[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]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P