14760 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 60 / Thursday, March 29, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

50 CFR Part 17 

RIN 1018–AU53 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; Designating the Northern 

Rocky Mountain Population of Gray 

Wolf as a Distinct Population Segment 

and Removing This Distinct Population 

Segment From the Federal List of 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of 

comment period; notice of a public 

hearing. 

SUMMARY: Under the Endangered 

Species Act (Act), we, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), announce an 

extension of the comment period for the 

proposed rule to establish a distinct 

population segment (DPS) of the gray 

wolf (Canis lupus) in the Northern 

Rocky Mountains (NRM) of the United 

States and to remove the gray wolf in 

the NRM DPS from the List of 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

(List) under the Act. We also announce 

the location and time of one additional 

public hearing to receive public 

comments on this proposal. If you 

previously submitted comments, please 

do not resubmit them because we have 

already incorporated them into the 

public record and will fully consider 

them in our final decision and rule. 

DATES: The public comment period is 

extended until May 9, 2007. We may not 

consider any comments we receive after 

the closing date. We will hold a public 

hearing on April 19, 2007. For more 

information, see ‘‘Public Hearing and 

Comments.’’

ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, 

you may submit comments and 

materials concerning this proposal, 

identified by ‘‘RIN number 1018–

AU53,’’ by any one of the following 

methods: 

1. Federal e-Rulemaking Portal—

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

2. E-mail—WesternGrayWolf@fws.gov. 

Include ‘‘RIN number 1018–AU53’’ in 

the subject line of the message. 

3. Fax—(406) 449–5339. 

4. U.S. mail, hand delivery, or 

courier—U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Western Gray Wolf Recovery 

Coordinator, 585 Shepard Way, Helena, 

MT 59601. 

Comments and materials we receive, 

as well as supporting documentation we 

used in preparation of this proposed 

action, will be available for inspection 

following the close of the comment 

period, by appointment, during normal 

business hours, at our Helena office (see 

ADDRESSES). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Edward E. Bangs, Western Gray Wolf 

Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, at our Helena office 

(see ADDRESSES) or telephone (406) 449–

5225, extension 204. Persons who use a 

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf 

may call the Federal Information Relay 

Service at (800) 877–8339, 24 hours a 

day, 7 days a week. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On February 8, 2007, we published a 

proposal to establish a DPS of the wolf 

(Canis lupus) in the NRM of the United 

States and to remove the NRM DPS from 

the List (71 FR 6106). The comment 

period on this proposal opened 

February 8, 2007, and extends to April 

9, 2007. Due to the complexity of this 

proposed action, we are extending the 

comment period for 30 days to allow the 

public ample opportunity to comment 

on this complex proposal. 

Public Hearing and Comments 

One additional open house, from 3 

p.m. to 5 p.m. (brief presentations about 

the proposed rule will be given at both 

3 p.m. and 4 p.m.), and one additional 

public hearing, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., 

will be held on: 

April 19, 2007, Thursday, at the Cody 

Auditorium Facility, 1240 Beck Avenue, 

Cody, WY 82414. 

Anyone wishing to make an oral 

statement for the record is encouraged 

to provide a written copy of their 

statement and present it to us at the 

hearing. In the event there is a large 

attendance, the time allotted for oral 

statements may be limited. Speakers can 

sign up only at the open houses and 

hearings. Oral and written statements 

receive equal consideration. There are 

no limits on the length of written 

comments submitted to us. If you have 

any questions concerning the public 

hearing, please contact Sharon Rose 

(303) 236–4580. If you need reasonable 

accommodations in order to attend and 

participate in the public hearing, please 

contact Sharon Rose at (303) 236–4580 

as soon as possible in order to allow 

sufficient time to process requests. 

Please call no later than 1 week before 

the hearing date. Information regarding 

the proposal is available in alternative 

formats upon request. 

The purpose of the public hearing is 

to provide additional opportunity for 

the public to comment on this complex 

proposal. Public hearings are the only 

method for comments and data to be 

presented verbally for entry into the 

public record of this rulemaking and for 

our consideration during our final 

decision. Comments and data also can 

be submitted in writing or 

electronically, as described in our 

February 8, 2007, proposal (71 FR 6106) 

and in the ADDRESSES section above. 

