Scientific Review Groups
Scientific Review Groups advise NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the status of marine mammal stocks under Section 117 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The Scientific Review Groups advise NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on:
- The marine mammal stock assessment reports.
- Abundance estimates, status, and trends of marine mammal stocks.
- Uncertainties in identifying stocks, assessing the status or trends of stocks, and evaluating factors affecting the distribution, abundance, or productivity of the stocks.
- Research to address these uncertainties regarding marine mammals and to reduce incidental mortality of marine mammals incidental to fishing operations.
- Issues related to habitats for marine mammals and the effects of natural or anthropogenic (human-caused) change to habitats.
- Other issues that the groups or agencies deem appropriate.
Scientific Review Groups advise on the status of marine mammal stocks within three areas:
- Alaskan waters
- Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico
- Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii
Find marine mammal stock assessment reports by region
Terms of Reference
The Scientific Review Group Terms of Reference (PDF, 16 pages) outlines roles and responsibilities, membership, and terms of service.
Minutes/Reports from Joint SRG Meetings
February 2016 Joint Meeting (Seattle, Washington)
January 2008 Joint Meeting (Monterey, California)
April 1999 Joint Meeting (Seattle, Washington)
October 1994 Joint Meeting (Seattle, Washington)
- Meeting Minutes (PDF, 17 pages)
- U.S. Marine Mammal Stock Assessments:
Guidelines for Preparation, Background, and a Summary of the 1995 Assessments (PDF, 80 pages)
- U.S. Marine Mammal Stock Assessments:
Alaska Scientific Review Group
The Alaska SRG advises NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on stocks of marine mammals that occur in waters off Alaska that are under the jurisdiction of the United States. These stocks include:
- Dolphins
- Porpoise
- Small and large whales
- Sea lions
- Seals
- Sea otters (U.S. FWS jurisdiction)
- Polar bears (U.S. FWS jurisdiction)
- Walrus (U.S. FWS jurisdiction)
Key conservation issues for marine mammals in Alaska include:
- "Take" in commercial fisheries.
- Loss of sea ice due to climate change.
- Disturbance and habitat modification related to coastal development.
- Entanglement in marine debris.
- Take of marine mammals by Alaska Natives for subsistence and handicraft purposes.
Members
- Maille Branson, Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute
- John Citta, North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management
- Elizabeth Concepcion, Alaska Seafood Cooperative
- Thomas Doniol-Valcroze, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Michelle Fournet, University of New Hampshire
- Donna Hauser, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Greg O’Corry-Crowe, Florida Atlantic University, (Acting Co-Chair)
- Megan Peterson Williams, Ocean Conservancy, (Acting Co-Chair)
- Lori Quakenbush, State of Alaska
- Eric Regehr, University of Washington
- Kate Stafford, Oregon State University
- Nicole Wojciechowski, North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management
Alaska SRG Meeting Minutes and Correspondence
March 2024 (Seattle, Washington)
April 2023 (Seattle, Washington)
July 2022 Inter-Sessional Call on Humpback Whales
March 2022
March 2021 (Virtual)
February 2020 (Seattle, Washington)
February 2019 (Seattle, Washington)
February 2018 (Seattle, Washington)
February 2017 (Anchorage, Alaska)
February 2016 (Seattle, Washington)
February 2015 (Seattle, Washington)
March 2014 (Anchorage, Alaska)
March 2013 (Seattle, Washington)
July 2012 (Anchorage, Alaska)
February 2010 (Anchorage, Alaska)
- Meeting Minutes (PDF, 33 pages)
- SRG Letter to NOAA Fisheries (PDF, 7 pages)
- SRG Letter on Harbor Seal Stocks (PDF, 2 pages)
January 2009 (Seattle, Washington)
January 2008 (Monterey, California, following Joint SRG meeting)
- Meeting Minutes (PDF, 27 pages)
- SRG Letter on Harbor Seals (PDF, 3 pages)
- Joint Meeting Report (PDF, 22 pages)
January 2007 (Seattle, Washington)
- Meeting Minutes (PDF, 25 pages)
- SRG Recommendations, February 2007 (PDF, 2 pages)
- SRG Letter on Observers (PDF, 4 pages)
- SRG Letter on Harbor Seals (PDF, 2 pages)
- SRG 2007 Recommendations (PDF, 2 pages)
January 2006 (Anchorage, Alaska)
November 2004 (Anchorage, Alaska)
November 2003 (Anchorage, Alaska)
March 2003 (Seattle, Washington)
March 2002 (Juneau, Alaska)
November 2001 (Anchorage, Alaska)
March 2000 (Anchorage, Alaska)
October 1999 (Juneau, Alaska)
April 1999 (Seattle, Washington)
November 1998 (Anchorage, Alaska)
June 1998 (Juneau, Alaska)
October 1997 (Seattle, Washington)
May 1997 (Seattle, Washington)
September 1996 (Anchorage, Alaska)
February 1995 (Anchorage, Alaska)
January 1995 (Anchorage, Alaska)
Atlantic Scientific Review Group
The Atlantic SRG advises NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on marine mammals along the Atlantic coast, Gulf Coast, and U.S. Territories in the Caribbean.
Marine mammals in this area include:
- Porpoise
- Dolphins
- Small and large whales
- Seals
- Manatees (U.S. FWS jurisdiction)
Key conservation issues for marine mammals in the Atlantic region include:
- "Take" incidental to commercial and recreational fisheries.
- Disturbance and habitat modification related to human development and activities in all coastal areas.
- Entanglement in marine debris.
- Contaminants and pollution.
