National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration April 6, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Ad Hoc Groundfish Trawl Individual Quota Committee (TIQC) will hold a working meeting which is open to the public.

We, the NMFS, have completed an update of an Endangered Species Act (ESA) status review for the North American green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris; hereafter ``green sturgeon''). After reviewing new and updated information on the status of green sturgeon and considering whether green sturgeon is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, or is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range, we confirm our earlier determination that the species is comprised of two distinct population segments (DPSs) that qualify as species under the ESA, the Northern and Southern DPSs. We reaffirm our earlier determination that the Northern DPS does not warrant listing as threatened or endangered at this time, and we will maintain the DPS on the Species of Concern List due to remaining uncertainties about its status and threats. We revise our previous ``not warranted'' finding for the Southern DPS and propose to list it as threatened. This revision is based on: new information showing that the majority of spawning adults are concentrated into one spawning river (i.e., Sacramento River), thus increasing the risk of extirpation due to catastrophic events; threats that have remained severe since the last status review and have not been adequately addressed by conservation measures currently in place; fishery-independent data exhibiting a negative trend in juvenile green sturgeon abundance; and new information showing evidence of lost spawning habitat in the upper Sacramento and Feather Rivers. We will reevaluate the status of the Northern DPS in 5 years. If the proposed listing is finalized, a recovery plan will be prepared and implemented for the Southern DPS. Protective regulations under ESA section 4(d) and critical habitat will be proposed in a subsequent Federal Register notice.