98-13763. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Recovery Plans for Listed Sea Turtles

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 99 (Friday, May 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 28359]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-13763]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 011996A]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Recovery Plans for Listed Sea 
Turtles

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: NMFS and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Department of 
the Interior, (collectively, the Services) announce the availability of 
the final recovery plans for U.S. Pacific populations of endangered and 
threatened sea turtles, as required by the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (ESA).

DATES: May 22, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the recovery plans may be submitted 
to the Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. 
Copies may be purchased from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Reference 
Service, 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110, Bethesda, MD 20814, 1-800-582-
3421. Electronic copies in .pdf format are also available at NMFS' 
Protected Resources internet website (www.nmfs.gov/prot_res/).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Schroeder, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 
Phone: [phone], or Sandy MacPherson, FWS, 6620 Southpoint Dr. 
South, Jacksonville, FL 32216, Phone: [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The ESA is administered jointly by the Services. NMFS has 
jurisdiction over most species in the marine system while FWS has 
jurisdiction elsewhere. Listed endangered and threatened species under 
NMFS jurisdiction are enumerated in 50 CFR 222.23(a) and 50 CFR 227.4, 
respectively. The List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, which 
contains species under the jurisdiction of both Services, is found in 
50 CFR 17.11(h).
    Pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement between the two Services, the 
jurisdiction over listed sea turtles is shared: FWS has responsibility 
for sea turtles primarily in the terrestrial environment, while NMFS 
has responsibility for sea turtles primarily in the marine environment. 
Presently, all sea turtle species found in the United States are listed 
as follows: Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), leatherback 
(Dermochelys coriacea), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) are 
listed as endangered; loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia 
mydas), and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtles are listed as 
threatened, except for breeding populations of green turtles in Florida 
and on the Pacific coast of Mexico, and for breeding populations of 
olive ridleys on the Pacific coast of Mexico, which are listed as 
endangered.
    Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA requires that the Secretary of the 
Interior or the Secretary of Commerce develop and implement recovery 
plans for the conservation and survival of endangered and threatened 
species listed pursuant to section 4(c) of the ESA, unless such plans 
would not promote the conservation of the species. Pursuant to section 
4(f)(4) of the ESA, prior to final approval and implementation of a new 
or revised recovery plan, the Secretary shall provide public notice and 
an opportunity for public review and comment. The Services published a 
notice of availability of the draft recovery plans in the Federal 
Register on March 12, 1996 (61 FR 9978). No comments were received 
during the 60-day comment period.
    The recovery plans are for the U.S. Pacific populations of the 
loggerhead, olive ridley, leatherback, hawksbill, green turtle and the 
East Pacific population of the green turtle. These are the first 
comprehensive recovery plans for sea turtle populations in the U.S. 
Pacific. To accomplish the drafting of the recovery plans, a team was 
formed consisting of professional biologists with experience in the 
region and with marine turtles.
    While similar in format to previous sea turtle recovery plans for 
the Atlantic and the Caribbean, the unique nature of the Pacific 
required some changes to that format. The geographic scope of these 
plans is much larger than any previously attempted, with over 5,000 
islands and 3,000 miles (4,827 km) of ocean, as well as the mainland 
United States, to consider. Furthermore, the amount of jurisdictional 
overlap between nations, commonwealths, territories, and compact-of-
free-association-states and the various turtle populations required a 
broader management perspective than has been attempted previously. 
Finally, sea turtles have not been studied as intensively in the 
Pacific as in other U.S. areas, and thus there is a large void in basic 
biological information. For these reasons, these plans have more 
extensive text on the general biology of the turtles, so that they 
might act as a resource to managers seeking a handy reference to the 
species. The plans are also subdivided into U.S. jurisdictional areas 
(i.e. the various commonwealths and territories), so that local 
managers can address issues within their respective regions more 
easily.
    To implement these plans, NMFS will form implementation teams, 
where needed, consisting of representatives from Federal agencies, 
states, territories, and commonwealths. The team(s) will produce a plan 
that identifies solutions for achieving recovery of these populations.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531-1543 et seq.

    Dated: May 15, 1998.
Hilda Diaz-Soltero,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 98-13763 Filed 5-21-98; 8:45 am]

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