[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 226 (Monday, November 24, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69880-69881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27757]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2015-N208; FXES11130000-xxx-FF08E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery
Plan for the Santa Ana Sucker (Catostomus santaanae)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of the draft recovery plan for the Santa Ana sucker for
public review and comment. The draft recovery plan includes recovery
objectives and criteria, and specific actions necessary to achieve
recovery and removal of the species from the Federal List of Endangered
and Threatened Wildlife. We request review and comment on this draft
recovery plan from local, State, and Federal agencies, and the public.
DATES: We must receive any comments on the draft recovery plan on or
before January 23, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the draft recovery plan from our
Web site at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html.
Alternatively, you may contact the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2177 Salk Avenue, Suite 250, Carlsbad,
CA 92008 (telephone 760-431-9440).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mendel Stewart, Field Supervisor, at
the above street address or telephone number (see ADDRESSES).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 69881]]
Background
Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants to the
point where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their
ecosystems is a primary goal of our endangered species program and the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.). Recovery means improvement of the status of listed species to
the point at which listing is no longer appropriate under the criteria
specified in section 4(a)(1) of the Act. The Act requires the
development of recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan
would not promote the conservation of a particular species.
We listed Santa Ana sucker (Catostomus santaanae) throughout its
entire range on April 12, 2000 (71 FR 19686). The species is endemic to
the Los Angeles, San Gabriel, and Santa Ana River Basins in southern
California. Santa Ana sucker is a small, short-lived member of the
sucker family of fishes (Catostomidae), named so primarily because of
the downward orientation and anatomy of its mouth parts, which allow it
to consume algae, small invertebrates, and other organic matter with
its fleshy, protrusible (extendable) lips.
The primary threat to Santa Ana sucker is ongoing, rangewide
hydrological modifications, which lead to degradation and loss of
habitat. Additionally, isolation by impassable barriers or unsuitable
habitat limits gene flow within the watersheds, thus increasing the
vulnerability of small occurrences to a range of stochastic (random)
factors.
Recovery Plan Goals
The purpose of a recovery plan is to provide a framework for the
recovery of species so that protection under the Act is no longer
necessary. A recovery plan includes scientific information about the
species and provides criteria that enable us to gauge whether
downlisting or delisting the species is warranted. Furthermore,
recovery plans help guide our recovery efforts by describing actions we
consider necessary for each species' conservation and by estimating
time and costs for implementing needed recovery measures.
The ultimate goal of this recovery plan is to recover Santa Ana
sucker so that it can be delisted. To meet the recovery goal, the
following objectives have been identified:
(1) Develop and implement a rangewide monitoring protocol to
accurately and consistently document populations, occupied habitat, and
threats.
(2) Conduct research projects specifically designed to inform
management actions and recovery.
(3) Increase the abundance and develop a more even distribution of
Santa Ana sucker within its current range by reducing threats to the
species and its habitat.
(4) Expand the range of the Santa Ana sucker by restoring habitat
(if needed), and reestablishing occurrences within its historical
range.
As the Santa Ana sucker meets reclassification and recovery
criteria, we will review its status and consider it for removal from
the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.
Request for Public Comments
We request written comments on the draft revised recovery plan
described in this notice. All comments received by the date specified
in the DATES section will be considered in development of a final
recovery plan for Santa Ana sucker. You may submit written comments and
information by mail or in person to the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife
Office at the address in the ADDRESSES section.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Authority
We developed our recovery plan under the authority of section 4(f)
of the Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f). We publish this notice under section
4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.).
Dated: November 18, 2014.
Paul B. McKim,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento,
California.
[FR Doc. 2014-27757 Filed 11-21-14; 8:45 am]
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