Notice2025-00320
Endangered and Threatened Species; Announcement of a Recovery Planning Workshop and Request for Information To Inform Recovery Planning for the Beringia Distinct Population Segment of Bearded Seal and the Arctic Ringed Seal
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Published
January 10, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS announces its intent to convene a workshop to solicit facts and information from experts to inform recovery planning for the Beringia Distinct Population Segment (DPS) bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus nauticus) and the Arctic ringed seal (Phoca hispida hispida). We will not be asking for any consensus recommendations on how to recover these species. This workshop will be open to the public. We also request submission of information that might inform the development of the recovery plans.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 6 (Friday, January 10, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 6 (Friday, January 10, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1966-1967]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00320]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE601]
Endangered and Threatened Species; Announcement of a Recovery
Planning Workshop and Request for Information To Inform Recovery
Planning for the Beringia Distinct Population Segment of Bearded Seal
and the Arctic Ringed Seal
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for information.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to convene a workshop to solicit
facts and information from experts to inform recovery planning for the
Beringia Distinct Population Segment (DPS) bearded Seal (Erignathus
barbatus nauticus) and the Arctic ringed seal (Phoca hispida hispida).
We will not be asking for any consensus recommendations on how to
recover these species. This workshop will be open to the public. We
also request submission of information that might inform the
development of the recovery plans.
DATES:
Workshop dates and information: The 2-day recovery planning
workshop for the Beringia DPS bearded seal and the Arctic ringed seal
will be held Thursday, January 23 through Friday, January 24, 2025. The
workshop will begin each day at 8:30 a.m. and end each day at 4:30 p.m.
Alaska local time. This workshop will also be accessible virtually.
RSVP: If you plan to attend the workshop, virtually or in person,
please contact NMFS Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region, at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#87e6ecf5a9eee4e2a9f4e2e6eba9f5e2e4e8f1e2f5fec7e9e8e6e6a9e0e8f1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8feee4fda1e6eceaa1fceaeee3a1fdeaece0f9eafdf6cfe1e0eeeea1e8e0f9">[email protected]</span></a> by January 20, 2025 to receive the
meeting link via email. The meeting link will also be posted on our
website at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/ringed-seal/conservation-management">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/ringed-seal/conservation-management</a> and <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/bearded-seal/conservation-management">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/bearded-seal/conservation-management</a>.
Date for information submission: Please submit information to
inform recovery planning via the methods listed below in the ADDRESSES
section by March 11, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Submit your information, identified by docket number NOAA-
NMFS-2024-0151 by either of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic comments via the
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Visit <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and type
NOAA-NMFS-2024-0151 in the Search box. Click on the ``Comment'' icon,
complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written information to Anne Marie Eich, Assistant
Regional Administrator for Protected Resources, Alaska Region NMFS,
Attn: Records Office, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668.
Instructions: NMFS may not consider comments or other information
if sent by any other method, or to any other address or individual. All
comments and information received are a part of the public record and
NMFS will post the comments for public viewing on <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>
without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name,
address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise
sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender is publicly
accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the
required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
Workshop address: BP Energy Center, 1014 Energy Ct., Anchorage, AK
99508.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenna Malek, NMFS Alaska Region,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#412b242f2f206f2c202d242a012f2e20206f262e37"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="513b343f3f307f3c303d343a113f3e30307f363e27">[email protected]</span></a>, (907) 271-1332, or Caroline Cummings, NMFS Alaska
Region, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5d3e3c2f3231343338733e28303034333a2e1d33323c3c733a322b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1e7d7f6c717277707b307d6b73737770796d5e70717f7f30797168">[email protected]</span></a>, (907) 271-1508.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS published a final rule listing the
Beringia DPS of the Erignathus barbatus nauticus subspecies of bearded
seal as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on December
28, 2012 (77 FR 76739). NMFS published a final rule listing the Arctic
subspecies of ringed seals (Pusa hispida hispida) as threatened under
the ESA on December 28, 2012 (77 FR 76706). The final listing rules
describe the background of the listing action for these species and
provide a summary of our conclusions regarding their status. For
additional background about these species, the reader is referred to
our species web pages (available at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/bearded-seal">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/bearded-seal</a> and <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/ringed-seal">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/ringed-seal</a>).
