[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27417-27418]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08208]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD857]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Initiation of a 5-Year Review 
for the Endangered Western Distinct Population Segment of Steller Sea 
Lion

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

ACTION: Notice of initiation of 5-year review; request for information.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to conduct a 5-year review of the 
endangered western distinct population segment (DPS) of the Steller sea 
lion (Eumetopias jubatus). NMFS is required by the Endangered Species 
Act (ESA) to conduct 5-year reviews to ensure that 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 the 
western DPS (WDPS) of Steller sea lion, particularly information on 
their status, threats, and recovery that has become available since the 
previous 5-year review was issued in 2020.

DATES: To allow us adequate time to conduct this review, we must 
receive your information no later than June 17, 2024. However, we will 
continue to accept new information about any listed species at any 
time.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
docket number NOAA-NMFS-2024-0032, by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit https://www.regulations.gov and type NOAA-NMFS-2024-0032 in the Search box. 
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter 
or attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Anne Marie Eich, 
Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources, Alaska Region 
NMFS, Attn: Records Office. Mail comments to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 
99802-1668.
     Fax: (907) 586-7012; Attn: Dr. Anne Marie Eich.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
https://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Raum-Suryan, NMFS Alaska Region, 
907-586-7424, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the ESA requires that 
the Secretary, through NMFS, conduct a review of ESA-listed species at 
least once every 5 years (16 U.S.C. 1533(c)(2)(A)). 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 a listed species 
should be delisted, or be 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 has recovered to the point at which 
it no longer meets the definition of an endangered species or a 
threatened species; (3) new information that has become available since 
the original listing decision shows the listed entity does not meet the 
definition of an endangered species or a threatened species; or (4) new 
information that has become available since the original listing 
decision shows the listed entity does not meet the definition of a 
species. Any change in Federal classification would require a separate 
rulemaking process.

[[Page 27418]]

    The Steller sea lion was listed as threatened under the ESA by an 
emergency interim rule on April 5, 1990 (55 FR 12645). NMFS published a 
final rule to list the Steller sea lion as a threatened species under 
the ESA on November 26, 1990 (55 FR 49204). NMFS designated critical 
habitat for the Steller sea lion on August 27, 1993 (58 FR 45269). On 
May 5, 1997, based on demographic and genetic dissimilarities, NMFS 
reclassified the Steller sea lion into two DPSs: a WDPS, listed as 
endangered, and an eastern DPS (EDPS), listed as threatened (62 FR 
24345). The WDPS, comprised of animals originating from breeding sites 
west of 144[deg] W longitude, was listed as endangered (62 FR 24345, 
May 5, 1997) due to persistent decline and lack of recovery, while the 
EDPS remained listed as threatened. On November 4, 2013, NMFS delisted 
the EDPS Steller sea lion (78 FR 66140). NMFS completed the last 5-year 
review of this species on February 20, 2020 and the document is 
available on the NMFS website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/western-distinct-population-segment-steller-sea-lion-5-year-review-summary-and. Background information on these Steller sea 
lion DPSs is available on the NMFS website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/steller-sea-lion/overview.

Determining if a Species Is Threatened or Endangered

    Section 4(a)(1) of the ESA requires that we determine whether a 
species is endangered or threatened based on one or more of the five 
following factors: (1) the present or threatened destruction, 
modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; (2) 
overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or 
educational purposes; (3) disease or predation; (4) the inadequacy of 
existing regulatory mechanisms; or (5) other natural or manmade factors 
affecting its continued existence. Section 4(b) also requires that our 
determination be made on the basis of the best scientific and 
commercial data available after conducting a review of the status of 
the species and after taking into account those efforts, if any, being 
made by any State or foreign nation to protect such species.

Application of the DPS Policy

    On February 7, 1996, NMFS adopted the Policy Regarding the 
Recognition of Distinct Vertebrate Population Segments (DPS Policy) to 
clarify the interpretation of the phrase ``distinct population segment 
of any species of vertebrate fish or wildlife'' for the purposes of 
listing, delisting, and reclassifying species under the ESA (61 FR 
4722). The WDPS of Steller sea lion was listed as a DPS of a vertebrate 
taxon. In the application of the DPS Policy, we are responsible for 
determining whether species, subspecies, or DPSs of marine and 
anadromous species are threatened or endangered under the ESA. A DPS is 
defined in the DPS Policy (61 FR 4722, February 7, 1996). For a 
population to be listed under the ESA as a DPS, three elements are 
considered: (1) the discreteness of the population segment in relation 
to the remainder of the species to which it belongs; (2) the 
significance of the population segment to the species to which it 
belongs; and (3) the population segment's conservation status in 
relation to the Act's standards for listing (i.e., is the population 
segment, when treated as if it were a species, endangered or 
threatened?). DPSs of vertebrate species, as well as subspecies of all 
listed species, may be proposed for separate reclassification or for 
removal from the List. As required by the DPS policy, we will apply the 
DPS policy during the 5-year review.

Public Solicitation of New Relevant Information

    To ensure that the 5-year review is complete and based on the best 
scientific and commercial data available, 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 the endangered WDPS of the 
Steller sea lion. 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, 
suitability, 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 this review, 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: April 12, 2024.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-08208 Filed 4-16-24; 8:45 am]
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