Endangered Species Act

• Draft Policy on Interpretation of the Phrase “Significant Portion of Its Range” in the Endangered Species Act's Definitions of “Endangered Species” and “Threatened Species”

We, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively, the Services), announce a draft policy to provide our interpretation of the phrase ``significant portion of its range'' in the Endangered Species Act's (Act's) definitions of ``endangered species'' and ``threatened species.'' The purpose of this notice is to provide a draft interpretation and application of ``significant portion of its range'' that reflects a permissible reading of the law and its legislative history and minimizes undesirable policy outcomes, while fulfilling the conservation purposes of the Act. We seek public comments on this draft policy. It is our intent to publish a final policy that will provide a consistent standard for interpretation of the phras...

• Federal Register Nbr. 76 FR 76987, December 09, 2011
• Notices
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• Captive Orca Could Test Endangered Species Act

SEATTLE - Forty years after hunters lassoed a young killer whale off Whidbey Island, Wash., and sold it to a Florida theme park, whale advocates are turning to an unusual tactic to try to force the orca's release: the Endangered Species Act. In a move legal experts said could have significant implications for other zoos and aquariums, animal rights activists recently sued the federal government, arguing that the law may require Lolita, the killer whale who still performs at the Miami Seaquarium, be reunited with pod members in the Northwest because Puget Sound's southern resident orcas were listed as endangered in 2005.

• Sunday Gazette-Mail
• December 12, 2011

• Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; 90-Day Finding on a Petition To List the Dwarf Seahorse as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act

We, NMFS, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae) as threatened or endangered and designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition and information in our files present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted. We will conduct a status review of the species to determine if the petitioned action is warranted. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting scientific and commercial information regarding this species (see below).

• Federal Register Nbr. 77 FR 26478, May 04, 2012
• Proposed rules
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• Grizzly bear blues: a case study of the Endangered Species Act's delisting process and recovery plan requirements.

The fundamental purpose of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is to prevent species from becoming extinct. Once this goal is achieved, section 4 of the ...

• Environmental Law
• Vol. 31 Nbr. 2, March 2001

• Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; 90-Day Finding on a Petition to List Speckled Hind as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act

We (NMFS) announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list speckled hind (Epinephelus drummondhayi) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition does not present substantial scientific information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.

• Federal Register Nbr. 77 FR 25687, May 01, 2012
• Notices
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• 18 CFR 380.13 - Compliance with the Endangered Species Act.

• Code of Federal Regulations - Title 18: Conservation of Power and Water Resources

• Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; 90-Day Finding on a Petition To List the Scalloped Hammerhead Shark as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act

We, NMFS, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) or, in the alternative, multiple distinct population segments (DPSs) of the scalloped hammerhead shark as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and to designate critical habitat concurrently with the listing. We find that the petition and information in our files present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. We will conduct a status review of the species to determine if the petitioned action is warranted. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting scientific and commercial information pertaining to this species from any interested party.

• Federal Register Nbr. 76 FR 72891, November 28, 2011
• Proposed rules
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• Saving the King of the Jungle: Wildlife Advocates Seek Protection for African Lions Under U.S. Endangered Species Act

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, a coalition of wildlife groups--International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society International (HSI), Born Free USA, Born Free Foundation and Defenders of Wildlife--filed a petition with the Department of Interior to list African lions as Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The population and range of the African lion are in alarming decline. Over the past two decades, the number of African lions has declined by at least 48.5 percent as a result of retaliatory killings, loss of habitat and prey species, over-exploitation by recreational trophy hunters and commercial trade, disease, and other human-caused and natural factors. Today, there are fewer than ...

• U.S. Newswire
• March 01, 2011

• Listing Endangered and Threatened Species; 12-Month Finding on a Petition To List Chinook Salmon in the Upper Klamath and Trinity Rivers Basin as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act

We, NMFS, announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Upper Klamath and Trinity Rivers Basin (UKTR) as threatened or endangered and designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have reviewed the status of the UKTR Chinook salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) and considered the best scientific and commercial data available, and conclude that the petitioned action is not warranted. In reaching this conclusion, we conclude that spring-run and fall-run Chinook salmon in the UKTR Basin constitute a single ESU. Based on a comprehensive review of the best scientific and commercial data currently available, and consistent with the 1998 status review and listing determination for the UKTR Chinook salmon E...

• Federal Register Nbr. 77 FR 19597, April 02, 2012
• Proposed rules
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• Rep. Endangered Species Act

RIALTO - Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino, is seeking to remove two animal species from protection under the Endangered Species Act, which he said is stalling the development of more than 8,000 residential units here. Such a move would "expand the tax base of Rialto dramatically, and cause incalculable economic growth for the city and surrounding regions," Baca wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Tuesday.

• The Sun (San Bernardino, CA)
• August 12, 2011