[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 247 (Thursday, December 26, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70958-70959]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27700]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XR080
Endangered and Threatened Species; Notice of Initiation of a 5-
Year Review of Northwest Atlantic Ocean and Seven Foreign Distinct
Population Segments of Loggerhead Sea Turtle
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce, and Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of initiation of 5-year review; request for information.
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SUMMARY: NMFS and USFWS announce the initiation of a 5-year review for
the following distinct population segments (DPS) of loggerhead sea
turtle (Caretta caretta): The Mediterranean Sea DPS, the Northeast
Atlantic Ocean DPS, the North Indian Ocean DPS, the South Pacific Ocean
DPS, the Northwest Atlantic Ocean DPS, the South Atlantic Ocean DPS,
the Southeast Indo-Pacific Ocean DPS, and the Southwest Indian Ocean
DPS. NMFS and USFWS are required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to
conduct 5-year reviews to ensure that the listing classifications of
species are accurate. The 5-year review must be based on the best
scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. We
request submission of any such information on these loggerhead DPSs,
particularly information on the status, threats, and recovery of the
DPSs that has become available since their listing on September 22,
2011 (76 FR 58868).
DATES: To allow us adequate time to conduct this review, we must
receive your information no later than February 24, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit information on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2019-0150, by either of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit electronic information via
the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter
NOAA-NMFS-2019-0150. Click on the ``Comment Now!'' icon and complete
the required fields. Enter or attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Adrienne Lohe, Endangered
Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,
1315 East-West Highway, Room 13626, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or
[[Page 70959]]
individual, or received after the end of the specified period, may not
be considered. All comments received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name,
address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise
sensitive or protected information submitted voluntarily by the sender
will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous submissions
(enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrienne Lohe at the above address, by
phone at (301) 427-8442 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice announces our review of the
following loggerhead sea turtle DPSs: The endangered Mediterranean Sea
DPS, the endangered Northeast Atlantic Ocean DPS, the endangered North
Indian Ocean DPS, the endangered South Pacific Ocean, the threatened
Northwest Atlantic Ocean DPS, the threatened South Atlantic Ocean DPS,
the threatened Southeast Indo-Pacific Ocean DPS, and the threatened
Southwest Indian Ocean DPS (76 FR 58868; September 22, 2011). It does
not include the North Pacific Ocean DPS review, which we initiated in
2016 (81 FR 70394; October 12, 2016). Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the ESA
requires that we conduct a review of listed species at least once every
5 years. This will be the first review of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean
and foreign loggerhead DPSs since they were listed in 2011. The
regulations in 50 CFR 424.21 require that we publish a notice in the
Federal Register announcing species currently under active review. On
the basis of such reviews under section 4(c)(2)(B), we determine
whether any species should be removed from the list (i.e., delisted) or
reclassified from endangered to threatened or from threatened to
endangered (16 U.S.C. 1533(c)(2)(B)). As described by the regulations
in 50 CFR 424.11(e), the Secretary shall delist a species if the
Secretary finds that, after conducting a status review based on the
best scientific and commercial data available: (1) The species is
extinct; (2) the species does not meet the definition of an endangered
species or a threatened species; and/or (3) the listed entity does not
meet the statutory definition of a species. Any change in Federal
classification would require a separate rulemaking process.
Background information on all DPSs of loggerhead is available on
the NMFS website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/loggerhead-turtle.
Public Solicitation of New Information
To ensure that the reviews are complete and based on the best
available scientific and commercial information, we are soliciting new
information from the public, governmental agencies, Tribes, the
scientific community, industry, environmental entities, and any other
interested parties concerning the status of all loggerhead DPSs other
than the North Pacific Ocean DPS. Categories of requested information
include: (1) Species biology including, but not limited to, population
trends, distribution, abundance, demographics, and genetics; (2)
habitat conditions including, but not limited to, amount, distribution,
and important features for conservation; (3) status and trends of
threats to the species and its habitats; (4) conservation measures that
have been implemented that benefit the species, including monitoring
data demonstrating effectiveness of such measures; (5) need for
additional conservation measures; and (6) other new information, data,
or corrections including, but not limited to, taxonomic or
nomenclatural changes and improved analytical methods for evaluating
extinction risk.
If you wish to provide information for the reviews, you may submit
your information and materials electronically or via mail (see
ADDRESSES section). We request that all information be accompanied by
supporting documentation such as maps, bibliographic references, or
reprints of pertinent publications. We also would appreciate the
submitter's name, address, and any association, institution, or
business that the person represents; however, anonymous submissions
will also be accepted.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: December 18, 2019.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-27700 Filed 12-23-19; 8:45 am]
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