[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15650-15651]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-06081]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA957]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Announcement of a Recovery 
Planning Workshop To Inform Recovery Planning for 15 ESA Listed Indo-
Pacific Coral Species

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On September 10, 2014, we, NMFS, listed 15 Indo-Pacific coral 
species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We are 
convening a workshop to solicit facts and information from experts to 
help identify and guide recovery needs for these species under section 
4(f) of the ESA. We will not be asking for a consensus recommendation 
on how to recover these species. This workshop will be open to the 
public.

DATES: Workshop dates and information: We will hold the recovery 
planning workshop for these coral species virtually over the course of 
four three-hour sessions in May 2021. To accommodate participants from 
different time zones, we will duplicate each session, as follows:

 Week 1--Session I: Recovery Introduction
    [cir] Option A: Wednesday May 5, 8-11 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time 
(HST);
    [cir] Option B: Thursday May 6, 2-5 p.m. HST.
 Week 2--Session II: Recovery Approaches
    [cir] Option A: Wednesday May 12, 8-11 a.m. HST;
    [cir] Option B: Thursday May 13, 2-5 p.m. HST.
 Week 3--Session III: Recovery Criteria
    [cir] Option A: Wednesday May 19, 8-11 a.m. HST;
    [cir] Option B: Thursday May 20, 2-5 p.m. HST.
 Week 4--Session IV: Recovery Actions
    [cir] Option A: Wednesday May 26, 8-11 a.m. HST;
    [cir] Option B: Thursday May 27, 2-5 p.m. HST.

    RSVP date: If you plan to attend the workshop as an interested 
member of the public, please contact Danielle Jayewardene, NMFS Pacific 
Islands Regional Office (PIRO) Protected Resources Division, 
[email protected], 808-725-5143 no later than April 21, 
2021.

[[Page 15651]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Danielle Jayewardene, NMFS Pacific 
Islands Regional Office (PIRO) Protected Resources Division, 
[email protected], 808-725-5143.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On September 10, 2014, we, NMFS, listed 15 Indo-Pacific coral 
species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)(79 FR 
53851; September 10, 2014). The 15 listed species are Acropora 
globiceps, Acropora jacquelineae, Acropora lokani, Acropora pharaonis, 
Acropora retusa, Acropora rudis, Acropora speciosa, Acropora tenella, 
Anacropora spinosa, Euphyllia paradivisa, Isopora crateriformis, 
Montipora australiensis, Pavona diffluens, Porites napopora, and 
Seriatopora aculeata. The final listing rule describes the background 
of the listing action for these species and provides a summary of our 
conclusions regarding their status. For additional background and 
information about these species, the reader is referred to our species 
web pages (available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/corals#by-species).
    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.
    This notice serves as the first 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 website (see ADDRESSES section) for public review and comment 
before being finalized.

Recovery Planning Workshop Announcement

    From Wednesday May 5, 2021 through Thursday May 27, 2021, NMFS will 
hold a virtual workshop in four sessions to help inform our recovery 
planning for these 15 coral species (see DATES section). We are 
inviting experts and stakeholders in specific topic areas, including 
the species' biology/ecology, threats to the species and the species' 
habitat, the recovery planning process itself, and coral and coral reef 
conservation and management. These experts and stakeholders will help 
us to identify potential actions to address the threats to the species, 
identify gaps in knowledge and associated research needs, as well as 
begin developing recovery criteria for the species. Identified experts 
and stakeholders include representatives of Federal and state agencies, 
scientific experts, and individuals from conservation partners and 
nongovernmental organizations.
    NMFS will provide a moderator to manage the workshop as well as 
note takers to document input received. We are seeking facts and 
information; we will not be asking for consensus recommendations on how 
to recover these 15 coral species. NMFS will prepare a summary of the 
workshop, noting the main points raised by the participants.
    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 Danielle Jayewardene at the address listed above by April 21, 
2021, so we can ensure sufficient online connectivity for participants 
and interested parties during our logistics planning.

Agenda

     May 5/May 6 Session I will focus on introducing ESA 
recovery planning for the listed Indo-Pacific coral species.
     May 12/May 13 Session II will focus on recovery approaches 
for the listed Indo-Pacific coral species.
     May 19/May 20 Session III will focus on recovery criteria 
for the listed Indo-Pacific coral species.
     May 26/May 27 Session IV will focus on recovery actions 
for the listed Indo-Pacific coral species.
    The workshop is accessible to persons with disabilities. Send 
requests for accessibility accommodations by April 21, 2021 to Danielle 
Jayewardene, [email protected], 808-725-5143.

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

    Dated: March 19, 2021.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-06081 Filed 3-23-21; 8:45 am]
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