[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62292-62293]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-17794]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Draft Management and Control Plan for Asian Carps in the United 
States

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the draft 
``Management and Control Plan for Asian Carps in the United States.'' 
This draft document was prepared by the Asian Carp Working Group of the 
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force. We are seeking public comments on 
this draft document. Comments received will be considered during the 
preparation of the final national management and control plan, which 
will guide cooperative and integrated management of Asian carps in the 
United States.

DATES: Submit your comments on the draft ``Management and Control Plan 
for Asian Carps in the United States'' by December 26, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The draft document is available from the Executive 
Secretary, Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203; FAX (703) 358-
1800. It also is available on our webpage at http://www.anstaskforce.gov/. Comments may be hand-delivered, mailed, or sent 
by fax to the address listed above. You may send comments by e-mail to: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Newsham, Executive Secretary, 
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, at [email protected] or (703) 
358-1796.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There are many carps native to Asia, 
including seven that have been introduced to the United States. For the 
purposes of this document the term ``Asian carps'' refers to four 
species: black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), bighead carp 
(Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), and 
silver carp (H. molitrix). Feral bighead, grass, and silver carps have 
all established reproducing populations in several major rivers of the 
United States. To date, there have been six confirmed collections of 
adult black carp by commercial fishers in the United States and 
unconfirmed reports of repeated captures of adult black carp in the 
Mississippi River and its tributaries over the past 13 years. There 
have been no collections of black carp eggs and larvae or observations 
of spawning.
    The Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, which is authorized by the 
Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16 
U.S.C. 4701 et seq.), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service organized 
an Asian Carp Working Group (Working Group) to develop a comprehensive 
national Asian carp management and control plan. The Working Group 
agreed that the desired endpoint of the plan is the extirpation of 
Asian carps in the wild, except for non-reproducing grass carp within 
planned locations [i.e., areas where nuisance aquatic vegetation can be 
controlled using planned introductions of sterile (triploid) fish 
contained within a designated area]. The Working Group was charged with 
developing a plan that first and foremost protects our Nation's natural 
resources. The Working Group was also charged with developing solutions 
that would allow for a viable aquaculture industry when implemented. 
Therefore, a framework for the responsible use of domestic stocks of 
Asian carp is described throughout the plan. It is in this context that 
the Working Group developed strategies and recommendations that address 
seven goals to protect the Nation's natural resources. This 
collaborative process was highly successful and nearly all issues were 
resolved. The Working Group developed 46 strategies and 129 
recommendations to manage and control Asian carps (see Table I, page 
viii, of the draft plan). However, two issues were not resolved within 
the Working Group. In-depth discussions for these two issues are 
presented in Recommendation 3.1.15.10 (page 50), ``Use of triploid 
black carp on aquaculture facilities,'' and Recommendation 3.1.18.1 
(page 59), ``Commercial, domestic transport of live farm-raised bighead 
and grass carps,'' in the draft plan. The discussion presented for each 
of these two issues includes a series of management questions that 
remain to be resolved before strategies and recommendations can be 
formulated to effectively address these unresolved issues.
    Risk levels for potential pathways of introduction were proposed 
based on both the likelihood for an introduction to occur and the 
potential for adverse

[[Page 62293]]

ecological and/or economic effects (see Table 3.1.1, page 30, of the 
draft plan). However, the Working Group did not agree on the use of 
pathway risk levels or the majority of the proposed risk levels. To 
effectively implement the plan, the Working Group recommends (see 
Recommendation 3.7.1.3, page 111, in the draft plan) additional efforts 
to integrate, sequence, and prioritize recommendations from among all 
sections of this plan.
    We are seeking public comments on the two unresolved issues 
mentioned above, as well as all aspects of the draft plan. Submit your 
comments by the date listed under DATES using one of the methods listed 
under ADDRESSES.

    Authority: The authority for this action is the Nonindigenous 
Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4701 
et seq.).

    Dated: September 25, 2006.
Everett Wilson,
Acting Co-Chair, Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, Acting Assistant 
Director--Fisheries & Habitat Conservation.
 [FR Doc. E6-17794 Filed 10-23-06; 8:45 am]
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