[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 160 (Friday, August 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41100-41101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17753]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2018-N054; FXES11130400000C2-156-FF04E00000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery 
Plan for Neosho Mucket

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the draft recovery plan for the endangered Neosho 
mucket. The draft recovery plan includes specific recovery objectives 
and criteria that must be met in order for us to delist this species 
under the Endangered Species Act. We request review and comment on this 
draft recovery plan from local, State, and Federal agencies; Tribes; 
and the public.

DATES: In order to be considered, comments on the draft recovery plan 
must be received on or before October 16, 2018.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: If you wish to review this draft recovery plan 
or a list of the references cited in this notice, you may obtain copies 
by contacting Melvin Tobin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arkansas 
Ecological Services Field Office, 110 S. Amity Road, Suite 300, Conway, 
AR 72032; tel. (501) 513-4473; or by visiting the Service's Arkansas 
Field Office website at http://www.fws.gov/arkansas-es.
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to comment on the draft recovery 
plan, you may submit your written comments by one of the following 
methods:
    U.S. Mail or Hand-Delivery: Arkansas Ecological Services Field 
Office (address above).
    Fax: 501-513-4480, attn. ``Neosho Mucket Draft Recovery Plan 
Comment.''
    Email: [email protected]. Please include ``Neosho Mucket Draft 
Recovery Plan Comment'' in the subject line.
    For additional information about submitting comments, see Request 
for Public Comments, below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melvin Tobin, by telephone at 501-513-
4473, or via email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), announce the availability of the draft recovery plan for the 
endangered Neosho mucket (Lampsilis rafinesqueana). The draft recovery 
plan includes specific recovery objectives and criteria that must be 
met in order for us to delist this species under the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). We request 
review and comment on this draft recovery plan from local, State, and 
Federal agencies; Tribes; and the public.

Background

    The Neosho mucket is a freshwater mussel. The shell is up to 5 
inches (18 cm) long. The species is sexually dimorphic, as is typical 
of Lampsilis. The mantle lure is well developed in young females 2-5 
years of age, but may be less developed in older individuals (Oesch 
1984; McMurray et al. 2012).
    Neosho mucket glochidia (larvae) are obligate parasites on 
smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), largemouth bass (Micropterus 
salmoides), and spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) (Barnhart and 
Roberts 1997; Service 2005). The Neosho mucket spawns in late April and 
May, and female brooding occurs May through August. Little is known 
about habitat requirements of Neosho mucket. It is associated with 
shallow riffles and runs comprising gravel substrate and moderate-to-
swift currents. The species is most often found in areas with swift 
current, but in Shoal Creek and the Illinois River it prefers nearshore 
areas or areas out of the main current (Oesch 1984; Obermeyer 2000). 
The Neosho mucket does not occur in reservoirs lacking riverine 
characteristics (Obermeyer et al. 1997b).
    The ESA specifies five factors for listing species as endangered or 
threatened. The Neosho mucket is threatened primarily by the 
destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range 
(Listing Factor A of the ESA). Specific threats include impoundment, 
sedimentation, chemical contaminants, mining, the inadequacy of 
existing regulatory mechanisms, population fragmentation and isolation, 
invasive nonindigenous species, and water temperature. Climate change 
(Listing Factor E) is also likely to have adverse effects on the 
species due to alteration of hydrologic cycles of rivers that support 
Neosho mucket, but the extent or magnitude of this threat has not been 
quantified at this time. We determined that other existing

[[Page 41101]]

regulatory mechanisms were inadequate to reduce these threats (Listing 
Factor D).
    As a result of these threats, the Neosho mucket was listed as 
endangered on the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in 
title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations (50 CFR 17.11) on September 
17, 2013 (78 FR 57076). A total of 483 river miles (777 river 
kilometers) in seven rivers and one creek (Elk, Fall, Illinois, Neosho, 
Spring, North Fork Spring, and Verdigris Rivers and Shoal Creek) has 
been designated as critical habitat for the Neosho mucket (80 FR 24692, 
April 30, 2015). Critical habitat as set forth in 50 CFR 17.95(f) is 
located in Benton and Washington Counties, Arkansas; Allen, Cherokee, 
Coffey, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, and 
Woodson Counties, Kansas; Jasper, Lawrence, McDonald, and Newton 
Counties, Missouri; and Adair, Cherokee, and Delaware Counties, 
Oklahoma.

Recovery Plan

    Section 4(f) of the ESA requires the development of recovery plans 
for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote the 
conservation of a particular species. Recovery plans describe actions 
considered necessary for conservation of the species, establish 
recovery criteria, and estimate time and cost for implementing recovery 
measures. Section 4(f) of the ESA also requires us to provide public 
notice and an opportunity for public review and comment during recovery 
plan development. We will consider all information presented during a 
public comment period prior to approval of each new or revised recovery 
plan. We and other Federal agencies will take these comments into 
account in the course of implementing approved recovery plans.
    The goal of this recovery plan is to ensure the long-term viability 
of the Neosho mucket in the wild to the point that it can be removed 
(``delisted'') from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened 
Wildlife. To achieve this goal, it will be necessary to establish 
naturally self-sustaining populations with healthy long-term 
demographic traits and trends. We are defining the following reasonable 
delisting criteria based on the best available information on this 
species. These criteria will be reevaluated as new information becomes 
available:

Recovery Criteria

    The Neosho mucket will be considered for delisting when:
    (1) Two of four targeted river basins (Illinois, Verdigris, Neosho, 
and Spring River basins) contain viable populations with positive or 
stable basin-wide population trend, as evidenced by a population number 
measured with sufficient precision to detect change of 25 
percent (Factors A, D, and E);
    (2) Spatial distribution of natural or stocked aggregations 
distributed throughout the basin is sufficient to protect against local 
catastrophic or stochastic events (Factors A and E);
    (3) All life stages are supported by sufficient habitat quantity 
and quality (see Primary Constituent Elements in the Species Biological 
Report for Neosho Mucket) and appropriate presence and abundance of 
fish hosts necessary for recruitment (Factors A, D, and E); and
    (4) Threats and causes of decline have been reduced or eliminated 
(Factors A, D, and E).
    A viable population is defined as a wild, naturally reproducing 
population that is able to persist and maintain sufficient genetic 
variation to evolve and respond to natural changes and stochastic 
events without further human intervention. Viable populations are 
expected to be large and genetically diverse, include at least five age 
classes with at least one cohort <=7 years of age, and recruit at 
sufficient rates to maintain or increase population size.

Request for Public Comments

    We request written comments on the draft recovery plan. We will 
consider all comments we receive by the date specified in DATES prior 
to final approval of the plan.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

Authority

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

    Dated: August 10, 2018.
Mike Oetker,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2018-17753 Filed 8-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P