Endangered and Threatened Species; Draft Recovery Plan for the Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus Longimanus), 4817-4818 [2023-01441]
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<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 16 / Wednesday, January 25, 2023 / Notices
A’’ in the required fields if you wish to
remain anonymous).
Electronic copies of the Draft
Recovery Plan and supporting
documents are available online at:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/
oceanic-whitetip-shark#conservationmanagement.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 278t.
Alicia Chambers,
NIST Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2023–01446 Filed 1–24–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XC371]
Endangered and Threatened Species;
Draft Recovery Plan for the Oceanic
Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus
Longimanus)
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of draft
recovery plan; request for comments.
AGENCY:
We, the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), announce the
availability of a Draft Endangered
Species Act (ESA) Recovery Plan for the
threatened oceanic whitetip shark
(Carcharhinus longimanus) for public
review. We are soliciting review and
comment from the public and all
interested parties on the Draft Recovery
Plan, and will consider all substantive
comments received during the review
period before submitting the Recovery
Plan for final approval.
DATES: Comments on the Draft Recovery
Plan must be received by March 27,
2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the Draft Recovery Plan, identified
by NOAA–NMFS–2022–0097 by the
following method.
• Electronic Submissions: Submit all
electronic comments via the Federal
eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://
www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA–
NMFS–2022–0097 in the Search box.
Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon, complete
the required fields, and enter or attach
your comments.
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 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/
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:55 Jan 24, 2023
Jkt 259001
Kristen Koyama, (301) 427–8456,
kristen.koyama@noaa.gov or Chelsey
Young, (808) 725–5154, chelsey.young@
noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Endangered Species Act of 1973
(ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), requires that NMFS 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. Section
4(f)(1) of the ESA requires that recovery
plans incorporate, to the maximum
extent practicable: (1) site-specific
management actions necessary to
achieve the plan’s goals; (2) objective,
measurable criteria which, when met,
would result in a determination that the
species is no longer threatened or
endangered; and (3) estimates of the
time required and costs to implement
recovery actions.
We listed the oceanic whitetip shark
(Carcharhinus longimanus) as a
threatened species under the ESA on
January 30, 2018 (83 FR 4153).
The oceanic whitetip shark is a
globally distributed, pelagic species of
shark that is highly migratory, has lowmoderate productivity, and relatively
low reproductive rates. While the
current population size is unknown, the
best available information indicates the
oceanic whitetip shark has experienced
significant declines in abundance
throughout its range over at least the last
several decades due to overutilization in
commercial fisheries resulting in high
levels of fishing mortality. It is difficult
to assess the global population status of
the oceanic whitetip shark because
stock assessments to date have only
been conducted for the Western and
Central Pacific stock. Therefore, it is
unknown whether global population
abundance has continued to decline,
has stabilized, or has recently increased.
Regardless of recent trends, the oceanic
whitetip shark’s large population
decline is a cause for concern due to
ongoing susceptibility to threats acting
on the species.
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
4817
Development of the Draft Recovery Plan
In September 2018, we developed a
recovery outline to systematically and
cohesively guide recovery for the
oceanic whitetip shark until we
completed a recovery plan. The
recovery outline is available on our
website at: https://www.fisheries.
noaa.gov/species/oceanic-whitetipshark#conservation-management.
In April and November of 2019, we
held two 3-day recovery planning
workshops for the oceanic whitetip
shark in Honolulu, Hawaii and Miami,
Florida, respectively. The purpose of
these workshops was to gather expert
input and perspectives on the best ways
for recovering the oceanic whitetip
shark, including identifying potential
recovery criteria and actions to address
the threats to the species. We invited
experts in specific topic areas, including
the species’ biology/ecology, threats to
the species, fisheries management, and
the recovery planning process itself.
Identified experts included
representatives of Federal agencies,
scientific experts, individuals from
conservation partners and nongovernmental organizations, and
representatives from the commercial
fishing industry. The workshop
summaries were published in late 2019
and are available from our website at:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/
oceanic-whitetip-shark#conservationmanagement.
The recovery planning components
for the oceanic whitetip shark are
divided into three separate documents.
The first document, the Recovery Status
Review, provides detailed information
on the oceanic whitetip shark’s biology,
ecology, status and threats, and
conservation efforts to date, which has
typically been included in the
background section of a species’
recovery plan. This separate document
is designed to inform all post-listing
activities, including recovery planning,
and is a comprehensive update to the
original 2017 status review (Young et al.
