[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 18 (Thursday, January 28, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4528-4529]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1769]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XU02
Endangered and Threatened Species: Notice of Intent to Prepare a
Recovery Plan for Cook Inlet Beluga Whales
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare recovery plan; request for
information.
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[[Page 4529]]
SUMMARY: NMFS is required by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA),
as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), to develop plans for the
conservation and survival of federally listed species, i.e., recovery
plans. NMFS is announcing its intent to prepare a recovery plan for the
Cook Inlet beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) and requests
information from the public.
DATES: All information must be received no later than 5 p.m. Alaska
Time by March 29, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit materials by any of the following methods:
E-mail: The mailbox address for submitting e-mail
information for recovery planning is [email protected]. Please include
``Cook Inlet Beluga Recovery Plan Information'' in the subject line of
the e-mail.
Mail: Submit written comments and information to National
Marine Fisheries Service, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802, ATTN: Ellen
Sebastian.
Hand Delivery/Courier: National Marine Fisheries Service,
709 West 9th Street, Room 420, Juneau, AK 99802. Business hours are 8
a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
Fax: (907) 586-7557. Please identify the fax comments as
``Cook Inlet Beluga Recovery Plan Information.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mandy Migura, Marine Mammal
Specialist, Anchorage Field Office, (907) 271-1332.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Management responsibility for beluga whales in Alaska lies with the
Secretary of Commerce and has been delegated to NMFS. As such, NMFS is
charged with the recovery of Cook Inlet belugas, which are listed as
endangered under the ESA. The recovery planning process is guided by
the statutory language of section 4(f) of the ESA and NMFS policies.
Recovery is the use of all methods and procedures which are necessary
to bring any endangered species or threatened species to the point at
which the measures provided pursuant to the ESA are no longer
necessary. The ESA specifies that recovery plans must include: (1) a
description of management actions as may be necessary to achieve the
plan's goals for the conservation and survival of the species; (2)
objective, measurable criteria which, when met, would result in the
species being removed from the list; and (3) estimates of time and
costs required to achieve the plan's goal and the intermediate steps
towards that goal. In an effort to expedite the recovery plan process,
NMFS will work towards incorporating relevant portions of the final
Conservation Plan for the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale into the draft
Recovery Plan.
Section 4(f) of the ESA, as amended in 1988, requires that public
notice--and an opportunity for public review and comment--be provided
during recovery plan development. NMFS is hereby soliciting relevant
information on Cook Inlet beluga whales and their habitats. Upon
completion, the draft Recovery Plan will be available for public review
and comment through the publication of a Federal Register Notice. NMFS
requests relevant information from the public during preparation of the
draft Recovery Plan. Such information should address: (a) criteria for
removing the Cook Inlet beluga whales from the list of threatened and
endangered species; (b) factors that are presently limiting, or
threaten to limit, the survival of the belugas; (c) actions to address
limiting factors and threats; (d) estimates of time and cost to
implement recovery actions; and (e) research, monitoring, and
evaluation needs.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: January 22, 2010.
Therese Conant,
Deputy Chief, Division of Endangered Species, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-1769 Filed 1-27-10; 8:45 am]
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