[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 51 (Friday, March 15, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16526-16527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05997]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R6-ES-2012-N255; FXES11130600000-134-FF06E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Revised
Recovery Plan for Pallid Sturgeon
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability for review and comment.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the
availability of a draft revised recovery plan for the pallid sturgeon
(Scaphirhynchus albus). This species is federally listed as endangered
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Service
solicits review and comment from the public on this draft revised plan.
DATES: Comments on the draft revised recovery plan must be received on
or before May 14, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft revised recovery plan are available by
request from the Northern Rockies Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2900 4th Avenue North, Room
301, Billings, MT 59101; telephone 406-247-7365. Submit comments on the
draft recovery plan to the Project Leader at this same address. An
electronic copy of the draft recovery plan is available at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader, at the above address,
or telephone 406-247-7365.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is
a primary goal of the Service's endangered species program. To help
guide the recovery effort, the Service prepares recovery plans for the
federally listed species native to the United States where a plan will
promote the conservation of the species. Recovery plans describe site-
specific actions necessary for the conservation of the species,
establish objective, measurable criteria which, when met, would result
in a determination that the species no longer needs the protection of
the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and provide estimates of the time and
cost for implementing the needed recovery measures.
[[Page 16527]]
The Act requires recovery plans for listed species unless such a
plan would not promote the conservation of a particular species. The
original plan for the species was approved in 1993. Section 4(f) of the
Act, as amended in 1988, requires that public notice and opportunity
for public review and comment be provided during recovery plan
development. The Service will consider all information received during
a public comment period when preparing each new or revised recovery
plan for approval. The Service and other Federal agencies also will
take these comments into consideration in the course of implementing
approved recovery plans. It is our policy to request peer review of
recovery plans. We will summarize and respond to the issues raised by
the public and peer reviewers in an appendix to the approved recovery
plan.
The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus), found in the Missouri
and Mississippi River basins of the United States, was listed as an
endangered species on September 6, 1990 (55 FR 36641). At the time of
listing, the species was threatened by habitat destruction and
modification, overutilization, and inadequacy of existing regulatory
mechanisms, as well as other natural or manmade factors.
The recovery of pallid sturgeon will rely on effective conservation
responses to the issues facing the species, which remain varied and
complex. The pallid sturgeon is native to the Missouri and Mississippi
Rivers and adapted to the pre-development habitat conditions that
historically existed in these rivers. These conditions generally can be
described as large, free-flowing, warm-water, and turbid rivers with a
diverse assemblage of physical habitats that were in a constant state
of change. Limiting factors include: (1) Activities that affect
connectivity and the natural form, function, and hydrologic processes
of rivers; (2) illegal harvest; (3) impaired water quality and
quantity; (4) entrainment in water diversion structures; and (5) life
history attributes of the species (i.e., delayed sexual maturity,
females not spawning every year, and larval drift requirements). The
degree to which these factors affect the species varies among river
reaches. The recovery strategy for the pallid sturgeon focuses on the
need to better understand certain life history traits and the complex
interactions between these traits and altered habitats in the
contemporary Missouri and Mississippi River basins, threats abatement,
population management, research, and monitoring. We emphasize
conserving extant genetic viability through a conservation augmentation
program to prevent localized extirpation, researching and implementing
habitat improvement as appropriate; monitoring habitat conditions; and
monitoring population status.
Request for Public Comments
The Service solicits public comments on the draft revised recovery
plan. All comments received by the date specified in DATES will be
considered prior to approval of the plan. Written comments and
materials regarding the plan should be addressed to the Field
Supervisor (see ADDRESSES section). Comments and materials received
will be available, by appointment, for public inspection during normal
business hours at the above address. All public comment information
provided voluntarily by mail, by phone, or at meetings (e.g., names,
addresses, letters of comment, input recorded during meetings) becomes
part of the official public record. If requested under the Freedom of
Information Act by a private citizen or organization, the Service may
provide copies of such information.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: January 28, 2013.
Noreen E. Walsh,
Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 2013-05997 Filed 3-14-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P