2017). The Recovery Status Review may
be revised as new information becomes
available. The second document, the
Draft Recovery Plan, focuses on the
statutory components of a recovery
plan, as required under the ESA to be
incorporated to the maximum extent
practicable: (1) a description of sitespecific management actions necessary
for the conservation and survival of the
species (recovery actions); (2) objective,
measurable criteria that, when met, will
allow the species to be removed from
the endangered and threatened species
list; and (3) estimates of the time and
cost required to achieve the plan’s goals.
E:\FR\FM\25JAN1.SGM
25JAN1
4818
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 16 / Wednesday, January 25, 2023 / Notices
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Site-specific recovery actions in the
Draft Recovery Plan are described at a
relatively high level and are strategic in
nature. The third document, the Draft
Recovery Implementation Strategy, is a
flexible, operational document separate
from the Draft Recovery Plan that
provides specific, prioritized activities
necessary to fully implement recovery
actions in the Draft Recovery Plan,
while affording us the ability to modify
these activities efficiently to reflect
changes in the information available as
well as progress towards recovery. All
three of the recovery planning
documents, including the Recovery
Status Review, the Draft Recovery Plan,
and the Draft Recovery Implementation
Strategy, are available on the NMFS
oceanic whitetip shark profile website
at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
species/oceanic-whitetipshark#conservation-management.
We have determined that this Draft
Recovery Plan for the oceanic whitetip
shark meets the statutory requirements
for a recovery plan and are proposing to
adopt it as the ESA recovery plan for
this threatened species. Section 4(f)(4)
of the ESA requires that public notice
and an opportunity to comment be
provided prior to final approval of a
recovery plan. This notice solicits
comments on this Draft Recovery Plan.
Contents of the Draft Recovery Plan
The Draft Recovery Plan presents
NMFS’ proposed recovery goal,
objectives, and criteria, which, when
met, would allow the oceanic whitetip
shark to be delisted. The proposed
demographic and threats-based recovery
objectives and criteria are based on the
listing factors found in the ESA section
4(a)(1). The proposed demographic and
threats-based recovery objectives and
criteria for the oceanic whitetip shark
address threats from significant
population declines, bycatch-related
mortality in commercial fisheries,
international trade of its fins,
inadequate regulatory mechanisms, and
identifies stressors that should be
monitored for potential future impact,
such as climate change. The Draft
Recovery Plan also describes specific
information on the following: current
status of the oceanic whitetip shark,
pressures (limiting factors) and threats
that have contributed to the species’
decline, recovery strategies to address
the threats, and site-specific recovery
actions with timelines. The Draft
Recovery Plan also estimates the time
and costs required to implement
recovery actions.
The Draft Recovery Implementation
Strategy provides specific, prioritized
activities necessary to fully implement
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:55 Jan 24, 2023
Jkt 259001
recovery actions in the Draft Recovery
Plan. This stepped-down approach will
afford us the ability to modify these
activities efficiently to reflect changes in
the information available as well as
progress towards recovery.
How NMFS and Others Expect To Use
the Plan
In addition to continuing to carry out
actions already underway, such as
satellite tag deployment and analysis,
genetic sampling, and other research
activities, we have begun
implementation of other actions as
described in the plan, such as gear
changes in certain fisheries and
developing additional regulatory
measures to help protect oceanic
whitetip sharks in U.S. waters. After
public comment and the adoption of the
Final Recovery Plan, our intention is 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 Recovery 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.
Public Comments Solicited
We are soliciting written comments
on the Draft Recovery Plan. All
substantive comments received by the
date specified above will be considered
and incorporated, as appropriate, prior
to our decision on whether to approve
this Recovery Plan. While we invite
comments on all aspects of the Draft
Recovery Plan, we are particularly
interested in comments on the proposed
objectives, criteria, and actions, as well
as comments on the estimated time and
cost of recovery actions and activities.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: January 19, 2023.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–01441 Filed 1–24–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
PO 00000
Frm 00020
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of
Engineers
Withdrawal of the Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement for the Mississippi River
Hatchie/Loosahatchie, MS River Mile
775–736, Tennessee and Arkansas,
Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility
Study
AGENCY:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
DoD.
ACTION:
Notice of intent; withdrawal.
