[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 148 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42426-42427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-15024]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability of the Recovery Plan for the Endangered 
Vermilion Darter

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability 
of the final recovery plan for the endangered vermilion darter 
(Etheostoma chermocki). The vermilion darter is a medium-sized darter 
found only in the Turkey Creek drainage, Jefferson County, Alabama. The 
recovery plan includes specific recovery objectives and criteria to be 
met to delist the vermilion darter under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq., as amended (Act).

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the recovery plan by visiting our 
recovery plan website on the Internet at http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans or by contacting the Jackson Field Office, 
Fish and Wildlife Service, 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, Suite A, Jackson, 
Mississippi 39213 (Telephone 601/321-1127).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Drennen at the above address 
and telephone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The vermilion darter (Etheostoma chermocki (Teleostei: Percidae)) 
was officially described in 1992 from Turkey Creek, a tributary of the 
Locust Fork, which is within the Black Warrior River drainage of 
Jefferson County, Alabama. The vermilion darter belongs to the subgenus 
Ulocentra (snubnose darters) which includes fish that are slightly 
laterally compressed, have complete lateral lines, broadly connected 
gill membranes, a short head, and a small pronounced mouth. The 
vermilion darter is a medium-sized darter, reaching about 7.1 
centimeters (2.8 inches) total length (length from tip of snout to 
longest portion of tail fin). The vermilion darter was listed as 
endangered under the Act on November 28, 2001 (66 FR 59367).
    The current range of the vermilion darter is 14.1 kilometers (km) 
(8.7 miles (mi)) of the main stem of Turkey Creek, the lowermost 
reaches (0.8 km (0.5 mi)) of Dry and Beaver creeks and within a spring 
run of an unnamed spring that drains into Beaver Creek along Alabama 
Highway 79. Restricted and localized in range, the vermilion darter is 
vulnerable

[[Page 42427]]

to sedimentation (excess sediments suspended or deposited in a stream), 
nutrificiation (excessive nutrients present, such as nitrogen and 
phosphorus), and barriers or restrictions to stream flow.
    Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point 
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is 
a primary goal of the Act and of our endangered species program. To 
help guide the recovery effort, we prepare recovery plans for most 
listed species. Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary 
for conservation of the species, establish criteria for downlisting or 
delisting them, and estimate time and cost for implementing recovery 
measures.
    The Act requires the development of recovery plans for listed 
species unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a 
particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide 
public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment during 
recovery plan development. A notice of availability of the technical 
agency draft for the vermilion darter was published in the Federal 
Register on July 21, 2005 (70 FR 42087). A 60-day comment period was 
opened with the notice, closing on September 19, 2005. We received 
comments from four parties, including comments from one peer reviewer 
of the recovery plan. Comments and information submitted were 
considered in the preparation of this final plan and, where 
appropriate, incorporated.
    The objective of this recovery plan is to provide a framework for 
the recovery of the vermilion darter until that protection under the 
Act is no longer necessary. As recovery criteria are met, the status of 
the species will be reviewed, and it will be considered for removal 
from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants 
(50 CFR part 17). Actions needed to recover the vermilion darter 
include: (1) Protect vermilion darter populations and habitat; (2) 
ensure and support implementation of effective protective actions; (3) 
determine habitat requirements and population information of the 
vermilion darter; (4) determine the necessary husbandry techniques of 
the species, to produce them in captivity and establish an additional 
population in the known range; (5) identify, acquire, and restore 
properties in the Turkey Creek watershed; and (6) promote partnerships 
and voluntary stewardship within the watershed.

Authority

    The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered 
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

    Dated: June 19, 2007.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E7-15024 Filed 8-1-07; 8:45 am]
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