West Coast Region’s revised Endangered Species Act implementation and considerations about “take” given the September 2016 humpback whale DPS status review, species-wide revision of listings, and updates to best available scientific information

The purpose of this memo is to document the best available scientific evidence on the presence of the different Distinct Population Segments (DPSs) of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off the coasts of Washington (WA), Oregon (OR), and California (CA) and to describe our revised approach to assessing the effects of various human activities on those DPSs pursuant to sections 7, 9, and 10 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA)