[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 120 (Wednesday, June 23, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33466-33468]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15863]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 061699A]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Revision of Candidate Species 
List Under the Endangered Species Act

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

ACTION: Notice of modification of list of candidate species.

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SUMMARY: NMFS identifies marine and anadromous species as candidates 
for possible addition to the List of Endangered and Threatened Species. 
NMFS is soliciting information concerning the status of these species. 
This notice is not a proposal for listing, and the involved species do 
not receive substantive or procedural protection under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (ESA). The candidate species list serves to notify 
the public that NMFS has concerns regarding these species/vertebrate 
populations that may warrant listing in the future, and it facilitates 
voluntary conservation efforts. NMFS encourages Federal agencies and 
other appropriate parties to take these species into account in project 
planning.

DATES: This updated list is effective on June 23, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Reliable documentation for these additions to the candidate 
species list should be sent to the Chief of Endangered Species, NMFS, 
Office of Protected Resources, 1315 East-West Highway, F/PR3, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marta Nammack or Terri Jordan at 
(301)713-1401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ESA requires determinations of whether 
species of wildlife and plants are endangered or threatened, based on 
the best available scientific and commercial data. ``Species'' includes 
any species or subspecies of fish, wildlife, or plant, and any distinct 
population segment of any vertebrate species that interbreeds when 
mature (vertebrate population). NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service share responsibilities under the ESA. With some exceptions, 
NMFS is responsible for species that reside all or the major portion of 
their lifetimes in marine or estuarine waters. The regulations 
implementing Section 4 of the ESA (49 FR 38900, October 1, 1984) define 
``candidate'' as ``any species being considered by the Secretary for 
listing as an endangered or a threatened species, but not yet the 
subject of a proposed rule.'' As resources permit, NMFS conducts a 
review of the status of each candidate species to determine if it 
warrants listing as endangered or threatened under the ESA.
    Species/vertebrate populations may be added to the candidate 
species list based on consideration of their biological status. 
Biological status is determined by both demography and genetic 
composition of the species/vertebrate population. If there is evidence 
of demographic or genetic concerns that would indicate that listing may 
be warranted, the species/vertebrate population should be added to the 
candidate species list.
    Demographic concerns would occur when there is a significant 
decline in abundance or range from historical levels that would 
indicate that listing may be warranted. This could result from 
overharvest, habitat degradation, disease outbreaks, predation, natural 
climatic conditions, and hatchery practices that lead to competition 
with natural stocks or depletion of natural fish for use as hatchery 
broodstock.
    Genetic concerns that would indicate that listing may be warranted 
include outbreeding and inbreeding depression resulting from poor 
hatchery practices or substantially reduced numbers of natural 
individuals.
    On July 14, 1997, NMFS revised its candidate species list (62 FR 
37561). On January 15, 1999, NMFS published notification soliciting 
comments and reliable documentation on species it was considering to 
add to the candidate species list (64 FR 2629). NMFS considered all 
comments received and all available information in updating the 
candidate species list.
    This document adds 14 new species to the list of candidate species 
for which reliable information is available to NMFS meeting the 
previously stated criteria (Table 1). As resources permit, NMFS intends 
to conduct status reviews on candidate species, collect further 
documentation on them, and make appropriate amendments to the 
accompanying table during the next revision.
    In addition to these new species, changes to the candidate status 
of Pacific salmon as a result of status reviews have been noted in 
Table 1 to this document. In some cases, even when NMFS determines that 
listing a species under the ESA is not warranted, it may add the 
species to the candidate species list because some concerns about its 
status still remain. Chum, sockeye, and chinook salmon are no longer 
candidate species, though the Hood Canal summer-run and Columbia River 
chum salmon evolutionarily significant units (ESU), the Ozette Lake 
sockeye salmon ESU, and the Upper Columbia River spring-run, Puget 
Sound, Lower Columbia River, and Upper Willamette River chinook salmon 
ESUs were listed as threatened or endangered (64 FR 14308, March 24, 
1999; 64 FR 14508, March 25, 1999; 64 FR 14517, March 25, 1999; 64 FR 
14528, March 25, 1999). NMFS designated three more steelhead ESUs 
(Northern California, Klamath Mountains Province, and Oregon Coast) as 
candidate species (63 FR 13347, March 19, 1998) and listed the former 
candidate species, Middle Columbia River steelhead ESU, and the Upper 
Willamette River steelhead ESU, as threatened (64 FR 14517; March 25, 
1999). NMFS also listed the former candidate species, Oregon Coast coho 
salmon ESU, as threatened in August 1998 (63 FR 42587; August 10, 
1998), leaving only two coho salmon ESUs on

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the candidate species list. After conducting a coastwide status review 
of sea-run cutthroat, NMFS proposed to list the Southwestern 
Washington/Columbia River ESU as threatened and designated the Oregon 
Coastal sea-run cutthroat trout ESU as a candidate species (64 FR 
16397; April 5, 1999).
    In addition, though NMFS determined that the Gulf of Maine 
population of harbor porpoise's status did not warrant listing under 
the ESA, the population has been added to the candidate species list 
because concerns on its status still remain.
    It is important to note that the candidate species list is limited 
by the information available. Therefore, it does not encompass all 
declining marine and anadromous species that may warrant listing in the 
future. Moreover, inclusion of a species on the candidate list does not 
create a higher listing priority for that species. As appropriate, NMFS 
may initiate a status review for any species or vertebrate population 
of concern, regardless of whether it is a candidate species, and the 
public may petition to list any species or vertebrate population. 
Inclusion in the candidate species list is intended to stimulate 
voluntary conservation efforts, which, if effective, can result in a 
lower likelihood of an ESA listing.
    In Table 1, Revised list of candidate species, the common name 
appears as the first entry followed by the scientific name, the family 
name, and the area of concern. This area denotes the general geographic 
boundaries of the species or the vertebrate population for which 
concern has been expressed. Ongoing or future biological status reviews 
may narrow the geographic area or population of concern in the future.

    Dated: June 15, 1999.
Hilda Diaz-Soltero,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.

                                                       Table 1 - Revised list of candidate species
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                        Common Name                                 Scientific Name               Family                   Area of Concern 3
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                       Marine Mammals
beluga whale                                                         Delphinapterus leucas       Monodontidae                AK (Cook Inlet population).
harbor porpoise                                                          Phocoena phocoena        Phocoenidae        ME - NC (Gulf of Maine population).
                           Fishes
dusky shark                                                          Carcharhinus obscurus     Carcharhinidae         Atlantic; Gulf of Mexico; Pacific.
sand tiger shark                                                         Odontaspis taurus     Odontaspididae                  Atlantic; Gulf of Mexico.
night shark                                                           Carcharinus signatus     Carcharhinidae                  Atlantic; Gulf of Mexico.
smalltooth sawfish*                                                      Pristis pectinata          Pristidae            Atlantic; NC to Gulf of Mexico.
largetooth sawfish*                                                        Pristis pristis          Pristidae                          Atlantic; TX, FL.
barndoor skate*                                                                Raja laevis            Rajidae             Atlantic; Cape Hatteras, NC to
                                                                                                                                   Newfoundland, Canada.
Atlantic sturgeon                                                    Acipenser oxyrhynchus      Acipenseridae                      Atlantic, anadromous.
                                                                               oxyrhynchus
Pacific herring*                                                            Clupea pallasi          Clupeidae                               Puget Sound.
Alabama shad                                                                Alosa alabamae          Clupeidae                        AL, FL, anadromous.
searun cutthroat trout                                          Oncorhynchus clarki clarki         Salmonidae   Pacific, anadromous. Oregon Coastal ESU.
coho salmon                                                           Oncorhynchus kisutch         Salmonidae    Pacific, anadromous. Puget Sound/Strait
                                                                                                                       of Georgia and Southwest WA/Lower
                                                                                                                                    Columbia River ESUs1
steelhead trout                                                        Oncorhynchus mykiss         Salmonidae  Pacific, anadromous. Northern CA, Klamath
                                                                                                                  Mountains Province, and OR Coast ESUs.
Atlantic salmon                                                                Salmo salar         Salmonidae   Atlantic, anadromous. Gulf of Maine DPS2
Pacific cod*                                                           Gadus macrocephalus            Gadidae                               Puget Sound.
Pacific hake*                                                         Merluccius productus            Gadidae                               Puget Sound.
walleye pollock*                                                     Theragra chalcogramma            Gadidae                               Puget Sound.
mangrove rivulus                                                        Rivulus marmoratus      Aplocheilidae                             FL, estuarine.
saltmarsh topminnow                                                      Fundulus jenkinsi    Cyprinodontidae                        TX, LA, MS, AL, FL.
Key silverside                                                           Menidia conchorum        Atherinidae                              Florida Keys.
opposum pipefish                                             Microphis brachyurus lineatus       Syngnathidae              Florida, Indian River Lagoon.
brown rockfish*                                                       Sebastes auriculatus       Scorpaenidae                               Puget Sound.
copper rockfish*                                                         Sebastes caurinus       Scorpaenidae                               Puget Sound.
quillback rockfish*                                                       Sebastes maliger       Scorpaenidae                               Puget Sound.
bocaccio*                                                             Sebastes paucispinis       Scorpaenidae                         Pacific, CA to OR.
speckled hind                                                     Epinephelus drummondhayi         Serranidae                      NC to Gulf of Mexico.
jewfish                                                               ephinephelus itijara         Serranidae            NC southward to Gulf of Mexico.
warsaw grouper                                                        Epinephelus nigritus         Serranidae            MA southward to Gulf of Mexico.
Nassau grouper                                                        Epinephelus striatus         Serranidae            NC southward to Gulf of Mexico.
                          Mollusks
white abalone                                                           Haliotes sorenseni         Haliotidae                               CA, Baja CA.
black abalone*                                                        Haliotis cracherodii         Haliotidae                           OR, CA, Baja CA.
Anthozoans (Corals)
elkhorn coral*                                                            Acropora palmata        Acroporidae               western Atlantic; Caribbean.
staghorn coral*                                                       Acropora cervicornis        Acroporidae               western Atlantic; Caribbean.
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*addition to list
\1\ ESU = evolutionarily significant unit. Pacific salmon populations can only be listed under the ESA if they are ``evolutionarily significant'', per
  NMFS policy (56 FR 58612).
\2\ DPS = distinct population segment
\3\ Defines the general geographic area or populations of concern for the species.


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[FR Doc. 99-15863 Filed 6-22-99; 8:45 am]
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