[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 165 (Wednesday, August 26, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51830-51834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21033]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2014-0018; FF09A1000-145-FXIA16710900000]
Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES);
Seventeenth Regular Meeting: Taxa Being Considered for Amendments to
the CITES Appendices
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The United States, as a Party to the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES), may propose amendments to the CITES Appendices for
consideration at meetings of the Conference of the Parties. The
seventeenth regular meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES
(CoP17) is scheduled to be held in South Africa, September 24 to
October 5, 2016. With this notice, we describe proposed amendments to
the CITES Appendices (species proposals) that the United States might
submit for consideration at CoP17 and invite your comments and
information on these proposals.
DATES: We will consider written information and comments we receive by
October 26, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments pertaining to species proposals for
consideration at CoP17 by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-
IA-2014-0018.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attn: FWS-HQ-IA-2014-0018; Division of Policy, Performance, and
Management Programs; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 5275 Leesburg
Pike, MS: BPHC; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
We will not consider comments sent by email or fax or to an address
not listed in ADDRESSES. We will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any
personal
[[Page 51831]]
information you provide us. If you submit a comment via http://www.regulations.gov, your entire comment--including any personal
identifying information--will be posted on the Web site. If you submit
a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, you
may request at the top of your document that we withhold this
information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so. We will post all hardcopy comments on http://www.regulations.gov.
Comments and materials we receive in response to this notice will
be available for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov, or by
appointment between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of
Scientific Authority, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: IA, Falls Church, VA
22041-3803; phone 703-358-1708.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosemarie Gnam Ph.D., Chief, Division
of Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at 703-358-
1708 (phone), 703-358-2276 (fax), or scientificauthority@fws.gov
(email). If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD),
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora, hereinafter referred to as CITES or the Convention, is
an international treaty designed to control and regulate international
trade in certain animal and plant species that are affected by trade
and are now, or potentially may become, threatened with extinction.
These species are included in the Appendices to CITES, which are
available on the CITES Secretariat's Web site at www.cites.org.
Currently, 181 Parties, including the United States, have joined CITES.
The Convention calls for regular biennial meetings of the Conference of
the Parties, unless the Conference decides otherwise, and meetings are
typically held every 2 to 3 years. At these meetings, the Parties
review the implementation of CITES, make provisions enabling the CITES
Secretariat in Switzerland to carry out its functions, consider
amendments to the list of species in Appendices I and II, consider
reports presented by the Secretariat, and make recommendations for the
improved effectiveness of CITES. Any country that is a Party to CITES
may propose amendments to Appendices I and II, as well as resolutions,
decisions, and agenda items for consideration by all the Parties.
This is our third in a series of Federal Register notices that,
together with an announced public meeting (time and place to be
announced), provide you with an opportunity to participate in the
development of the U.S. submissions and negotiating positions for the
seventeenth regular meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES
(CoP17), which is scheduled to be held in South Africa, from September
24 to October 5, 2016. We published our first CoP17-related Federal
Register notice on June 27, 2014 (79 FR 36550), in which we requested
information and recommendations on animal and plant species proposals
for the United States to consider submitting for consideration at
CoP17. You may obtain information on that Federal Register notice from
the Division of Scientific Authority at the address provided in FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT above. We published our second CoP17-
related Federal Register notice on May 11, 2015 (80 FR 26948), in which
we requested information and recommendations on resolutions, decisions,
and agenda items that the United States might consider submitting for
discussion at CoP17, and provided preliminary information on how to
request approved observer status for national nongovernmental
organizations within the United States that wish to attend the meeting.
Comments received on that notice may be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2014-0018. You may obtain
information on that Federal Register notice by contacting Craig Hoover,
Chief, Wildlife Trade and Conservation Branch, Division of Management
Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at 703-358-2095 (phone),
703-358-2298 (fax), or managementauthority@fws.gov (email). Our
regulations governing this public process are found in title 50 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at Sec. 23.87.