Scientific advice on marine mammals in the Caribbean is inhibited by relatively little directed research and monitoring in the waters surrounding U.S. Territories.
Members
- Robert Bonde, U.S. Geological Survey (retired)
- Yong Chen, University of Maine
- Francine Kershaw, Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- John Lawson, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Richard Merrick
- Erin Meyer-Gutbrod, University of South Carolina
- Genevieve Nesslage, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
- Kathryn Ono, University of New England
- Arturo Serrano-Solis, Universidad Veracruzana (Veracruz University)
- Sarah Sharp, International Fund for Animal Welfare
- Ana Sirovic, Norwegian University of Science and Technology8
- Erin Summers, Maine Department of Marine Resources
- Len Thomas, University of St. Andrews
- Lesley Thorne, State University of New York at Stony Brook
Atlantic SRG Meeting Minutes and Correspondence
February 2024 (Charleston, South Carolina)
February 2023 (Bayamón, Puerto Rico)
February 2022 (Virtual)
February 2021 (Virtual)
February 2020 (Sarasota, Florida)
May 2019 (Woods Hole, Massachusetts)
February 2018 (Sarasota, Florida)
- Meeting minutes (PDF, 19 pages)
- Recommendations to NOAA Fisheries (PDF, 4 pages)
- Recommendations to U.S. FWS (PDF, 2 pages)
February 2017 (Narragansett, Rhode Island)
- Meeting Minutes (PDF, 25 pages)
- Recommendations to U.S. FWS (PDF, 4 pages)
- Recommendations to NOAA Fisheries (PDF, 2 pages)
February 2016 (Seattle, Washington)
February 2015 (Jacksonville, Florida)
February 2014 (Woods Hole, Massachusetts)
March 2013 (St. Petersburg, Florida)
February 2012 (Sarasota, Florida)
February 2011 (Boston, Massachusetts)
February 2010 (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
February 2009 (St. Petersburg, Florida)
January 2008 (Monterey, California following Joint SRG meeting)
January 2007 (Jacksonville, Florida)
December 2004 (Sarasota, Florida)
May 2003 (Appledore Island, Maine)
November 2002 (New Orleans, Louisiana)
May 2002 (Woods Hole, Massachusetts)
November 2001 (Narragansett, Rhode Island)
November 2000 (La Parguera, Puerto Rico)
November 1999 (Woods Hole, Massachusetts)
January 1999 (Seattle, Washington - Joint)
May 1998 (Sarasota, Florida)
November 1997 (Charleston, South Carolina)
May 1997 (New Orleans, Louisiana)
October 1996 (Gloucester, Massachusetts)
May 1996 (Charleston, South Carolina)
December 1995 (Orlando, Florida)
January 1995 (Woods Hole, Massachusetts)
Pacific Scientific Review Group
The Pacific SRG advises NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on marine mammals in waters along the West Coast of the United States, within waters surrounding the main and Northwest Hawaiian Islands, and within waters surrounding U.S. Territories in the Western Pacific.
Marine mammals in this area include:
- Seals
- Sea lions
- Porpoise
- Dolphins
- Small and large whales
- Sea otters, off the coasts of California and Washington (U.S. FWS jurisdiction)
Key conservation issues for marine mammals in the Pacific Region include
- "Take" incidental to commercial fishing.
- Disturbance and habitat modification due to coastal development.
- Entanglement in marine debris.
- Seal and sea lion (pinniped) interactions with humans.
- Predation on threatened and endangered salmonids.
There has been a long-term research and monitoring project on Hawaiian monk seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and a photo-id study on cetaceans surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands, but information on other marine mammals throughout Pacific Islands areas is limited.
Members
- Robin Baird, Cascadia Research Collective
- Scott Baker, Oregon State University
- John Brandon, ICF International, Inc.
- Simone Baumann-Pickering, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego
- Lars Bejder, University of Hawaii
- Douglas DeMaster, consultant
- Chris Free, University of California Santa Barbara
- Matt Leslie, U.S. Geological Survey
- Leslie New, Washington State University
- M. Tim Tinker, University of California Santa Cruz
- Leigh Torres, Oregon State University
Pacific SRG Meeting Minutes and Correspondence
March 2024 (La Jolla, California)
March 2023 (Honolulu, Hawaiʻi)
March 2022
March 2021
March 2020
March 2019 (Olympia, Washington)
March 2018 (La Jolla, California)
February 2017 (Honolulu, Hawaiʻi)
February 2016 (Seattle, Washington)
March 2015 (Seattle, Washington)
October 2014 - Webinar and Conference Call
April 2014 (Honolulu, Hawaiʻi)
April 2013 (Del Mar, California)
November 2011 (Seattle, Washington)
November 2010 (Kona, Hawaiʻi)
November 2009 (Del Mar, California)
November 2008 (Maui, Hawaiʻi)
January 2008 (Monterey, California following Joint SRG meeting)
November 2006 (Seattle, Washington)
November 2005 (Honolulu, Hawaiʻi)
January 2005 (Santa Cruz, California)
November 2003 (La Jolla, California)
November 2002 (Maui, Hawaiʻi)
January 2002 (La Jolla, California)
November 2000 (Astoria, Oregon)
December 1999 (Maui, Hawaiʻi)
April 1999 (Seattle, Washington)
November 1998 (Seattle, Washington)
March 1998 (Honolulu, Hawaiʻi)
October 1997 (La Jolla, California)
May 1997 (Seattle, Washington)
July 1996 (La Jolla, California)
April 1995 (Kaanapali, Hawaiʻi)
December 1994 (La Jolla, California)