[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 172 (Friday, September 5, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47040-47041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-23569]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for the Razorback Sucker
(Xyrauchen texanus) for Review and Comment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the
availability for public review of a draft recovery plan for the
razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus). The razorback sucker currently
exists in small populations in the Colorado River in the States of
Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. The Service solicits review
and comment from the public on this draft recovery plan.
[[Page 47041]]
DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or
before January 5, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the draft recovery plan may obtain
a copy by contacting the Associate Manager Utah, Fish and Wildlife
Service, P.O. Box 25486, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225.
Written comments and materials regarding this plan should be sent to
the Associate Manager Utah at the Denver address given above. Comments
and materials received are available on request for public inspection,
by appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Larry Shanks, Fish and Wildlife Associate Manager (see ADDRESSES
above), at telephone (303) 236-8154.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: .
Background
Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is
a primary goal of the Service's endangered species program. To help
guide the recovery effort, the Service is working to prepare recovery
plans for most of the listed species native to the United States.
Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for conservation
of the species, establish criteria for recovery levels for downlisting
or delisting them, and estimate time and cost for implementing the
recovery measures needed.
The Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.), requires the development of recovery plans for listed
species unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a
particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act, as amended in 1988,
requires that public notice and an opportunity for public review and
comment be provided during recovery plan development. The Service will
consider all information presented during a public comment period prior
to approval of each new or revised recovery plan. The Service and other
Federal agencies also will take these comment into account in the
course of implementing approved recovery plans.
The razorback sucker was listed as endangered on October 23, 1991
(56 FR 54957). A final rule designating critical habitat was published
on March 21, 1994 (59 FR 13374). An endemic fish of mainstream rivers
in the Colorado River basin, the razorback sucker was once abundant and
widely distributed. It now occurs only in remnant populations in a few
lakes and river reaches. The largest extant population occurs in Lake
Mohave, Arizona, and the largest riverine population occurs in the
Green and Yampa rivers, near Vernal, Utah.
Razorback sucker populations have been declining for much of this
century. This decline is a result of major alterations to the
historical physical and biological environment. Extensive water
development projects have depleted flow, altered flow regimes, changed
water quality, and fragmented habitat. At the same time, the nature and
composition of the fish community has been altered dramatically by the
introduction of many nonnative fish species. Predation by nonnative
fishes is a primary reason for the virtual failure of recruitment in
razorback sucker populations.
Recovery Objectives: Protection and expansion of three existing
populations, and establishment of four new ones from remnant stocks or
reintroductions.
The goal of this recovery plan is to provide an adequate level of
conservation for the species and its habitat so that there will be
self-sustaining populations distributed throughout its extant range and
to guide recovery actions to facilitate delisting of the species.
Recovery efforts will focus on development and implementation of
habitat restoration in selected lakes and river segments; develop and
protect existing genomes in hatchery refugia; augment or reestablish
populations of fish in its critical habitat; conducting biological and
habitat management research; monitoring and surveys of known
occurrences and potential habitat; and dissemination of educational
information.
Public Comments Solicited
The Service solicits written comments on the recovery plan
described above. All comments received by the date specified in the
DATES section above will be considered prior to approval of the
recovery plan.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: August 28, 1997.
Terry N. Sexson,
Acting Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 97-23569 Filed 9-4-97; 8:45 am]
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