[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 2, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 17]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-31540]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 222 and 227

[I.D. 101995A]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Status Reviews of Listed Sea 
Turtles

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: NMFS and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Department of 
the Interior (collectively, the Services), announce the availability of 
the status reviews of endangered and threatened sea turtles, as 
required by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Based upon these 
reviews and any written comments received, the Services may consider 
changes in the listing status for the olive ridley (Lepidochelys 
olivacea) sea turtle. The status review for the green (Chelonia mydas) 
sea turtle is currently under Service evaluation and is not available 
with this notice. Upon completion of their evaluation, the Services 
will make the green sea turtle status review available under separate 
notice in the Federal Register.

DATES: February 1, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the status reviews may be submitted 
to the Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Phil Williams, 301-713-1401, or Richard Byles, 505-248-6647.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The ESA is administered jointly by the Services. NMFS has 
jurisdiction over species in the marine system while FWS has 
jurisdiction elsewhere. Listed endangered and threatened species under 
NMFS jurisdiction are enumerated in 50 CFR 222.23(a) and 50 CFR 227.4, 
respectively. The List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (List) 
which contains species under the jurisdiction of both Services, is 
found in 50 CFR part 17.
    Pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement between the two Services, the 
jurisdiction over listed sea turtles is shared: FWS has responsibility 
for sea turtles primarily in the terrestrial environment, while NMFS 
has responsibility for sea turtles primarily in the marine environment. 
Presently, all sea turtle species found in the United States are listed 
as follows: Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), leatherback 
(Dermochelys coriacea), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) are 
listed as endangered; loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia 
mydas), and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtles are listed as 
threatened, except for breeding populations of green turtles in Florida 
and on the Pacific coast of Mexico, and breeding populations of olive 
ridleys on the Pacific coast of Mexico, which are listed as endangered.
    Section 4(c)(2) of the ESA requires that, at least once every 5 
years, a review of the species on the List be conducted to determine 
whether any species should be (1) removed from the List, (2) changed in 
status from an endangered species to a threatened species, or (3) 
changed in status from a threatened species to an endangered species. 
Criteria for determining a reclassification are found at 50 CFR 
424.11(c).
    The status reviews of sea turtles listed under the ESA are 
available (see ADDRESSES). Based upon the status reviews, the Services 
are considering the following listing change.
    Olive Ridley Turtles. The western North Atlantic population would 
be classified as endangered, rather than threatened. This 
reclassification was first considered in a notice published on November 
9, 1984 (49 FR 44775), at which time the western North Atlantic 
(Surinam and adjacent areas) nesting population was reported to have 
declined 80 percent since 1967. This rate of decline continues despite 
over 2 decades of protection by personnel from the Surinam Nature 
Protection Foundation. This area is heavily trawled for shrimp, and 
trawlers have been the principal source of returned tags that had been 
applied to nesting females on the local beaches. Consequently, 
incidental capture in trawls is a likely cause of the progressive 
depletion of this population. Pursuant to Public Law 101-162, the 
importation of shrimp and shrimp products from Surinam and French 
Guiana was banned in 1993 because those countries failed to demonstrate 
that they had adopted a regulatory program that governed the incidental 
taking of sea turtles comparable to that of the United States. During 
an annual review in May 1995, shrimp imports were again embargoed from 
both countries due to their lack of turtle excluder device use. The 
incidental capture of turtles in trawls is a major concern in this 
area.

    Dated: December 22, 1995.
Ann D. Terbush,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 95-31540 Filed 12-29-95; 8:45 am]
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