We intend that any final action 

resulting from this proposed rule will be 

as accurate and as effective as possible. 

Therefore, we solicit comments or 

suggestions from the public, other 

concerned governmental agencies, the 

scientific community, industry, or any 

other interested party concerning this 

proposed rule. We solicit information, 

data, comments or suggestions from the 

public, other concerned governmental 

agencies, the scientific community, 

industry, or any other interested party 

concerning this proposal. Generally, we 

seek information, data, and comments 

concerning the boundaries of the 

proposed NRM DPS and the status of 

gray wolf in the NRM. Specifically, we 

seek documented, biological data on the 

status and management of the NRM wolf 

population and its habitat. 

Submit comments as indicated under 

ADDRESSES. If you wish to submit 

comments by e-mail, please include 

your name and return address in your 

e-mail message. 

Our practice is to make comments, 

including names and home addresses of 

respondents, available for public review 

during regular business hours. Before 

including your address, phone number, 

e-mail address, or other personal 

identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. We will take into consideration 

the comments and any additional 

information received during the 

comment period on this proposed rule 

during our preparation of a final 

rulemaking. Accordingly, our final 

decision may differ from this proposal. 

Authority 

The authority for this action is the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 60 / Thursday, March 29, 2007 / Proposed Rules 14761 

Dated: March 23, 2007. 

Kenneth Stansell, 

Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–5744 Filed 3–28–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 665 

[Docket No. 070226045–7045–01; I.D. 

020107A] 

RIN 0648–AT55 

Fisheries in the Western Pacific; 

Western Pacific Pelagic Fisheries; 

Management Measures for Bigeye 

Tuna Pacific-wide and Yellowfin Tuna 

in the Western and Central Pacific 

Ocean 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: This proposed rule would 

implement Amendment 14 to the 

Fishery Management Plan for Pelagic 

Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region 

(Pelagics FMP). The amendment 

responds to the Secretary of Commerce’s 

determination that overfishing is 

occurring on bigeye tuna (Thunnus 

obesus) Pacific-wide, and on yellowfin 

tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the western 

and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). The 

measures in the amendment are 

designed to end overfishing of bigeye 

tuna Pacific-wide and yellowfin tuna in 

the WCPO, as required under the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act). Amendment 

14 would establish Federal permitting 

and reporting requirements for all U.S. 

Hawaii-based small boat commercial 

pelagic fishermen. Internationally, 

Amendment 14 would establish for the 

Western Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council) an internal protocol 

related to its role in making 

recommendations to the Secretary on 

the management of pelagic fish stocks 

that are managed internationally, 

including its participation in U.S. 

delegations to meetings of regional 

fishery management organizations 

(RFMOs). This amendment also 

recommends that NMFS and the 

Department of State work through the 

RFMOs to immediately end overfishing 

of bigeye tuna Pacific-wide and WCPO 

yellowfin tuna, focusing on fisheries 

with the greatest impact on Pacific 

bigeye tuna and WCPO yellowfin tuna, 

i.e., longline and purse seine fisheries. 

DATES: Comments on the proposed rule 

must be received by May 14, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on the proposed rule, identified by 

AT55Tuna, to any of the following 

addresses: 

• E-mail: AT55Tuna@noaa.gov. 

Include in the subject line the following 

document identifier AT55Tuna. 

Comments sent via email, including all 

attachments, must not exceed a file size 

of 10 megabytes. 

• Federal e-Rulemaking portal: 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail or Hand Delivery: William L. 

Robinson, Regional Administrator, 

NMFS Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601 

Kapiolani Blvd, Suite 1110, Honolulu, 

HI 96814–4700. 

An Environmental Assessment (EA) 

was prepared for this amendment. 

Copies of the Pelagics FMP and 

Amendment 14 (containing the EA) may 

be obtained from Kitty M. Simonds, 

Western Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council), 1164 Bishop St., 

Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813. 

