Notice2021-23899
Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plan for Main Hawaiian Islands Insular False Killer Whale Distinct Population Segment
Primary source
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Published
November 3, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the adoption of a Final Endangered Species Act (ESA) Recovery Plan for the endangered main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale (MHI IFKW) distinct population segment (DPS). The Final Recovery Plan (Plan) and associated Recovery Implementation Strategy for this species are now available.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 210 (Wednesday, November 3, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 210 (Wednesday, November 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60615-60616]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23899]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XB454]
Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plan for Main
Hawaiian Islands Insular False Killer Whale Distinct Population Segment
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the
adoption of a Final Endangered Species Act (ESA) Recovery Plan for the
endangered main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale (MHI IFKW)
distinct population segment (DPS). The Final Recovery Plan (Plan) and
associated Recovery Implementation Strategy for this species are now
available.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Final Recovery Plan and Recovery
Implementation Strategy are available on the NMFS website at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/false-killer-whale#conservation-management">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/false-killer-whale#conservation-management</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Krista Graham, (808) 725-5152,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e388918a909782cd8491828b828ea38d8c8282cd848c95"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="600b12091314014e07120108010d200e0f01014e070f16">[email protected]</span></a>; or Kristen Koyama, (301) 427-8456,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#503b22392324353e7e3b3f29313d31103e3f31317e373f26"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b3d8c1dac0c7d6dd9dd8dccad2ded2f3dddcd2d29dd4dcc5">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 60616]]
Background
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) requires that we develop and implement recovery plans for
the conservation and survival of threatened and endangered species
under our jurisdiction, unless it is determined that such plans would
not promote the conservation of the species. We designated the MHI IFKW
(Pseudorca crassidens) as an endangered DPS under the ESA on November
28, 2012 (77 FR 70915). We published a Notice of Availability of the
Draft Recovery Plan and Recovery Implementation Strategy (Draft Plans)
in the Federal Register on October 16, 2020 (85 FR 65791) to obtain
comments on the Draft Plans. We revised the Draft Plans based on the
six comment submissions received from five agencies/organizations and
one U.S. citizen, and these versions now constitute the Plan and
Recovery Implementation Strategy for the MHI IFKW DPS.
The Final Plan
Recovery plans describe actions beneficial for the conservation and
recovery of species listed under the ESA. Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA
requires that recovery plans include, to the extent practicable: (1)
Objective, measurable criteria which, when met, would result in a
determination that the species is no longer threatened or endangered;
(2) site-specific management actions necessary to achieve the plan's
goals; and (3) estimates of the time required and costs to achieve the
recovery plan's goal. The ESA requires the development of recovery
plans for each listed species unless a recovery plan would not promote
its recovery.
The purpose of the Plan is to describe the vision of what a
recovered MHI IFKW DPS looks like and the strategy or roadmap for how
we plan to get to a recovered state. The goal of the Plan is to rebuild
the extremely low population size while sufficiently abating threats,
ultimately allowing for the species' removal from the Federal list of
endangered and threatened species. The population should be large
enough to be resilient to environmental variability over the coming
decades as well as have a minimum of three social clusters with no more
than half of the population within a single social cluster. This will
ensure maximum genetic diversity and resiliency while still maintaining
social connectedness. The recovery approach includes research,
management, monitoring, and outreach to identify, reduce, or eliminate
threats so the recovery objectives outlined in the Plan have the
greatest likelihood of being achieved. Collectively, the goal,
objectives, and criteria of the Plan represent NMFS' expectations of
conditions to recover the MHI IFKW so the DPS no longer needs the
protective measures provided by the ESA.
The recovery objectives and criteria in the Plan are based on the
current literature as well as significant input from a variety of
expert stakeholders. These experts, from a range of relevant
disciplines including Federal and state agencies, scientists,
commercial and recreational fishermen, conservation partners, and
nongovernmental organizations, were convened during a four-day recovery
planning workshop in 2016 to identify recovery criteria and actions to
address threats to the species. Recovery criteria can be viewed as
targets, or values, by which progress toward achievement of recovery
objectives can be measured to make a downlisting (to threatened) and
delisting decision. In the Plan, we frame recovery objectives and
criteria in terms of both population parameters (demographic-based
recovery criteria) and the five ESA listing factors found in the ESA
section 4(a)(1) (threats-based recovery criteria). The demographic and
threats-based recovery objectives and criteria for the MHI IFKW address
threats from small population size, incidental take in fisheries,
inadequate regulatory mechanisms, competition with fisheries for prey,
environmental contaminants and biotoxins, anthropogenic noise, effects
from climate change, and secondary threats and synergies. The Plan also
includes the projected timeframe to recover the species, the estimated
cost of implementing actions, and potential agencies/organizations
involved with helping to recover the species.
Finally, accompanying the Plan is the Recovery Implementation
Strategy, which is a flexible, operational document that provides
specific, prioritized activities necessary to fully implement recovery
actions in the Plan. This stepped-down approach will afford us the
ability to modify these activities in real time to reflect changes in
the information available as well as progress towards recovery. If/when
the science indicates that meaningful changes to the recovery actions,
objectives, and criteria are necessary, the Plan will be revised and go
out for public comment.
How NMFS and Others Expect To Use the Plan
With adoption of this Plan, we will seek to implement the actions
and activities for which we have authority and funding; encourage other
Federal, state, and local agencies to implement recovery actions and
activities for which they have responsibility, authority, and funding;
and work cooperatively with the public and local stakeholders on
implementation of other actions and activities. We expect the Plan to
guide us and other Federal agencies in evaluating Federal actions under
ESA section 7, as well as in implementing other provisions of the ESA,
such as considering permits under section 10, and other statutes.
When we are considering a species for delisting, the agency will
examine whether the ESA section 4(a)(1) listing factors have been
addressed. To assist in this examination, we will use the delisting
criteria described in the Plan, which include both demographic-based
criteria and threats-based criteria addressing each of the ESA section
4(a)(1) listing factors, as well as any other relevant data and policy
considerations.
Conclusion
NMFS has reviewed the Plan for compliance with the requirements of
the ESA section 4(f), determined that it does incorporate the required
elements, and is therefore adopting it as the Final Recovery Plan for
the main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale DPS.
(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
Dated: October 28, 2021.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-23899 Filed 11-2-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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