[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 230 (Friday, November 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67712-67713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-23258]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XE02
Endangered and Threatened Species; Initiation of a Status Review
for Shortnose Sturgeon
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for information.
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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce the initiation of a status review for
shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), and we solicit information
on the status of, and factors and threats affecting, the species. The
status review is intended to compile and analyze the best available
information on the status of and threats to the species and also
consider if shortnose sturgeon should be identified and assessed as
Distinct Population Segments.
DATES: Written information regarding the status of, and factors and
threats affecting, shortnose sturgeon must be received by January 29,
2008.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by ``RIN 0648-XE02,'' by
any one of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Submit all electronic public
comments via the
[[Page 67713]]
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Fax: 978-281-9394, Attention: Dana Hartley.
Mail: Information on paper, disk or CD-ROM should be
addressed to the Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected
Resources, NMFS Northeast Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930.
Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without
change. All Personal Identifying Information (for example, name,
address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly
accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or
otherwise sensitive or protected information.
NMFS will accept anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic
comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or
Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dana Hartley, NMFS, Northeast Regional
Office (978) 281-9300 ext. 6514; Stephania Bolden, NMFS, Southeast
Regional Office (727) 824-5312; or Marta Nammack, NMFS, Office of
Protected Resources, (301) 713-1410.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
NMFS has Endangered Species Act (ESA) jurisdiction of species
listed at 50 CFR 223.102 and 224.101. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) adds species under NMFS jurisdiction to its official
list (List), published at 50 CFR 17.11 (for animals) and 17.12 (for
plants). Shortnose sturgeon was listed as an ``endangered species
threatened with extinction'' under the Endangered Species Preservation
Act on March 11, 1967. Shortnose sturgeon as a species remained on the
endangered species list with the enactment of the ESA. We are
conducting a status review to update the biological information on the
status of the species. The status review will not only compile and
analyze the best available information on the status of and threats to
the species, it will also consider if shortnose sturgeon should be
identified and assessed as Distinct Population Segments (61 FR 4722;
February 1, 1996). Listing or reclassifying distinct vertebrate
population segments may allow us to protect and conserve species and
the ecosystems upon which they depend before large-scale decline
occurs; it may also allow for more timely and less costly protection
and recovery on a smaller scale. Any change in the List would require a
separate rulemaking process. The regulations at 50 CFR 424.21 state
that we will publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing those
species under active review. At this time we announce commencement of a
status review for shortnose sturgeon, and request information regarding
the status of, and factors and threats affecting, the species.
Request for Information
To support this status review, we are soliciting information
relevant to the status of, and factors and threats affecting, the
species, including, but not limited to, information on the following
topics: (1) river-specific historical and current abundance and
distribution of the species throughout its range; (2) potential factors
affecting the species' current status and past or ongoing decline
throughout its range by river; (3) rates of capture and release of the
species from both recreational and commercial fisheries; (4) life
history information (size/age at maturity, growth rates, fecundity,
reproductive rate/success, preferred prey, etc.); (5) molecular
information to assist in determining within-species genetic structure
and distinctiveness; (6) factors and threats affecting the species'
status, particularly: (a) present or threatened destruction,
modification, or curtailment of habitat or range; (b) over-utilization
for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; (c)
disease or predation; (d) inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms;
or (e) other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued
existence; and (7) any ongoing conservation efforts for the species.
If you wish to provide information for this review, see DATES and
ADDRESSES for guidance on and deadlines for submitting information.
If we determine that a change to the way shortnose sturgeon is
entered on the List is appropriate, we will consider the critical
habitat provisions of the ESA, such as Section 3 (defining critical
habitat) and Section 4 (outlining the procedural and substantive
considerations regarding critical habitat) and make the necessary
determinations required by those provisions. If you would like to
provide information regarding the physical or biological features of
shortnose sturgeon habitat, the role they play in the conservation of
shortnose sturgeon, and whether any natural or human-induced factors
may negatively affect those features, we will accept it at this time.
Please note, however, that this notice and request for information
should not be construed as an indication that we have made any
statutory determinations regarding shortnose sturgeon, including
whether to change the List or whether the designation of critical
habitat for any newly listed entity is prudent or determinable.
Dated: November 26, 2007.
Helen Golde
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-23258 Filed 11-29-07; 8:45 am]
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