[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 245 (Thursday, December 21, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 76639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9812]



[[Page 76639]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 121506A]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Initiation of a Status Review 
under the Endangered Species Act for the Atlantic White Marlin

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

ACTION: Notice of initiation of a status review under the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA); request for information.

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce the initiation of a status review for the 
Atlantic white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus), and we solicit information 
on the status of and threats to the species.

DATES: Information regarding the status of and threats to the Atlantic 
white marlin must be received by February 20, 2007.

ADDRESSES: You may submit information on the Atlantic white marlin by 
any one of the following methods:
     Fax: 727-824-5309, Attention: Dr. Stephania Bolden
     Mail: Information on paper, disk or CD-ROM should be 
addressed to the Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected 
Resources, NMFS Southeast Regional Office, 263 13\th\ Avenue South, St. 
Petersburg, FL 33701
     E-mail: whitemarlin.info@noaa.gov">whitemarlin.info@noaa.gov. Include in the subject 
line the following identifier: white marlin review

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Stephania Bolden, NMFS, Southeast 
Regional Office (727) 824-5312, or Ms. Marta Nammack, NMFS, Office of 
Protected Resources (301) 713-1401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    We conducted a status review of the Atlantic white marlin under the 
ESA and published a 12-month determination that listing was not 
warranted (67 FR 57204; September 9, 2002). As a result of subsequent 
litigation and a settlement agreement with the Center for Biological 
Diversity, we agreed to initiate a status review following the 2006 
stock assessment by the International Commission for the Conservation 
of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT); the 2006 ICCAT white marlin stock assessment 
can be found at www.iccat.int. Atlantic white marlin are billfish 
(Family: Istiophoridae) found throughout tropical and temperate waters 
of the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas. White marlin, along with other 
billfish and tunas, are managed internationally by the member nations 
of the ICCAT. At this time we announce commencement of a new status 
review for the Atlantic white marlin, and request information regarding 
the status of and threats to the species, pursuant to the terms of the 
aforementioned settlement agreement.

Request for Information

    To support this status review, we are soliciting information 
relevant to the status of and threats to the species, including, but 
not limited to, information on the following topics: (1) historical and 
current abundance and distribution of the species and congeners 
throughout the species range; (2) potential factors for the species' 
decline throughout the species range; (3) rates of capture and release 
of the species from both recreational and commercial fisheries; (4) 
post-release mortality; (5) life history information (size/age at 
maturity, growth rates, fecundity, reproductive rate/success, etc.); 
(6) morphological and molecular information to assist in determining 
taxonomy of this species and congeners; (7) threats to the species, 
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 
(8) any ongoing conservation efforts for the species. See DATES and 
ADDRESSES for guidance on and deadlines for submitting information.

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

    Dated: December 18, 2006.
Donna Wieting,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 06-9812 Filed 12-18-06; 2:45 pm]
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