Recommendations for Species Proposals for the United States to Consider
Submitting for CoP17
In our Federal Register notice of June 27, 2014 (79 FR 36550), we
requested information and recommendations on potential species
proposals for the United States to consider submitting for
consideration at CoP17. We received recommendations from 22 individuals
and the following organizations for possible proposals involving 80
taxa (2 families, 6 genera, 70 individual species, and 2 general groups
(U.S. and foreign softshell turtles and North American map turtles)):
the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA); Center for Biological
Diversity (CBD); Earthtrust; Ginseng Board of Wisconsin (GBW); Hsu's
Ginseng Enterprises, Inc. (HGE); Humane Society International (HSI);
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW); International Union for
Conservation of Nature-Species Survival Commission (IUCN-SSC) Tortoise
and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group; Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC); Pew Environment Group (PEG); Species Survival Network
(SSN); United Plant Savers (UPS); Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS);
and World Wildlife Fund (WWF)/TRAFFIC. We also received general
comments from individual commenters for CITES protections on the
following species: 7 on rhinoceroses, elephants, and lions; 44 on
elephants; 39 on rhinoceroses; and 29,738 on polar bears, pangolins,
nautiluses, snapping and map turtles, walruses, sea cucumbers, and
seahorses. Additionally, the United States may submit proposals on six
animal species, one plant species, and one plant genus currently under
periodic review by the CITES technical committees, and is undecided
about submitting proposals regarding four bird species based on recent
taxonomic changes.
We have undertaken initial assessments of the available trade and
biological information on all of these taxa. Based on these
assessments, we made provisional evaluations of whether to proceed with
the development of proposals for species to be included in, removed
from, or transferred between the CITES Appendices. We made these
evaluations by considering the biological and trade information
available on the species; the presence, absence, and effectiveness of
other mechanisms that may preclude the need for species' inclusion in
the CITES Appendices (e.g., range country actions or other
international agreements); and availability of resources. We have also
considered the following factors, as per the U.S. approach for CoP17
discussed in our June 27, 2014, Federal Register notice:
(1) Does the proposed action address a serious wildlife or plant
trade issue that the United States is experiencing as a range country
for species in trade?
(2) Does the proposed action address a serious wildlife or plant
trade issue for species not native to the United States?
(3) Does the proposed action provide additional conservation
benefit for a species already covered by another international
agreement?
Based on our initial assessments, we have assigned each taxon to
one of three categories, which reflects the likelihood
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of our submitting a proposal. In sections A, B, and C below, we have
listed the current status of each species proposal recommended by the
public, as well as species proposals we have been developing on our
own. Please note that we have only provided here a list of taxa and the
proposed action. We have posted an extended version of this notice on
our Web site at http://www.fws.gov/international/publications-and-media/federal-register-notices.html, with text describing in more
detail each proposed action and explaining the rationale for the
tentative U.S. position on each possible proposal. Copies of the
extended version of the notice are also available from the Division of
Scientific Authority at the above address or at www.regulations.gov at
Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2014-0018.
We welcome your comments, especially if you are able to provide any
additional biological or trade information on these species. For each
species, more detailed information is on file in the Division of
Scientific Authority.
A. What species proposals is the United States likely to submit for
consideration at CoP17?
The United States is likely to develop and submit proposals for the
following taxa. Most of the taxa in this section are undergoing
periodic review of the CITES Appendices by the Animals Committee (AC)
and Plants Committee (PC), in accordance with Resolution Conf. 14.8
(Rev. CoP16). This is a regular process under CITES to evaluate whether
listings of taxa in CITES Appendices I and II continue to be
appropriate, based on current biological and trade information. These
taxa are at various stages in the periodic review process. This process
includes an initial assessment that is put before the appropriate
Committee (Plants or Animals) for discussion, which may result in an AC
or PC recommendation that a taxon be uplisted (transferred from
Appendix II to Appendix I); or downlisted (transferred from Appendix I
to Appendix II, or deleted from Appendix II); or that no change be made
to the listing.
