[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 132 (Monday, July 12, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 37492-37493]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-17557]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
RIN 1018-AF56
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of
Reopening of Comment Period on the Proposed Rule To List the Alabama
Sturgeon as Endangered
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of reopening of comment period.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, give notice that we are
[[Page 37493]]
reopening the comment period on the proposed rule to list the Alabama
sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus suttkusi) as endangered. We invite all
interested parties to submit comments on this proposal.
DATES: We will accept comments until September 10, 1999. We will
consider any comments received by the closing date in the final
decision on this proposal.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments and materials concerning the
proposal to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6578
Dogwood View Parkway, Jackson, Mississippi 39213. Comments and
materials received will be available for public inspection, by
appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Hartfield (see ADDRESSES
section), 601/965-4900, extension 25; facsimile 601/965-4340.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Alabama sturgeon is a small freshwater sturgeon that was
historically found only in the Mobile River Basin of Alabama and
Mississippi. The Alabama sturgeon's historic range once included about
1,600 kilometers (km) (1,000 miles (mi)) of the Mobile River system in
Alabama (Black Warrior, Tombigbee, Alabama, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Mobile,
Tensaw, and Cahaba rivers) and Mississippi (Tombigbee River). Since
1985, all confirmed captures of this fish have been from a short, free-
flowing reach of the Alabama River below Miller's Ferry and Claiborne
locks and dams in Clarke, Monroe, and Wilcox counties, Alabama. The
historic decline of the Alabama sturgeon is attributed to over-fishing,
loss and fragmentation of habitat as a result of navigation-related
development, and water quality degradation. Current threats primarily
result from its small population numbers and its inability to offset
mortality rates with reproduction and recruitment.
On March 26, 1999, we published a rule proposing endangered status
for the Alabama sturgeon in the Federal Register (64 FR 14676). Section
4(b)(5)(E) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires that we hold a
public hearing if it is requested within 45 days of the publication of
the proposed rule. Sheldon Morgan, Chairman, Alabama-Tombigbee Rivers
Coalition, requested a public hearing within the allotted time period.
On May 25, 1999, we published a notice in the Federal Register
announcing a public hearing and extending the comment period until July
5, 1999 (64 FR 28142). We held a public hearing on June 24, 1999, at
the Montgomery Civic Center in Montgomery, Alabama.
Public Comments Solicited
We intend that any final action resulting from this proposal will
be as accurate and as effective as possible. Therefore, we request
comments or suggestions from the public, other concerned governmental
agencies, the scientific community, industry, or any other interested
party concerning this proposed rule. In making a final decision, we
will take into consideration the comments and any additional
information we receive, and such communications may lead to a final
determination that differs from this proposal.
The previous comment period on this proposal closed on July 5,
1999. To allow all interested parties the maximum time to submit their
comments for the record, we are reopening the comment period until
September 10, 1999.
Author
The primary author of this notice is Paul Hartfield (see ADDRESSES
section).
Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: July 6, 1999.
H. Dale Hall,
Acting Regional Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 99-17557 Filed 7-9-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
