[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68405-68406]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-23857]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC901


Endangered and Threatened Species; Announcement of a Recovery 
Planning Workshop and Request for Information

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

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, are convening a workshop to solicit facts and 
information from experts to inform recovery planning for the Main 
Hawaiian Islands (MHI) insular false killer whale (Pseudorca 
crassidens) Distinct Population Segment (DPS). This workshop will be 
open to the public. We also request information that might inform the 
development of the recovery plan. On October 2, 2013, we published a 
Notice of Intent to prepare a Recovery Plan and Request for Information 
for this DPS. We received seven public comments in response to that 
notice, which remain relevant and will be considered in the recovery 
planning process. Because significant time has elapsed since this last 
request, we are requesting any additional information that has become 
available in the interim.

DATES: 
     Workshop dates and information: The four-day recovery 
planning workshop for the MHI insular false killer whale DPS will be 
held Tuesday, October 25 through Friday, October 28, 2016, at the Ohana 
Waikiki East Hotel, 150 Kaiulani Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815. The workshop 
will begin each day at 9 a.m. and end each day at 5:30 p.m. or as 
necessary to complete business for the day.
    RSVP date: If you plan to attend the workshop as an interested 
member of the public, please contact Krista Graham, NMFS, Pacific 
Islands Regional Office, [email protected], 808-725-5152 no later 
than October 21, 2016.
     Date for information submission: Please submit information 
to inform recovery planning via the methods listed below in the 
ADDRESSES section by December 5, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit information by either of the following 
methods:
     Mail: Krista Graham, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, 
Protected Resources Division, 1845 Wasp Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, 
HI 96818.
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic information 
that may inform the development of recovery criteria and actions via 
email to [email protected] (No files larger than 5MB 
can be accepted).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Krista Graham, NMFS, Pacific Islands 
Regional Office, 808-725-5152. You may also visit our Web site at: 
http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/PRD/prd_mhi_false_killer_whale.html#fwk_esa_listing.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On November 28, 2012, we published a final rule listing the MHI 
insular false killer whale DPS as endangered under the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA) (77 FR 70915). The final listing rule describes the 
background of the listing action for this DPS and provides a summary of 
our conclusions regarding its status. For additional background and a 
summary of natural history and threats to the species, the reader is 
referred to the status review report and final listing rule (available 
at http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/PRD/prd_mhi_false_killer_whale.html).
    NMFS is required by section 4(f) of the ESA to develop and 
implement recovery plans for the conservation and survival of federally 
listed species unless the Secretary finds that such a plan will not 
promote the conservation of the species. Recovery means that listed 
species and their ecosystems are restored, and their future secured, so 
that the protections of the ESA are no longer necessary. The ESA 
specifies that recovery plans are to include (1) a description of site-
specific management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goals for 
the conservation and survival of the species; (2) objective, measurable 
criteria which, when met, would result in the species being removed 
from the list; and (3) estimates of the time and costs required to 
carry out the actions and achieve the plan's conservation goals. Under 
Section 4(f) of the ESA, public notice and an opportunity for public 
review and comment are also provided during recovery plan development. 
We published a Notice of Intent and Request for Information to Prepare 
a Recovery Plan for this DPS in October of 2013 (78 FR 60850). We 
received seven substantive public comments in response to that notice, 
which remain relevant and will be considered in the recovery planning 
process. Because significant time has elapsed since the last request, 
we are requesting any relevant information that may have become 
available.
    This notice and request for information serves as a second public 
notice and opportunity for public input early in the process. Once a 
recovery plan has been drafted, it will be announced in the Federal 
Register and available on our Web site (see ADDRESSES section) for 
public review and comment before being finalized.

Recovery Planning Workshop Announcement

    From October 25 through 28, 2016, NMFS will hold a workshop at the 
Ohana Waikiki East Hotel in Honolulu, HI to help inform our recovery 
planning for the MHI insular false killer whale DPS (see DATES 
section). We are inviting experts in specific topic areas, including 
the species' biology/ecology, threats to the species and the species' 
habitat, and the recovery planning process itself. These experts will 
help us to update the threats analysis from the listing rule, and 
identify potential actions to address the threats. Identified experts 
include representatives of Federal and state

[[Page 68406]]

agencies, scientific experts, individuals from conservation partners 
and non-governmental organizations, and commercial and recreational 
fishermen. Information received at the workshop may be used to inform 
the development of other conservation decisions and actions, including 
the designation of critical habitat.
    NMFS will provide a moderator to manage the workshop as well as a 
notetaker to document input received. We are seeking only individual 
analysis, facts, and opinions from participants. Questions to the 
participants will be limited to those necessary to clarify the expert's 
presentation and questions seeking consensus among panelists or experts 
will not be entertained. NMFS also will provide a time-limited question 
and answer period during which attendees may ask NMFS about information 
presented. NMFS will prepare a summary of the workshop, noting the main 
points raised by the panelists and registered speakers.
    This workshop will be open to the public, and a public comment 
period will be provided at the end of each session. If you plan to 
attend the workshop as an interested member of the public, please 
contact Krista Graham at the address listed above by October 21, 2016, 
so we can ensure sufficient space for all participants and interested 
parties during our logistics planning.

Agenda

    [cir] October 25-26 will focus on recovery actions and criteria 
related to non-longline commercial and recreational fisheries 
interactions;
    [cir] October 27 will focus on recovery actions and criteria 
related to nutrition, i.e., prey size/biomass, distribution, and 
competition with fisheries;
    [cir] October 28 will focus on recovery actions and criteria 
related to other threats to both the species itself and its habitat 
including noise and contaminants.

Request for Information

    We also invite the public to submit scientific or commercial 
information that may help to inform the recovery criteria and actions 
for the MHI insular false killer whale DPS. We are soliciting relevant 
information related to the MHI insular false killer whale and its 
habitat, including the following:
    1. Criteria for removing the MHI insular false killer whale from 
the list of threatened and endangered species (this could be either 
threats-based or abundance/trends based);
    2. Human activities that contribute to threats to the species;
    3. Physical, biological or chemical features of the environment 
that limit the recovery of the MHI insular false killer whale;
    4. Recovery strategies addressing threats to physical and 
biological features that are essential to species conservation;
    5. Strategies and/or actions to recover the MHI insular false 
killer whale;
    6. Estimates of the time and cost to implement recovery actions;
    7. Critical knowledge gaps and/or uncertainties that need to be 
resolved to better inform recovery efforts; and
    8. Research, monitoring, and evaluation needs to address knowledge 
gaps and uncertainties, or to assess the species' status, limiting 
factors, and threats relative to recovery goals.

    Information may be submitted via the methods listed above in the 
ADDRESSES section.
    The workshop is accessible to persons with disabilities. Send 
requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids at 
least five business days in advance to Krista Graham at 808-725-5152.

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

    Dated: September 28, 2016.
Nicole R. LeBoeuf,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-23857 Filed 10-3-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P