Plants
1. Saw-toothed Lewisia (Lewisia serrata)--Potential amendment to
Appendix-II listing
2. Fishhook cactus (Sclerocactus spp.)--Potential amendments to
Appendix-I and Appendix-II listings
Invertebrates
3. Wabash riffleshell (Epioblasma sampsonii)--Potential amendment to
Appendix-I listing
Reptiles
4. Puerto Rican boa (Epicrates inornatus)--Amendment to Appendix-I
listing
Mammals
5. Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis)--Potential amendment to
Appendix-I listing
6. Guam flying-fox (Pteropus tokudae)--Potential amendment to Appendix-
II listing
7. Eastern cougar (Puma concolor couguar) and Florida panther (P.
concolor coryi)--Potential amendments to Appendix I listings--Potential
amendments to Appendix-II listings
8. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus)--Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix
I
B. On what species proposals is the United States still undecided,
pending additional information and consultations?
The United States is still undecided on whether to submit proposals
for CoP17 for the following taxa. In most cases, we have not completed
our consultations with relevant range countries. In other cases, we
expect meetings to occur in the immediate future, at which participants
will generate important recommendations, trade analyses, or biological
information on the taxon in question that may be useful to our final
decision-making.
Invertebrates
1. Sea cucumbers native to the United States: Pepino de mar (Actinopyga
agassizii), Deep-water redfish (A. echinites), Stonefish (A. lecanora),
Surf redfish (A. mauritiana), Blackfish (A. miliaris), Giant California
sea cucumber (Apostichopus californicus), Warty sea cucumber (A.
parvimensis), Furry sea cucumber (Astichopus multifidus), Leopard fish
(Bohadschia argus), Brown sandfish (B. vitiensis), Orange-footed sea
cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa), Tripang (Holothuria arenicola),
Lollyfish (H. atra), Zanga fleur (H. cinerascens), Snakefish (H.
coluber), Pinkfish (H. edulis), Red snakefish (H. flavomaculata),
Labuyo (H. fuscocinerea), White teatfish (H. fuscogilva), Elephant
trunkfish (H. fuscopunctata), Tiger tail (H. hilla), Spotted sea
cucumber (H. impatiens), Golden sandfish (H. lessoni), White threadfish
(H. leucospilota), Pepino de mar (H. mexicana), Bantunan (H. pardalis),
``Unknown'' (H. pervicax), Black teatfish (H. whitmaei), Four-sided sea
cucumber (Isostichopus badionotus), Blackspotted sea cucumber
(Pearsonothuria graeffei), Greenfish (Stichopus chloronotus), Curryfish
(S. herrmanni), Selenka's sea cucumber (S. horrens), Prickly redfish
(Thelenota ananas), Amber fish (T. anax), and Lemonfish (T.
rubralineata)--Inclusion in Appendix II
2. Chambered nautiluses (Allonautilus spp. and Nautilus spp.)--
Inclusion in Appendix II
3. Red and pink corals (Corallium spp. and Paracorallium spp.)--
Inclusion in Appendix II
Fishes
4. American eel (Anguilla rostrata)--Inclusion in Appendix II
5. Lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus)--Transfer from Appendix II to
Appendix I
6. Dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae)--Transfer from Appendix II to
Appendix I
7. Devil rays (Mobula spp.): Pygmy devil ray (M. eregoodootenkee),
Atlantic devil ray (M. hypostoma), Spinetail devil ray (M. japanica),
Shortfin devil ray (M. kuhlii), Giant devil ray (M. mobular),
Smoothtail devil ray (M. munkiana), Lesser Guinean devil ray (M.
