[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 25, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-26202] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: October 25, 1994] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 CFR Part 17 RIN 1018-AB66 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reopening of Comment Period on Proposed Threatened Status for the Goliath Frog AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of reopening of comment period. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces a reopening of the comment period on the proposed rule to list the goliath frog (Conraua goliath) as threatened through to November 1, 1994, in order to allow additional time for receipt of comments from affected countries. DATES: Comments from all interested parties must be received by November 1, 1994. ADDRESSES: Comments, information, and questions should be submitted to the Chief, Office of Scientific Authority; Mail Stop: 725, Arlington Square, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Washington, D.C. 20240. Fax number (703) 358-2276. Express and messenger delivered mail should be addressed to the Office of Scientific Authority; Room 750, 4401 North Fairfax Drive; Arlington, Virginia 22203. Comments and other information received will be available for public inspection, by appointment, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday at the Arlington, Virginia, address. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Charles W. Dane, Office of Scientific Authority, at the above address, or by phone at (703) 358- 1708. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Following the receipt and review of a petition dated April 9, 1991, to add the goliath frog to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, the Service proposed in a September 12, 1991, Federal Register notice (56 FR 46397) to list the goliath frog as threatened. The information received in response to the request for comments contained in the proposed rule, as well as the comments received at the March 2-13, 1992, meeting of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), left questions as to whether listing under the Act is warranted. Consequently, a final decision has yet to be announced, and the comment period was reopened on July 19, 1994 (59 FR 36737) to close on October 17, 1994. Additional information was requested from the CITES Management Authorities of the range countries, i.e., Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, before September 10, 1994. However, the official contact with those countries through the U.S. Embassies in those countries was completed at a later date. Therefore, in order to provide adequate opportunity to receive additional information those countries were informed that their comments would be accepted until November 1, 1994. Public Comments Solicited The Service intends that any final decision on the proposed rule will accurately reflect the status of the species and will be based on the best available scientific and commercial information. Therefore, comments and suggestions concerning any aspect of this proposed rule are hereby solicited from the public, concerned governmental agencies, the scientific community, industry, private interests, and other parties. Information is sought on the listing criteria described in the Act: (1) The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of this species' habitat or its range; (2) Any overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; (3) Disease factors or natural predation that may threaten this species; (4) Any inadequacies of existing regulatory mechanisms; and (5) Other natural or manmade factors affecting this species' continued existence. The Service is particularly interested in the following information: (1) Information on habitat requirements, distribution of that habitat, and threats to that habitat, as well as documentation of past or future habitat losses and threats to that habitat throughout the range of the goliath frog; and in particular quantification of the loss of rainforest in the species' range, and information on the displacement or extirpation of the species when rainforest along river habitat of the species is opened for cultivation. (2) Information as to any known population estimates or surveys of this species; (3) Further information on local utilization of this species; (4) Any information on the reproductive biology of this species, especially as it may relate to its ability to sustain harvest; (5) Information as to the extent of commercial trade in this species, especially information on international trade other than imports into the United States; and (6) Information as to current ability to transport and maintain and reproduce this species in captivity. Authority The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Dated: October 14, 1994. Mollie H. Beattie, Director, Fish and Wildlife Service. [FR Doc. 94-26202 Filed 10-24-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-M