[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 210 (Wednesday, November 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60615-60616]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23899]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB454]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plan for Main 
Hawaiian Islands Insular False Killer Whale Distinct Population Segment

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the 
adoption of a Final Endangered Species Act (ESA) Recovery Plan for the 
endangered main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale (MHI IFKW) 
distinct population segment (DPS). The Final Recovery Plan (Plan) and 
associated Recovery Implementation Strategy for this species are now 
available.

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Final Recovery Plan and Recovery 
Implementation Strategy are available on the NMFS website at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/false-killer-whale#conservation-management.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Krista Graham, (808) 725-5152, 
[email protected]; or Kristen Koyama, (301) 427-8456, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 60616]]

Background

    The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.) requires that we develop and implement recovery plans for 
the conservation and survival of threatened and endangered species 
under our jurisdiction, unless it is determined that such plans would 
not promote the conservation of the species. We designated the MHI IFKW 
(Pseudorca crassidens) as an endangered DPS under the ESA on November 
28, 2012 (77 FR 70915). We published a Notice of Availability of the 
Draft Recovery Plan and Recovery Implementation Strategy (Draft Plans) 
in the Federal Register on October 16, 2020 (85 FR 65791) to obtain 
comments on the Draft Plans. We revised the Draft Plans based on the 
six comment submissions received from five agencies/organizations and 
one U.S. citizen, and these versions now constitute the Plan and 
Recovery Implementation Strategy for the MHI IFKW DPS.

The Final Plan

    Recovery plans describe actions beneficial for the conservation and 
recovery of species listed under the ESA. Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA 
requires that recovery plans include, to the extent practicable: (1) 
Objective, measurable criteria which, when met, would result in a 
determination that the species is no longer threatened or endangered; 
(2) site-specific management actions necessary to achieve the plan's 
goals; and (3) estimates of the time required and costs to achieve the 
recovery plan's goal. The ESA requires the development of recovery 
plans for each listed species unless a recovery plan would not promote 
its recovery.
    The purpose of the Plan is to describe the vision of what a 
recovered MHI IFKW DPS looks like and the strategy or roadmap for how 
we plan to get to a recovered state. The goal of the Plan is to rebuild 
the extremely low population size while sufficiently abating threats, 
ultimately allowing for the species' removal from the Federal list of 
endangered and threatened species. The population should be large 
enough to be resilient to environmental variability over the coming 
decades as well as have a minimum of three social clusters with no more 
than half of the population within a single social cluster. This will 
ensure maximum genetic diversity and resiliency while still maintaining 
social connectedness. The recovery approach includes research, 
management, monitoring, and outreach to identify, reduce, or eliminate 
threats so the recovery objectives outlined in the Plan have the 
greatest likelihood of being achieved. Collectively, the goal, 
objectives, and criteria of the Plan represent NMFS' expectations of 
conditions to recover the MHI IFKW so the DPS no longer needs the 
protective measures provided by the ESA.
    The recovery objectives and criteria in the Plan are based on the 
current literature as well as significant input from a variety of 
expert stakeholders. These experts, from a range of relevant 
disciplines including Federal and state agencies, scientists, 
commercial and recreational fishermen, conservation partners, and 
nongovernmental organizations, were convened during a four-day recovery 
planning workshop in 2016 to identify recovery criteria and actions to 
address threats to the species. Recovery criteria can be viewed as 
targets, or values, by which progress toward achievement of recovery 
objectives can be measured to make a downlisting (to threatened) and 
delisting decision. In the Plan, we frame recovery objectives and 
criteria in terms of both population parameters (demographic-based 
recovery criteria) and the five ESA listing factors found in the ESA 
section 4(a)(1) (threats-based recovery criteria). The demographic and 
threats-based recovery objectives and criteria for the MHI IFKW address 
threats from small population size, incidental take in fisheries, 
inadequate regulatory mechanisms, competition with fisheries for prey, 
environmental contaminants and biotoxins, anthropogenic noise, effects 
from climate change, and secondary threats and synergies. The Plan also 
includes the projected timeframe to recover the species, the estimated 
cost of implementing actions, and potential agencies/organizations 
involved with helping to recover the species.
    Finally, accompanying the Plan is the Recovery Implementation 
Strategy, which is a flexible, operational document that provides 
specific, prioritized activities necessary to fully implement recovery 
actions in the Plan. This stepped-down approach will afford us the 
ability to modify these activities in real time to reflect changes in 
the information available as well as progress towards recovery. If/when 
the science indicates that meaningful changes to the recovery actions, 
objectives, and criteria are necessary, the Plan will be revised and go 
out for public comment.

How NMFS and Others Expect To Use the Plan

    With adoption of this Plan, we will seek to implement the actions 
and activities for which we have authority and funding; encourage other 
Federal, state, and local agencies to implement recovery actions and 
activities for which they have responsibility, authority, and funding; 
and work cooperatively with the public and local stakeholders on 
implementation of other actions and activities. We expect the Plan to 
guide us and other Federal agencies in evaluating Federal actions under 
ESA section 7, as well as in implementing other provisions of the ESA, 
such as considering permits under section 10, and other statutes.
    When we are considering a species for delisting, the agency will 
examine whether the ESA section 4(a)(1) listing factors have been 
addressed. To assist in this examination, we will use the delisting 
criteria described in the Plan, which include both demographic-based 
criteria and threats-based criteria addressing each of the ESA section 
4(a)(1) listing factors, as well as any other relevant data and policy 
considerations.

Conclusion

    NMFS has reviewed the Plan for compliance with the requirements of 
the ESA section 4(f), determined that it does incorporate the required 
elements, and is therefore adopting it as the Final Recovery Plan for 
the main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale DPS.

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

    Dated: October 28, 2021.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-23899 Filed 11-2-21; 8:45 am]
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