rochebrunei), Sicklefin devil ray (M. tarapacana), and Smoothtail devil
ray (M. thurstoni))--Inclusion in Appendix II
Reptiles
8. Chaco side-necked turtle (Acanthochelys pallidipectoris)--Inclusion
in Appendix II or Appendix I
9. African and Middle Eastern softshell turtles in the family
Trionychidae: Aubry's flapshell turtle (Cycloderma aubryi); Zambezi
flapshell turtle (C. frenatum); Nubian flapshell turtle (Cyclanorbis
elegans); Senegal flapshell turtle (C. senegalensis); Euphrates
softshell turtle (Rafetus euphraticus); and African or Nile softshell
turtle (Trionyx triunguis)--Inclusion in Appendix II
10. African pygmy chameleons (Rhampholeon spp. and Rieppeleon spp):
Mount Gorongosa pygmy chameleon (Rhampholeon gorongosae), Marshall's
pygmy chameleon (R. marshalli), Cameroon stumptail chameleon (R.
spectrum), East Usambara pygmy
[[Page 51833]]
chameleon (R. temporalis), Rare (Green) pygmy chameleon (R. viridis),
Nguru spiny pygmy chameleon (R. acuminatus), Beraducci's pygmy
chameleon (R. beraduccii), Boulenger's pygmy chameleon (R. boulangeri),
Chapman's pygmy chameleon (R. chapmanorum), Udzungwa pygmy chameleon
(R. moyeri), Nchisi pygmy chameleon (R. nchisiensis), Mulanje pygmy
chameleon (R. platyceps), Uluguru pygmy chameleon (R. uluguruensis),
Mount Inago pygmy chameleon (R. bruessoworum), Mount Namuli pygmy
chameleon (R. tilburyi), Mount Chiperone pygmy chameleon (R.
nebulauctor), Mount Mabu pygmy chameleon (R. maspictus), Zomba pygmy
chameleon (Rieppeleon brachyurus), Bearded pygmy chameleon (R.
brevicaudatus), Kenya leaf chameleon (R. kerstenii)--Inclusion in
Appendix II
Birds
11. Four Indo-Pacific bird species: Loria's bird-of-paradise
(Cnemophilus loriae), Crested bird-of-paradise (C. macgregorii),
Yellow-breasted bird-of-paradise (Loboparadisea sericea), and
Macgregor's bird-of-paradise (Macgregoria pulchra)--Removal from
Appendix II
12. African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus)--Transfer from Appendix
II to Appendix I
Mammals
13. Pangolins (Manis spp.)--Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I
14. Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)--Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix
I
15. African lion (Panthera leo leo)--Transfer from Appendix II to
Appendix I
C. What species proposals is the United States not likely to submit for
consideration at CoP17, unless we receive significant additional
information?
The United States does not intend to submit proposals for the
following taxa unless we receive significant additional information
indicating that a proposal is warranted. As described further in the
extended version of this notice on our Web site, information currently
available for each of the taxa listed below does not support a
proposal.
Plants
1. Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)--Removal from Appendix II
2. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)--Amendment of the Appendix-II
