[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 99 (Friday, May 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 28359]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-13763]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[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.
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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 final recovery plans for U.S. Pacific populations of endangered and
threatened sea turtles, as required by the Endangered Species Act of
1973 (ESA).
DATES: May 22, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the recovery plans may be submitted
to the Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Copies may be purchased from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Reference
Service, 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110, Bethesda, MD 20814, 1-800-582-
3421. Electronic copies in .pdf format are also available at NMFS'
Protected Resources internet website (www.nmfs.gov/prot_res/).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Schroeder, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910,
Phone: 301-713-1401, or Sandy MacPherson, FWS, 6620 Southpoint Dr.
South, Jacksonville, FL 32216, Phone: 904-232-2580.
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 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 for 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 Services published a
notice of availability of the draft recovery plans in the Federal
Register on March 12, 1996 (61 FR 9978). No comments were received
during the 60-day comment period.
The recovery plans are for the U.S. Pacific populations of the
loggerhead, olive ridley, leatherback, hawksbill, green turtle and the
East Pacific population of the green turtle. These are the first
comprehensive recovery plans for sea turtle populations in the U.S.
Pacific. To accomplish the drafting of the recovery plans, a team was
formed consisting of professional biologists with experience in the
region and with marine turtles.
While similar in format to previous 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 (4,827 km) 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. For these reasons, 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.
To implement these plans, NMFS will form implementation teams,
where needed, consisting of representatives from Federal agencies,
states, territories, and commonwealths. The team(s) will produce a plan
that identifies solutions for achieving recovery of these populations.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531-1543 et seq.
Dated: May 15, 1998.
Hilda Diaz-Soltero,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 98-13763 Filed 5-21-98; 8:45 am]
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