[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 54 (Monday, March 21, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-6427]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: March 21, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
RIN 1018-AB42
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reopening of
Comment Period on Proposed Endangered Status for Argali
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of reopening of comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Service gives notice that the comment period on the
proposed rule to determine endangered status for the argali in
Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan will be reopened for 30 days to
obtain comments on new data.
DATES: All comments and information received through April 20, 1994
will be considered in making a final decision on the proposal and will
be included in the administrative record.
ADDRESSES: Please send correspondence regarding this notice to the
Chief, Office of Scientific Authority; Mail Stop: Arlington Square,
room 725; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Washington, DC 20240 (Fax
number 703-358-2276). Express and messenger-delivered mail should be
addressed to the Office of Scientific Authority; room 750, 4401 North
Fairfax Drive; Arlington, Virginia 22203. Comments and other
information received will be available for public inspection, by
appointment, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the
Arlington, Virginia address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dr. Charles W. Dane, Chief, Office of Scientific Authority, at the
above address (phone 703-358-1708).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the Federal Register of April 27, 1993
(58 FR 25595-25600), the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) issued a
proposed rule to determine endangered status for the argali (Ovis
ammon), a wild sheep, in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan. The
species currently is classified as threatened in those three countries
and as endangered throughout the rest of its range. Effective January
1, 1993, a special rule (50 CFR 17.40(j)) provides for the limited
importation into the United States of argali trophies taken in
Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan, once the Service has received
from the governments of those countries properly documented and
verifiable certification that: (1) Argali populations are sufficiently
large to sustain sport hunting; (2) regulating authorities have the
capability to obtain sound data on these populations; (3) regulating
authorities recognize these populations as a valuable resource and have
the legal and practical means to manage them as such; (4) the habitat
of these populations is secure; (5) regulating authorities can ensure
that the involved trophies have in fact been legally taken from the
specified populations; and (6) funds derived from the involved sport
hunting are applied primarily to argali conservation. The original
comment period on the proposed reclassification and proposed repeal of
the special rule ended on October 25, 1993.
The proposal of April 27, 1993, stated that the threatened
classification and special rule appeared inadequate to provide for the
protection of the species in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan. In
addition, no substantive response has been received relative to the
special rule's requirement for the certification indicated above. The
Service, however, attempted to collect information that could help meet
this requirement, through the funding of a survey by Dr. Anna
Luschekina of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. A final report
of this survey was recently submitted to the Service. As this report
contains information that may be relevant to a final decision regarding
the proposal of April 27, 1993, the Service now reopens the comment
period for 30 days and will provide copies of the report upon request.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531-1544.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17
Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, and Transportation.
Dated: February 28, 1994.
Mollie H. Beattie,
Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 94-6427 Filed 3-18-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M
