[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22760-22761]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-9239]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XB069


Endangered and Threatened Species; Notice of Intent To Update a 
Recovery Plan for the Blue Whale and Prepare a Recovery Plan for the 
North Pacific Right Whale

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to update and prepare recovery plans; request 
for information.

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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is announcing its 
intent to update a recovery plan for the blue whale (Balaenoptera 
musculus) and prepare a recovery plan for the North Pacific right whale 
(Eubalaena japonica) and requests information from the public. NMFS is 
required by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended to 
develop plans for the

[[Page 22761]]

conservation and survival of federally listed species, i.e., recovery 
plans.

DATES: To allow NMFS adequate time to conduct the reviews, all 
information must be received no later than May 17, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on these documents, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2012-0091, by any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov. To 
submit comments via the e-Rulemaking Portal, first click the ``submit a 
comment'' icon, then enter NOAA-NMFS-2012-0091 in the keyword search. 
Locate the document you wish to comment on from the resulting list and 
click on the ``Submit a Comment'' icon on the right of that line.
    <bullet> Mail: Submit written comments to Chief, Endangered Species 
Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected 
Resources, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, Attn: 
Recovery Plans.
    Instructions: Comments must be submitted by one of the above 
methods to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and 
considered by NMFS. Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered. All comments received are a part of the public 
record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by the 
sender will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will 
accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you 
wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to electronic comments will be 
accepted in Microsoft Word or Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file 
formats only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Larissa Plants, Office of Protected 
Resources, 301-427-8471, or Shannon Bettridge, Office of Protected 
Resources, 301-427-8437.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Management responsibility for blue whales 
and North Pacific right whales lies with the Secretary of Commerce and 
has been delegated to NMFS. As such, NMFS is charged with the recovery 
of blue and North Pacific right whales, which are listed as endangered 
under the ESA. The recovery planning process is guided by the statutory 
language of Section 4(f) of the ESA and NMFS policies. Recovery 
planning identifies all methods and procedures that are necessary to 
recover any endangered species or threatened species. Section 
4(f)(1)(B) of the ESA specifies that recovery plans must incorporate in 
each plan (i) a description of such site-specific management actions as 
may be necessary to achieve the plan's goal for the conservation and 
survival of the species; (ii) objective, measurable criteria which when 
met, would result in a determination, that the species be removed from 
the list; and (iii) estimates of the time required and cost to carry 
out those measures needed to achieve the plan's goal and to achieve 
intermediate steps toward that goal.
    Section 4(f)(4) of the ESA requires that public notice and an 
opportunity for public review and comment be provided during recovery 
plan development. NMFS requests relevant information from the public 
during preparation of the draft Recovery Plans. Such information should 
address: (a) criteria for removing the these whales from the list of 
threatened and endangered species; (b) factors that are presently 
limiting, or threaten to limit, the survival of the blue and North 
Pacific right whales; (c) actions to address limiting factors and 
threats; (d) estimates of time and cost to implement recovery actions; 
and (e) research, monitoring and evaluation needs. Upon completion, the 
draft Recovery Plans will be available for public review and comment 
through the publication of a Federal Register Notice.

    Authority: 6 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

    Dated: April 10, 2012.
Marta Nammack,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-9239 Filed 4-16-12; 8:45 am]
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