[Federal Register: May 25, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 100)] [Proposed Rules] [Page 28142-28143] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr25my99-38] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 RIN 1018 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public Hearing and Extension of Comment Period on the Proposed Rule to List the Alabama Sturgeon as Endangered AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearing and extension of comment period. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, give notice that we are extending the comment period and holding a public hearing on the proposed rule to list the Alabama sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus suttkusi) as endangered. We invite all interested parties to submit comments on this proposal. DATES: We will hold the public hearing from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, June 24, 1999, in Montgomery, Alabama. The comment period now closes on July 5, 1999. We will consider any comments received by the closing date in the final decision on this proposal. ADDRESSES: We will hold the public hearing at the Montgomery Civic Center, 300 Bibb Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36104. You may submit written comments and materials concerning the proposal at the hearing or send them directly to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, Jackson, Mississippi 39213. Comments and materials received will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above address. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Hartfield (see ADDRESSES section), 601/965-4900, extension 25; facsimile 601/965-4340. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The Alabama sturgeon is a small freshwater sturgeon that was historically found only in the Mobile River Basin of Alabama and Mississippi. The Alabama sturgeon's historic range once included about 1,600 kilometers (km) (1,000 miles (mi)) of the Mobile River system in Alabama (Black Warrior, Tombigbee, Alabama, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Mobile, Tensaw, and Cahaba rivers) and Mississippi (Tombigbee River). Since 1985, all confirmed captures of this fish have been from a short, free- flowing reach of the Alabama River below Miller's Ferry and Claiborne locks and dams in Clarke, Monroe, and Wilcox counties, Alabama. The historic decline of the Alabama sturgeon is attributed to over-fishing, loss and fragmentation of habitat as a result of navigation-related development, and water quality degradation. Current threats primarily result from its small population numbers and its inability to offset mortality rates with reproduction and recruitment. On March 26, 1999, we published a rule proposing endangered status for the Alabama sturgeon in the Federal Register (64 FR 14676). Section 4(b)(5)(E) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires that we hold a public hearing if it is requested within 45 days of the publication of the proposed rule. Sheldon Morgan, Chairman, Alabama- [[Page 28143]] Tombigbee Rivers Coalition, requested a public hearing within the allotted time period. Public hearings are designed to gather relevant information that the public may have that we should consider in determining the status of and threats to this species. During the hearing, we will present information about the proposed action of listing the Alabama sturgeon as endangered. We invite the public to submit information and comments either at the hearing on June 24, 1999, or in writing. The hearing will be at the Montgomery Civic Center in Montgomery, Alabama, on Thursday, June 24, 1999, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. We may have to limit the time allotted for oral statements, if the number of people who wish to comment necessitates such a limitation. We encourage persons wishing to comment at the hearing to provide a written copy of their statement at the start of the hearing. There is no limit on the length of written comments. Persons may also send written comments to our office in the ADDRESSES section at any time during the open comment period. We will give equal consideration to oral and written comments. We are publishing legal notices announcing the date, time, and location of the hearing in newspapers, concurrently with this Federal Register notice. The comment period on the proposal initially closed on May 26, 1999. To accommodate the hearing, we are extending the public comment period upon publication of this notice. The public comment period will close on July 5, 1999. Author: The primary author of this notice is Paul Hartfield (see ADDRESSES section). Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Dated: May 18,1999. H. Dale Hall, Acting Regional Director, Fish and Wildlife Service. [FR Doc. 99-13143 Filed 5-24-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P