[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 9978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-5871]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 011996A]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Recovery Plans for Listed Sea 
Turtles

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Department of 
the Interior, (collectively, the Services) announce the availability of 
the proposed recovery plans for U.S. Pacific populations of endangered 
and threatened sea turtles, as required by the Endangered Species Act 
of 1973 (ESA). These reviews and any written comments received shall be 
considered by the Services in their approval of the final recovery 
plans.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted on or before May 13, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the proposed recovery plans may be 
submitted to the Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 
20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Therese Conant, 301-713-1401, or 
Richard Byles, 505-248-6647.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The ESA is administered jointly by the Services. NMFS has 
jurisdiction over most species in the marine system while FWS has 
jurisdiction elsewhere. Listed endangered and threatened species under 
NMFS jurisdiction are enumerated in 50 CFR 222.23(a) and 50 CFR 227.4, 
respectively. The List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, which 
contains species under the jurisdiction of both Services, is found in 
50 CFR part 17.11(h).
    Pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement between the two Services, the 
jurisdiction over listed sea turtles is shared: FWS has responsibility 
for sea turtles primarily in the terrestrial environment, while NMFS 
has responsibility for sea turtles primarily in the marine environment. 
Presently, all sea turtle species found in the United States are listed 
as follows: Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), leatherback 
(Dermochelys coriacea), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) are 
listed as endangered; loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia 
mydas), and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtles are listed as 
threatened, except for breeding populations of green turtles in Florida 
and on the Pacific coast of Mexico, and breeding populations of olive 
ridleys on the Pacific coast of Mexico, which are listed as endangered.
    Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA requires that the Secretary of the 
Interior or the Secretary of Commerce develop and implement recovery 
plans for the conservation and survival of endangered and threatened 
species listed pursuant to section 4(c) of the ESA unless such plans 
would not promote the conservation of the species. Pursuant to section 
4(f)(4) of the ESA, prior to final approval and implementation of a new 
or revised recovery plan, the Secretary shall provide public notice and 
an opportunity for public review and comment. The Secretary shall 
consider all information presented during the public comment period 
prior to approval of the plan. In addition, it is the policy (59 FR 
34273, July 1, 1994) of the Services to minimize social and economic 
impacts in developing and implementing recovery plans while providing 
for the timely recovery of the species.
    The proposed recovery plans are for the U.S. Pacific populations of 
the loggerhead, olive ridley, leatherback, hawksbill, green and the 
East Pacific population of the green. These are the first comprehensive 
proposed recovery plans for sea turtle populations in the U.S. Pacific. 
To accomplish the drafting of these proposed recovery plans, NMFS 
formed a team of professional biologists (Recovery Team) with 
experience in the region and with marine turtles. The recovery plans 
proposed by the Services are essentially the recommendations of the 
Recovery Team.
    While similar in format to previously drafted sea turtle recovery 
plans for the Atlantic and the Caribbean, the unique nature of the 
Pacific required some changes to that format. The geographic scope of 
these plans is much larger than any previously attempted, with over 
5,000 islands and 3,000 miles of ocean, as well as the mainland United 
States, to consider. Furthermore, the amount of jurisdictional overlap 
between nations, commonwealths, territories and compact-of-free-
association-states and the various turtle populations required a 
broader management perspective than has been attempted previously. 
Finally, sea turtles have not been studied as intensively in the 
Pacific as in other U.S. areas, and thus there is a large void in basic 
biological information on the species available. Thus, these plans have 
more extensive text on the general biology of the turtles, so that they 
might act as a resource to managers seeking a handy reference to the 
species. The plans are also subdivided into U.S. jurisdictional areas 
(i.e. the various commonwealths and territories), so that local 
managers can address issues within their respective regions more 
easily.

Request for Comments

    The Services intend that the final recovery plans will take 
advantage of information and recommendations from all interested 
parties. Therefore, comments and suggestions are hereby solicited from 
the public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific 
community, industry, and any other person concerned with this proposed 
recovery plan area. The proposed recovery plans are available (see 
ADDRESSES).

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531-1543 et seq.

    Dated: March 7, 1996.
Pat Montanio,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-5871 Filed 3-11-96; 8:45 am]
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