[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1669-1670]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-392]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA778


Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plan for the Southern 
California Steelhead Distinct Population Segment

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the 
adoption of an Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery plan for the 
Southern California Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Distinct Population 
Segment (DPS), which spawn and rear in coastal rivers from the Santa 
Maria River to the Tijuana River California. The Final Southern 
California Steelhead Recovery Plan (Final Recovery Plan) and our 
summary of and responses to public comments are now available.

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Final Recovery Plan and a summary 
of and response to public comments on the Final Recovery Plan are 
available online at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/recovery/plans/htm. A 
CD-ROM of these documents can be obtained by emailing a request to 
[email protected] or by writing to NMFS Protected Resources 
Division, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Penny Ruvelas, National Marine 
Fisheries Service, (562) 980-4197.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.) requires that we develop and implement recovery plans for 
the conservation and survival of threatened and endangered species 
under our jurisdiction, unless it is determined that such plans would 
not result in the conservation of the species. We designated the 
Southern California Steelhead Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) as 
endangered in the Federal

[[Page 1670]]

Register on August 18, 1997 (62 FR 43937). The original ESU boundaries 
during the initial listing of 1997 were from the Santa Maria River 
south to Malibu Creek. Following this initial listing, O. mykiss were 
discovered in watersheds south of Malibu Creek (Topanga Creek in Los 
Angeles County and San Mateo Creek in Orange, Riverside, and San Diego 
Counties) and genetic testing confirmed that these O. mykiss were most 
closely related to the more northern populations of the Southern 
California Steelhead ESU. As a result, the range for the ESU was 
extended south to the U.S.-Mexico border on May 1, 2002 (67 FR 21586). 
NMFS reaffirmed the listing of all West Coast steelhead populations and 
applied the DPS designation in place of the ESU designation on January 
5, 2006 (72 FR 834).
    We published a Notice of Availability of the proposed Draft 
Recovery Plan in the Federal Register on July 23, 2009 (74 FR 36480); 
and a notice of a 60-day time extension for public comments on 
September 11, 2009 (74 FR 46747). NMFS held eight multi-day public 
meetings on the threats assessment and recovery actions, and two multi-
day public meetings on the proposed draft Recovery Plan to solicit 
public comments. We received over 90 comments on the proposed draft 
Recovery Plan and summarized the public comments, prepared responses, 
and identified the public comments that prompted revisions for the 
Final Recovery Plan. We revised the proposed draft Recovery Plan based 
on the comments received, and this final version now constitutes the 
Recovery Plan for the Southern California Steelhead DPS.
    The ESA requires that recovery plans incorporate, to the extent 
practicable: (1) Objective, measurable criteria which, when met, would 
result in a determination that the species is no longer threatened or 
endangered; (2) site-specific management actions necessary to achieve 
the plan's goals; and (3) estimates of the time required and costs to 
implement recovery actions. Our goal is to restore the endangered 
Southern California Steelhead DPS to the point where they are again 
secure, self-sustaining members of their ecosystems and no longer need 
the protections of the ESA.
    The Final Recovery Plan provides background on the natural history 
of Southern California Steelhead DPS, current population trends, and 
the threats to their viability. The Final Recovery Plan lays out a 
recovery strategy to address the threats based on the best available 
science and includes goals that incorporate objective, measurable 
criteria which, when met, could result in a determination that the 
species may be removed from the Federal list of threatened and 
endangered species. The Final Recovery Plan is not regulatory, but 
presents guidance for use by agencies and interested parties to assist 
in the recovery of the Southern California Steelhead DPS. The Final 
Recovery Plan identifies substantive recovery actions needed to achieve 
recovery by addressing the systemic threats to the species, and 
provides a time-line and estimated costs of recovery actions. The 
strategy for recovery includes a linkage between conservation and 
management actions and an active research and monitoring program 
intended to fill data gaps and assess effectiveness of those actions. 
The Final Recovery Plan incorporates an adaptive management framework 
by which conservation and management actions and other elements will 
evolve and adapt as we gain information through research and 
monitoring; it describes the agency guidance for periodic review of the 
status of the species and the recovery plan. To address threats related 
to the species, the Final Recovery Plan acknowledges many of the 
significant efforts already underway to restore steelhead access to 
high-quality habitat and to improve habitat previously degraded.
    We expect the Final Recovery Plan to help us and other Federal 
agencies take a consistent approach to section 7 consultations under 
the ESA and to other ESA decisions. For example, the Final Recovery 
Plan will provide information on the biological context for the effects 
that a proposed action may have on the listed DPS. The information in 
the Final Recovery Plan on the natural history, threats, and potential 
limiting factors, and priorities for recovery can be used to help 
assess risks and conservation actions. Consistent with the adoption of 
this Final Recovery Plan for the Southern California Steelhead DPS, we 
will implement relevant actions for which we have authority, work 
cooperatively on implementation of other actions, and encourage other 
Federal and state agencies to implement recovery actions for which they 
have responsibility and authority.
    Recovery of the Southern California Steelhead DPS will require a 
long-term effort in cooperation and coordination with Federal, state, 
tribal and local government agencies, and the community.

Conclusion

    NMFS has reviewed the Plan for compliance with the requirements of 
the ESA section 4(f), determined that it does incorporate the required 
elements and is therefore adopting it as the Final Recovery Plan for 
Southern California Steelhead DPS.

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

    Dated: January 4, 2012.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-392 Filed 1-10-12; 8:45 am]
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