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE), Memphis District is
terminating preparation of a Draft
Integrated Feasibility Report and
Environmental Impact Statement (DIFR–
EIS) for the Hatchie-Loosahatchie
Mississippi River Ecosystem Restoration
Study. A Notice of Intent to prepare the
DIFR–EIS was published in the
November 4, 2022, issue of the Federal
Register. The USACE has since
determined that a Draft Integrated
Feasibility Report and Environmental
Assessment (DIFR–EA) rather than an
EIS is the appropriate level of
environmental documentation for the
study.
SUMMARY:
The DIFR–EA is presently
scheduled to be available for public
review and comment in early 2023. A
final IFR–EA is tentatively scheduled
for release in May 2024.
ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Memphis District, Attn:
CEMVN–PDC–UDC, 167 North Main St.,
Room B–202, Memphis, Tennessee
38103.
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mike Thron, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Memphis District; phone
901–544–0708; email LMRRA-HatchieLoosahatchie@usace.army.mil. For
additional information about the study,
please visit the project website at:
https://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/
Missions/Environmental-Stewardship/
Hatchie-Loosahatchie-Mississippi-RiverEcosystem-Restoration-Study/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Hatchie-Loosahatchie Mississippi River
Ecosystem Restoration Study seeks to
examine restoring ecological structure
and function to the mosaic of habitats
along the lower Mississippi River (LMR)
and its floodplain between River Miles
775 and 736 including secondary
channels and other floodplain aquatic
habitats; floodplain forests; and several
scarce vegetative communities such as,
wetlands, rivercane, riverfront forests,
and bottomland hardwood forests. The
E:\FR\FM\25JAN1.SGM
25JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4817-4818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01441]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XC371]
Endangered and Threatened Species; Draft Recovery Plan for the
Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus Longimanus)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of draft recovery plan; request for
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), announce the
availability of a Draft Endangered Species Act (ESA) Recovery Plan for
the threatened oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) for
public review. We are soliciting review and comment from the public and
all interested parties on the Draft Recovery Plan, and will consider
all substantive comments received during the review period before
submitting the Recovery Plan for final approval.
DATES: Comments on the Draft Recovery Plan must be received by March
27, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the Draft Recovery Plan,
identified by NOAA-NMFS-2022-0097 by the following method.
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic comments via
the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and
enter NOAA-NMFS-2022-0097 in the Search box. Click on the ``Comment''
icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
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
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).
Electronic copies of the Draft Recovery Plan and supporting
documents are available online at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/oceanic-whitetip-shark#conservation-management.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Koyama, (301) 427-8456,
[email protected] or Chelsey Young, (808) 725-5154,
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.), requires that NMFS 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. Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA
requires that recovery plans incorporate, to the maximum extent
practicable: (1) site-specific management actions necessary to achieve
the plan's goals; (2) objective, measurable criteria which, when met,
would result in a determination that the species is no longer
threatened or endangered; and (3) estimates of the time required and
costs to implement recovery actions.
We listed the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) as a
threatened species under the ESA on January 30, 2018 (83 FR 4153).
The oceanic whitetip shark is a globally distributed, pelagic
species of shark that is highly migratory, has low-moderate
productivity, and relatively low reproductive rates. While the current
population size is unknown, the best available information indicates
the oceanic whitetip shark has experienced significant declines in
abundance throughout its range over at least the last several decades
due to overutilization in commercial fisheries resulting in high levels
of fishing mortality. It is difficult to assess the global population
status of the oceanic whitetip shark because stock assessments to date
have only been conducted for the Western and Central Pacific stock.
Therefore, it is unknown whether global population abundance has
continued to decline, has stabilized, or has recently increased.
Regardless of recent trends, the oceanic whitetip shark's large
population decline is a cause for concern due to ongoing susceptibility
to threats acting on the species.
Development of the Draft Recovery Plan
In September 2018, we developed a recovery outline to
systematically and cohesively guide recovery for the oceanic whitetip
shark until we completed a recovery plan. The recovery outline is
available on our website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/oceanic-whitetip-shark#conservation-management.
In April and November of 2019, we held two 3-day recovery planning
workshops for the oceanic whitetip shark in Honolulu, Hawaii and Miami,
Florida, respectively. The purpose of these workshops was to gather
expert input and perspectives on the best ways for recovering the
oceanic whitetip shark, including identifying potential recovery
criteria and actions to address the threats to the species. We invited
experts in specific topic areas, including the species' biology/
ecology, threats to the species, fisheries management, and the recovery
planning process itself. Identified experts included representatives of
Federal agencies, scientific experts, individuals from conservation
partners and non-governmental organizations, and representatives from
the commercial fishing industry. The workshop summaries were published
in late 2019 and are available from our website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/oceanic-whitetip-shark#conservation-management.
