ETWP; 12-Month Finding for a Petition to List the Mono Lake Brine Shrimp as Endangered

The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces a 12-month finding for a petition to list the Mono Lake brine shrimp (Artemia monica) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This aquatic crustacean occurs only in Mono Lake, Mono County, California. A recent decision by the California State Water Resources Control Board to revise the water rights of the City of Los Angeles in the Mono Basin has apparently removed the threat of habitat degradation to the Mono Lake brine shrimp. As a result of the protections offered by this decision, the Service finds that the Mono Lake brine shrimp does not meet the definition of an endangered or a threatened species at the present time.