NMFS is required by section 4(f) of the ESA to develop and
implement recovery plans for the conservation and survival of federally
listed species unless the Secretary finds that such a plan will not
promote the conservation of the species. Recovery means improvement in
the status of listed species to the point at which the species no
longer meets the definition of an endangered or threatened species and
the protections of the ESA are no longer necessary. The ESA specifies
that recovery plans are to include (1) a description of site-specific
management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goals for the
conservation and survival of the species; (2) objective, measurable
criteria which, when met, would result in the species being removed
from the list; and (3) estimates of the time and costs required to
carry out the actions and achieve the plan's conservation goals. Under
section 4(f) of the ESA, public notice and an opportunity for public
review and comment are also provided during recovery plan development.
This notice serves as the first public notice and opportunity for
public input early in the process. Once a recovery plan has been
drafted, it will be announced in the Federal Register and available on
our website (see ADDRESSES section) for public review and comment
before being finalized.
Recovery Planning Workshop Announcement
From January 23 through 24, 2025, NMFS will hold a workshop at the
BP Energy Center in Anchorage, AK to help inform our recovery planning
for the Beringia DPS bearded seal and the Arctic ringed seal (see DATES
and ADDRESSES section). We are inviting experts in specific topic
areas, including the species' biology/ecology, threats to the species
and the species' habitat, and the recovery planning process itself.
These experts will help us to identify potential actions to address the
threats to the species, identify gaps in knowledge and associated
research needs, as well as begin developing recovery criteria for the
species. In particular, this workshop will focus on addressing threats
stemming from changes in the climate. Identified experts include
representatives of the Ice Seal Committee, Federal and State agencies,
scientific researchers, individuals from conservation organizations and
non-governmental organizations, and the oil and gas industry.
Information received at the workshop may be used to inform the
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development of other conservation decisions and actions.
NMFS will provide two moderators to manage the workshop as well as
a note taker to document input received. We are seeking facts and
information; we will not be asking for consensus recommendations on how
to recover the Beringia DPS bearded seal and the Arctic ringed seal.
NMFS will prepare a summary of the workshop, noting the main points
raised by the participants and registered speakers. This workshop will
be open to the public, and an opportunity for public feedback and
questions will be provided at the end of each day.
Agenda
January 23 will focus on the recovery planning process and
requirements, the biology, status, and threats to the species, and
discussions regarding potential recovery criteria;
January 24 will focus on development of recovery criteria and
actions related to climate change, anthropogenic threats, and any other
recovery needs.
Request for Information
We also invite the public to submit scientific or commercial
information that may help to inform the recovery criteria and actions
for the Beringia DPS bearded seal and the Arctic ringed seal. We are
soliciting relevant information related to the species and their
habitat, including but not limited to the following:
1. Criteria for removing these species from the list of threatened
and endangered species (These criteria could be either threats-based or
abundance/trends based.);
2. Human activities that contribute to threats to the species;
3. Physical, biological, or chemical features of the environment
that limit the recovery of these species;
4. Recovery strategies addressing threats to physical and
biological features that are essential to species conservation;
5. Strategies and actions to recover these species;
6. Estimates of the time and cost, and potential partners to
implement recovery actions;
7. Critical knowledge gaps and uncertainties that need to be
resolved to better inform recovery efforts; and
8. Research, monitoring, and evaluation needs to address knowledge
gaps and uncertainties, or to assess the species' status, limiting
factors, and threats relative to recovery goals.
Information may be submitted via the methods listed above in the
ADDRESSES section.
Reasonable Accommodations
The workshop is accessible to persons with disabilities. Send
requests for accessibility accommodations to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2a4b41580443494f04594f4b4604584f49455c4f58536a44454b4b044d455c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6c0d071e42050f09421f090d00421e090f031a091e152c02030d0d420b031a">[email protected]</span></a> by January 13, 2025 and we will do our
best to accommodate requests to the extent possible.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: January 3, 2025.
Lisa Manning,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-00320 Filed 1-8-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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