[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 125 (Friday, June 28, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 53936-53937]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14169]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 223 and 224

[Docket No. 240520-0140; RTID 0648-XR135]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; 90-Day Finding on a Petition 
To List Gulf of Alaska Chinook Salmon as Threatened or Endangered Under 
the Endangered Species Act; Extension of Public Comment Period

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

ACTION: Extension of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce the extension of the public comment period 
on our May 24, 2024, 90-day finding on a petition to list Gulf of 
Alaska (GOA) Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), or any 
evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) that may exist in the petitioned 
area, as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA). As part of that finding, we solicited scientific and 
commercial information about the status of this population and 
announced a 60-day public comment period to end on July 23, 2024. 
Today, we extend the public comment period by 45 days until September 
6, 2024.

DATES: The comment period for the 90-day finding published May 24, 
2024, at 89 FR 45815, is extended. Comments should be received on or 
before September 6, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit data and information relevant to our review 
of the status of GOA Chinook salmon, identified by ``Gulf of Alaska 
Chinook salmon Petition'' or by the docket number, NOAA-NMFS-2024-0042, 
by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2024-0042 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, Protected Resources Division, Alaska 
Region NMFS, Attn. Susan Meyer. Mail comments to P.O. Box 21668, 
Juneau, AK 99802.
    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), 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).
    The petition and 90-day finding are available on the NMFS website 
at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/petition-list-gulf-alaska-chinook-salmon-threatened-or-endangered-under-endangered-species.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie Scheurer, NMFS Alaska Region, 
[email protected], (907) 586-7111; or Heather Austin, NMFS Office 
of Protected Resources, [email protected], (301) 427-8422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 11, 2024, we received a petition 
from the Wild Fish Conservancy to delineate and list one or more ESUs 
of Chinook salmon in the GOA as threatened or endangered under the ESA, 
and to designate critical habitat concurrently with the listing. On May 
24, 2024, NMFS announced a positive 90-day finding on a petition to 
list one or more ESUs of GOA Chinook salmon as threatened or endangered 
under the ESA, and commenced a status review of the species to 
determine whether one or more ESU warrants listing (89 FR 45815). To 
ensure that the status review is based on the best available scientific 
and commercial data, we solicited such information regarding this 
species and announced a 60-day public comment period through July 23, 
2024.
    On June 3, 2024, we received a request from the Alaska Department 
of Fish and Game (ADF&G) to extend the deadline for the public to 
provide comments until at least September 6, 2024. ADF&G noted that the 
comment period coincides and conflicts with the summer fishing and 
field season and may not allow sufficient time for interested parties 
to submit information for the broad geographic area under review. At 
the June 2024 meeting of the

[[Page 53937]]

North Pacific Fishery Management Council, representatives from several 
fishing organizations also requested through public testimony an 
extension of the public comment period for this action, and we 
subsequently received a written request from the Council. In response, 
we are extending the close of the public comment period until September 
6, 2024. Although we have extended the comment period by 45 days, we 
are unable to extend the statutory deadline for completing the status 
review and publishing a 12-month finding under the ESA. As such, we 
urge interested parties to submit their comments and data as soon as 
possible to allow us more time to review and incorporate the 
information where appropriate.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

    Dated: June 24, 2024.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-14169 Filed 6-27-24; 8:45 am]
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