North Pacific Right Whales - Critical Habitat
Critical Habitat Order
Judge Alsup orders NMFS to designate critical habitat for the northern right whale in the Pacific Ocean
By ruling dated June 14, 2005, U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup remanded to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) the matter of revising critical habitat for the northern right whale in the Pacific Ocean. The remand includes orders that NMFS publish a conclusive determination by October 28, 2005 by either proposing designation of an area in the North Pacific ocean as critical habitat for right whales or by explaining why such designation should not occur due to more paramount statutory considerations.
NMFS issued a final rule on April 8, 2008, to designate critical habitat for the North Pacific right whale. The rule became effective on May 8, 2008.
The attached figures present observations of north pacific right whales in U.S. waters from 1940 to 2005 and for the broader timeframes of the 1800s, the 1900s and the late 20th Century. The information in these figures is one of the bases for evaluating designation of critical habitat and shows the locations of harvested whales, as well as recent sightings and acoustic recordings of north pacific right whales.
- Observations of North Pacific Right Whales in US Waters from 1940 to 2005 (727 kb)
- Historic and current habitat use by North Pacific right whales Eubalaena japonica in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska: Figures from Shelden, K.W., S.E. Moore, J.M. Waite, P.R. Wade and D.J. Rugh, 2005.