listing annotation to exclude sliced roots from CITES control
3. Hawaiian sandalwoods (Santalum spp.)--Inclusion in Appendix II
Invertebrates
4. Sea cucumbers not native to the United States: Deepwater blackfish
(Actinopyga palauensis), Burying blackfish (A. spinea), Japanese sea
cucumber (Apostichopus japonicas), Brown-spotted sandfish (Bohadschia
marmorata), Falalyjaka (B. subrubra), Japanese cucumaria (Cucumaria
japonica), Black teatfish (Holothuria nobilis), Sandfish (H. scabra),
Selenka's sea cucumber (Stichopus monotuberculatus), Selenka's sea
cucumber (S. naso)--Inclusion in Appendix II
Fishes
5. Thresher sharks (Alopias spp.): Bigeye thresher shark (A.
pelagicus), Pelagic thresher shark A. superciliosus), Common thresher
shark (A. vulpinus)--Inclusion in Appendix II
6. Dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus)--Inclusion in Appendix II
7. Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis)--Inclusion in Appendix II
8. Mako sharks: Longfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) and shortfin
mako shark (I. paucus)--Inclusion in Appendix II
9. Blue shark (Prionace glauca)--Inclusion in Appendix II
10. Hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae Family): Winghead shark (Eusphyra
blochii), Scalloped bonnethead (Sphyrna corona), Whitefin hammerhead
(S. couardi), Scoophead shark (S. media), Bonnethead shark (S. tiburo),
Smalleye hammerhead shark (S. tudes)--Inclusion in Appendix II
11. Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)--Transfer from Appendix II to
Appendix I
Reptiles
12. North American softshell turtles in the Genus Apalone: Spiny
softshell (A. spinifera, including 6 subsp.*); Smooth softshell (A.
mutica, including 2 subsp.); and Florida softshell (A. ferox)--
Inclusion in Appendix II [* excluding A.s. atra, which is in Appendix I
and found in Mexico]
13. North American map turtles (Graptemys spp.): Barbour's map turtle
(G. barbouri); Cagle's map turtle (G. caglei); Escambia map turtle (G.
ernsti); Yellow-blotched map turtle (G. flavimaculata); Northern map
turtle (G. geographica); Pascagoula map turtle (G. gibbonsi); Black-
knobbed map turtle (G. nigrinoda); Ringed map turtle (G. oculifera);
Ouachita map turtle (G. ouachitensis); Pearl River map turtle (G.
pearlensis); False map turtle (G. pseudogeographica); Alabama map
turtle (G. pulchra); Texas map turtle (G. versa)--Transfer from
Appendix III to Appendix II
14. Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)--Inclusion in
Appendix II
15. Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)--Transfer from
Appendix III to Appendix II
Mammals
16. Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus)--Transfer to Appendix I
17. White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)--Inclusion of the entire
species in Appendix I
18. African elephant (Loxodonta africana)--Inclusion of the entire
species in Appendix I
19. Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)--Inclusion in Appendix I
Future Actions
As stated above, the next regular meeting of the Conference of the
Parties (CoP17) is scheduled to be held in South Africa, September 24
to October 5, 2016. The United States must submit any proposals to
amend Appendix I or II, or any draft resolutions, decisions, or agenda
items for discussion at CoP17, to the CITES Secretariat 150 days (April
27, 2016) prior to the start of the meeting. In order to meet this
deadline and to prepare for CoP17, we have developed a tentative U.S.
schedule. Approximately 12 months prior to CoP17, we plan to publish a
Federal Register notice announcing draft resolutions, draft decisions,
and agenda items the United States is considering submitting for CoP17
and soliciting further information and comments on them. Approximately
4 months prior to CoP17, we will post on our Web site an announcement
of the species proposals, draft resolutions, draft decisions, and
agenda items submitted by the United States to the CITES Secretariat
for consideration at CoP17.
Through a series of additional notices and Web site postings in
advance of CoP17, we will inform you about preliminary negotiating
positions on resolutions, decisions, and amendments to the Appendices
proposed by other
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Parties for consideration at CoP17. We will also publish an
announcement of a public meeting to be held approximately 3 months
prior to CoP17. That meeting will enable us to receive public input on
our positions regarding CoP17 issues. The procedures for developing
U.S. documents and negotiating positions for a meeting of the
Conference of the Parties to CITES are outlined in 50 CFR 23.87. As
noted in paragraph (c) of that section, we may modify or suspend the
procedures outlined there if they would interfere with the timely or
appropriate development of documents for submission to the CoP and of
U.S. negotiating positions.
Author
The primary author of this notice is Patricia De Angelis, Ph.D.,
Division of Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: August 17, 2015.
Daniel M. Ashe,
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-21033 Filed 8-24-15; 12:00 pm]
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