[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 9978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-5871]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 011996A]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Recovery Plans for Listed Sea
Turtles
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Department of
the Interior, (collectively, the Services) announce the availability of
the proposed recovery plans for U.S. Pacific populations of endangered
and threatened sea turtles, as required by the Endangered Species Act
of 1973 (ESA). These reviews and any written comments received shall be
considered by the Services in their approval of the final recovery
plans.
DATES: Written comments will be accepted on or before May 13, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the proposed recovery plans may be
submitted to the Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of
Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD
20910.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Therese Conant, 301-713-1401, or
Richard Byles, 505-248-6647.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The ESA is administered jointly by the Services. NMFS has
jurisdiction over most species in the marine system while FWS has
jurisdiction elsewhere. Listed endangered and threatened species under
NMFS jurisdiction are enumerated in 50 CFR 222.23(a) and 50 CFR 227.4,
respectively. The List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, which
contains species under the jurisdiction of both Services, is found in
50 CFR part 17.11(h).
Pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement between the two Services, the
jurisdiction over listed sea turtles is shared: FWS has responsibility
for sea turtles primarily in the terrestrial environment, while NMFS
has responsibility for sea turtles primarily in the marine environment.
Presently, all sea turtle species found in the United States are listed
as follows: Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), leatherback
(Dermochelys coriacea), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) are
listed as endangered; loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia
mydas), and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtles are listed as
threatened, except for breeding populations of green turtles in Florida
and on the Pacific coast of Mexico, and breeding populations of olive
ridleys on the Pacific coast of Mexico, which are listed as endangered.
Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA requires that the Secretary of the
Interior or the Secretary of Commerce develop and implement recovery
plans for the conservation and survival of endangered and threatened
species listed pursuant to section 4(c) of the ESA unless such plans
would not promote the conservation of the species. Pursuant to section
4(f)(4) of the ESA, prior to final approval and implementation of a new
or revised recovery plan, the Secretary shall provide public notice and
an opportunity for public review and comment. The Secretary shall
consider all information presented during the public comment period
prior to approval of the plan. In addition, it is the policy (59 FR
34273, July 1, 1994) of the Services to minimize social and economic
impacts in developing and implementing recovery plans while providing
for the timely recovery of the species.
The proposed recovery plans are for the U.S. Pacific populations of
the loggerhead, olive ridley, leatherback, hawksbill, green and the
East Pacific population of the green. These are the first comprehensive
proposed recovery plans for sea turtle populations in the U.S. Pacific.
To accomplish the drafting of these proposed recovery plans, NMFS
formed a team of professional biologists (Recovery Team) with
experience in the region and with marine turtles. The recovery plans
proposed by the Services are essentially the recommendations of the
Recovery Team.
While similar in format to previously drafted sea turtle recovery
plans for the Atlantic and the Caribbean, the unique nature of the
Pacific required some changes to that format. The geographic scope of
these plans is much larger than any previously attempted, with over
5,000 islands and 3,000 miles of ocean, as well as the mainland United
States, to consider. Furthermore, the amount of jurisdictional overlap
between nations, commonwealths, territories and compact-of-free-
association-states and the various turtle populations required a
broader management perspective than has been attempted previously.
Finally, sea turtles have not been studied as intensively in the
Pacific as in other U.S. areas, and thus there is a large void in basic
biological information on the species available. Thus, these plans have
more extensive text on the general biology of the turtles, so that they
might act as a resource to managers seeking a handy reference to the
species. The plans are also subdivided into U.S. jurisdictional areas
(i.e. the various commonwealths and territories), so that local
managers can address issues within their respective regions more
easily.
Request for Comments
The Services intend that the final recovery plans will take
advantage of information and recommendations from all interested
parties. Therefore, comments and suggestions are hereby solicited from
the public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific
community, industry, and any other person concerned with this proposed
recovery plan area. The proposed recovery plans are available (see
ADDRESSES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531-1543 et seq.
Dated: March 7, 1996.
Pat Montanio,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-5871 Filed 3-11-96; 8:45 am]
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