ETWP; Listing the Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) as Endangered; Proposed rule.

In this proposed rule, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) as endangered pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The beluga sturgeon inhabits the Caspian and Black Seas, and spawns in the rivers that constitute the drainage basins of these seas. Loss of habitat throughout historic spawning areas due to dam construction and river-modification projects, over-harvest, widespread poaching and illegal trade, and pollution imperil the continued existence of this species. Due to the threat of over-harvest, this species was listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1998, when all previously unlisted Acipenseriformes were listed, to conserve all sturgeon and paddlefish species in international trade. Despite the CITES listing, beluga sturgeon populations have continued to decline, and the population structure is increasingly skewed towards sub-adult fish, with a critical lack of spawning-age adult female fish. This proposal, if made final, would extend the Act's protection to this species. The Service seeks data and comments from the public on this proposal.