The recovery planning components for the oceanic whitetip shark are
divided into three separate documents. The first document, the Recovery
Status Review, provides detailed information on the oceanic whitetip
shark's biology, ecology, status and threats, and conservation efforts
to date, which has typically been included in the background section of
a species' recovery plan. This separate document is designed to inform
all post-listing activities, including recovery planning, and is a
comprehensive update to the original 2017 status review (Young et al.
2017). The Recovery Status Review may be revised as new information
becomes available. The second document, the Draft Recovery Plan,
focuses on the statutory components of a recovery plan, as required
under the ESA to be incorporated to the maximum extent practicable: (1)
a description of site-specific management actions necessary for the
conservation and survival of the species (recovery actions); (2)
objective, measurable criteria that, when met, will allow the species
to be removed from the endangered and threatened species list; and (3)
estimates of the time and cost required to achieve the plan's goals.
[[Page 4818]]
Site-specific recovery actions in the Draft Recovery Plan are described
at a relatively high level and are strategic in nature. The third
document, the Draft Recovery Implementation Strategy, is a flexible,
operational document separate from the Draft Recovery Plan that
provides specific, prioritized activities necessary to fully implement
recovery actions in the Draft Recovery Plan, while affording us the
ability to modify these activities efficiently to reflect changes in
the information available as well as progress towards recovery. All
three of the recovery planning documents, including the Recovery Status
Review, the Draft Recovery Plan, and the Draft Recovery Implementation
Strategy, are available on the NMFS oceanic whitetip shark profile
website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/oceanic-whitetip-shark#conservation-management.
We have determined that this Draft Recovery Plan for the oceanic
whitetip shark meets the statutory requirements for a recovery plan and
are proposing to adopt it as the ESA recovery plan for this threatened
species. Section 4(f)(4) of the ESA requires that public notice and an
opportunity to comment be provided prior to final approval of a
recovery plan. This notice solicits comments on this Draft Recovery
Plan.
Contents of the Draft Recovery Plan
The Draft Recovery Plan presents NMFS' proposed recovery goal,
objectives, and criteria, which, when met, would allow the oceanic
whitetip shark to be delisted. The proposed demographic and threats-
based recovery objectives and criteria are based on the listing factors
found in the ESA section 4(a)(1). The proposed demographic and threats-
based recovery objectives and criteria for the oceanic whitetip shark
address threats from significant population declines, bycatch-related
mortality in commercial fisheries, international trade of its fins,
inadequate regulatory mechanisms, and identifies stressors that should
be monitored for potential future impact, such as climate change. The
Draft Recovery Plan also describes specific information on the
following: current status of the oceanic whitetip shark, pressures
(limiting factors) and threats that have contributed to the species'
decline, recovery strategies to address the threats, and site-specific
recovery actions with timelines. The Draft Recovery Plan also estimates
the time and costs required to implement recovery actions.
The Draft Recovery Implementation Strategy provides specific,
prioritized activities necessary to fully implement recovery actions in
the Draft Recovery Plan. This stepped-down approach will afford us the
ability to modify these activities efficiently to reflect changes in
the information available as well as progress towards recovery.
How NMFS and Others Expect To Use the Plan
In addition to continuing to carry out actions already underway,
such as satellite tag deployment and analysis, genetic sampling, and
other research activities, we have begun implementation of other
actions as described in the plan, such as gear changes in certain
fisheries and developing additional regulatory measures to help protect
oceanic whitetip sharks in U.S. waters. After public comment and the
adoption of the Final Recovery Plan, our intention is 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 Recovery 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.
Public Comments Solicited
We are soliciting written comments on the Draft Recovery Plan. All
substantive comments received by the date specified above will be
considered and incorporated, as appropriate, prior to our decision on
whether to approve this Recovery Plan. While we invite comments on all
aspects of the Draft Recovery Plan, we are particularly interested in
comments on the proposed objectives, criteria, and actions, as well as
comments on the estimated time and cost of recovery actions and
activities.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: January 19, 2023.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-01441 Filed 1-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