Written comments regarding the 

burden-hour estimates or other aspects 

of the collection-of-information 

requirements contained in this proposed 

rule may be submitted to William L. 

Robinson (see ADDRESSES), or by e-mail 

to DavidlRostker@omb.eop.gov, or fax 

to 202–395–7285. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob 

Harman, NMFS PIR, 808–944–2271. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

December 15, 2004, NMFS notified the 

Western Pacific and Pacific Fishery 

Management Councils that overfishing 

was occurring on bigeye tuna Pacificwide (69 FR 78397, December 30, 2004). 

On March 16, 2006, NMFS notified the 

Western Pacific Council that overfishing 

was occurring on western and central 

Pacific Ocean (WCPO) yellowfin tuna 

(71 FR 14837, March 24, 2006). As 

required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, 

the Councils were requested to take 

appropriate action to end overfishing. 

Pelagics FMP Amendment 14 contains 

the Western Pacific Council’s 

recommended actions to end 

overfishing for both stocks. 

According to the guidelines for 

National Standard 1 of the MagnusonStevens Act (50 CFR 600.310), fishery 

stock status is assessed with respect to 

two status determination criteria, one of 

which is used to determine whether a 

stock is ‘‘overfished,’’ and the second of 

which is used to determine if the stock 

is subject to ‘‘overfishing.’’ A stock is 

considered to be overfished if its 

biomass falls below the minimum stock 

size threshold (MSST). Overfishing 

means that fishing is occurring at a rate 

or level that jeopardizes the capacity of 

a stock or stock complex to produce 

maximum sustainable yield (MSY) on a 

continuing basis. When a stock is not in 

an overfished condition, the maximum 

fishing mortality threshold (MFMT) is 

equal to the fishing mortality associated 

with MSY (FMSY). The latest stock 

assessments for bigeye tuna in the 

Pacific and WCPO yellowfin tuna have 

concluded that the biomass of neither 

stock is below their respective MSST. 

However, the assessments used as a 

basis for the overfishing determinations 

(conducted in 2003 and 2004 for Pacific 

bigeye tuna and 2005 and 2006 for 

WCPO yellowfin tuna) indicated that 

the then-current level of fishing 

mortality did exceed the stocks’

respective MFMTs. Consequently, 

NMFS determined that overfishing was 

occurring on the Pacific-wide stock of 

bigeye tuna and on the WCPO stock of 

yellowfin tuna. 

Bigeye and yellowfin tuna are highly 

migratory species, and occur in the 

waters of multiple nations and the high 

seas. Consequently, they are targeted by 

fishing fleets of several nations, 

including the United States of America 

(U.S.A.). Until recently, the majority of 

bigeye tuna in the Pacific Ocean was 

caught by longliners, primarily for the 

Japanese sashimi market. During the last 

10 years, however, catches of bigeye 

tuna by purse seiners have increased 

considerably. Purse seine-caught bigeye 

tuna are taken primarily when purse 

seiners targeting skipjack and yellowfin 

tuna set their nets around fish 

aggregating devices (FADs). Smaller 

amounts are also taken by handline and 

troll vessels. Yellowfin tuna in the 

WCPO are caught primarily by purse 

seiners. WCPO longline, pole-and-line, 

handline and troll fisheries also catch 

substantial amounts of yellowfin tuna. 

In 2004, estimated bigeye tuna catches 

by U.S. commercial fisheries under the 

Council’s authority amounted to 5,163 

mt, or 2.3 percent of the 2004 total 

Pacific-wide bigeye tuna catch. In 2004, 

estimated yellowfin tuna catches by 

U.S. commercial fisheries under the 

Council’s authority amounted to 2,383 

mt, or about 0.35 percent of the 2004 

total Pacific-wide yellowfin tuna catch, 

and 0.58 percent of the yellowfin tuna 

caught in the WCPO. These figures 

indicate that the capacity for unilateral 

action by the U.S.A. to prevent or end 

overfishing is limited, as is the capacity 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with PROPOSALS