AFSC/REFM: Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Economic Survey 2013

The purpose of this project was to collect data to understand the publics preferences for protecting the Cook Inlet beluga whale (CIBW), a distinct population segment (stock) of beluga whale that resides solely in the Cook Inlet, Alaska. The survey was administered during the summer and fall of 2013. The data underwent quality control and evaluation during 2013 and 2014 and are in the process of being analyzed.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is the primary agency responsible for the protection of marine mammals in the U.S., including the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale (CIBW). Recovery planning and management is expected to be ongoing for the foreseeable future. In deciding between management actions, planners and policy makers must balance the ESA and MMPA goals of protecting CIBWs from further declines with economic activities and development in the Cook Inlet region. Cook Inlet beluga whale protection actions may be subject to Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735), which requires regulatory agencies to consider costs and benefits in deciding among alternative management actions. Little is known about the public benefits associated with protecting this species, yet such information is needed for decision makers to more fully understand the trade-offs involved in choosing among potential protection alternatives and to complement other information available about the costs, benefits, and impacts of protection alternatives. This data collection and the subsequent research and analysis will provide the information needed to allow for a fuller range of benefits to be considered along with cost estimates, as well as other non-economic information, in the analysis of management actions that affect the CIBW.

Loaded by FGDC Metadata Uploader, batch 8628, 04-20-2016 12:21

The following FGDC sections are not currently supported in InPort, but were preserved and will be included in the FGDC export:

- Taxonomy (FGDC:taxonomy)

UC Davis California

Contact point of contact.

The data set is still being analyzed and will not be available for distribution until it has been finalized and all QA/QC practices have been performed. Contact the Point Of Contact for estimated time of release.

User must read and fully comprehend the metadata prior to use. Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. Acknowledgement

of NOAA/NMFS/AFSC, as the source from which these data were obtained in any publications and/or other representations of these, data is suggested.

Excel

Not applicable.

The survey contractor (Ipsos) undertook a standard set of QA/QC steps to ensure the data were entered correctly and valid.

See dataqual and method in uploaded FGDC view.

unknown

Project report not available yet.