models were utilized, a surplus production model, and an integrated age and spatial structured model tested with a variety of structural assumptions. The two models were found to be in general agreement. The trends in abundance in the production model and all alternate runs of the integrated model show the same pattern of decline in the 1980s followed by recovery to above the level at the start of the time series. The integrated model analyses indicated some probability (around 30%) that biomass at the end of the time series was less than BMSY (overfished) and that there was a lesser probability at that time that fishing mortality was greater than FMSY (overfishing occurring). There was an increasing trend in total effort expended by longline fisheries toward the end of the time series, and this trend may have continued thereafter. It would be prudent to assume that the population is at least close to MSY level and fishing mortality may be approaching to the MSY level in the future.

The main purpose of SEM-Pasifika is to improve site management of the coastal and marine areas in the Pacific region. It should guide interested communities in the region (including communities who have used existing methods and new communities without experiences in socio-economic assessment), management and project staff, researchers, and other practitioners, to understand important steps involved in a socioeconomic assessment and to be able to conduct the monitoring. The socioeconomic information collected will help the stakeholders at a site in management, monitoring, policy making, development and research. The information could also be entered into a global or regional database for comparison and eventually an improvement of coastal management at a multi-national level.

It is becoming clear that there is a fair amount of small plastic distributed in the oceans and on beaches worldwide, not surprising given its durability and floatability. Marine debris is often ingested by animals such as sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds. Items such as lighters and small plastic pieces may look like food to an animal, or have an animal's natural food attached to it. Debris may also be ingested accidentally with actual food items. Exactly how many of them die each year due to marine debris ingestion is not known.