Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Additional Comment Period on the Proposed Rule Pertaining to Three Species of Kangaroos in Mainland Australia

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AB88

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Additional Comment

Period on the Proposed Rule Pertaining to Three Species of Kangaroos in

Mainland Australia

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces that

the comment period has been extended through March 7, 1994, on the

proposed action to delist the three kangaroo species in mainland

Australia presently listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered

Species Act as amended (Act) as well as action to rescind the existing

special rule applicable to these species. Information on population

numbers of the red kangaroo, western gray kangaroo, and eastern gray

kangaroo in States of Western Australia, South Australia, New South

Wales and Queensland has been provided by the Australian Nature

Conservation Agency.

DATES: Comments must be received by March 7, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Comments, information, and questions should be sent to the

Chief, Office of Scientific Authority; Mail Stop: Arlington Square,

room 725; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Washington, DC 20240 (Fax

number 730-358-2276). Express and messenger-delivered mail should be

addressed to the Office of Scientific Authority; room 750, 4401 North

Fairfax Drive; Arlington, Virginia 22203. Comments and other

information received will be available for public inspection, by

appointment from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the

Arlington, Virginia address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Charles W. Dane, Chief, Office of Scientific Authority, at the

above address (phone 703-358-1708).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The red kangaroo (Macropus rufus), the

western gray kangaroo M. fuliginous, and the eastern gray kangaroo (M.

giganteus), except the subspecies M. g. tasmaniensis, which was listed

as endangered, were listed in 1974 as threatened pursuant to the Act

(39 FR 44990), and the commercial importation of kangaroos, their parts

and products was banned. A special rule to allow such importations into

the United States, after development of adequate State management

plans, accompanied the listing. The Service accepted the management

programs for four Australian States and lifted the importation ban in

1981 (46 FR 23929), after kangaroo management plans and population

survey techniques had been strengthened. The Service allowed

continuation of the commercial importation of kangaroos in 1983 (48 FR

34757) and in 1984 withdrew a proposed rule to delist the three species

of kangaroos because of the severe and widespread drought of 1982-1983

(49 FR 17555).

The Service was petitioned on December 20, 1989, by Greenpeace USA,

with subsequent support from other groups, ``to reinstate the ban on

commercial importation of kangaroos and of kangaroo products.'' The

Wildlife Legislative Fund of America submitted a petition dated

November 6, 1990, which was received by the Service on the following

day. That petition requested that all populations of the red kangaroo

(Macropus rufus), the western gray kangaroo (M. fuliginous), and the

eastern gray kangaroo (M. giganteus), except the subspecies M. g.

tasmaniensis, be removed from the list of threatened species under the

Endangered Species Act.

The Service, in a Federal Register notice of June 12, 1991 (56 FR

26971), found that the action requested in the November 6, 1990,

petition may be warranted and requested additional comments as part of

a continuing status review of kangaroos and kangaroo management in

Australia. The comment period was reopened until September 10, 1991.

That comment period was later extended to September 24, 1991, in a

Federal Register notice dated September 17, 1991 (56 FR 47060). The

Service directly evaluated kangaroo management in Australia by sending

representatives in March 1990 and July 1992, and by requesting and

evaluating information about kangaroo management obtained from

Commonwealth and State governments. On January 21, 1993 (58 FR 5341),

the Service proposed to remove the three kangaroo species listed as

threatened from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and

deferred its decision on the petition of December 20, 1989. That

proposed rule noted that New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia,

and Western Australia have developed adequate and effective

conservation programs that ensured the protection of these macropod

species (refer to the January 21, 1993, Federal Register notice for

specifics of the Service's assessment).

Information recently received from the Australian Nature

Conservation Agency (ANCA) (formerly the Australian National Parks and

Wildlife Service) indicates population declines for each of the three

species in most of the States, but all are within the range of

variation in population levels since 1981. These figures were reviewed

by the Australian Scientific Advisory Committee on Kangaroos, and

management recommendations on the part of the Commonwealth and States

governments are being developed. However, in order for the public to

have full opportunity to comment on the new information the Service is

summarizing the population information and will provide the complete

communique from ANCA to those requesting it. The information sent by

ANCA also includes two short documents prepared by the Australian

Bureau of Meteorology on droughts in Australia.

Population estimates for red kangaroos in the commercial harvest

zone are 1,483,700, 2,760,000, 1,362,700, and 2,960,000 for South

Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia, and Queensland,

respectively. The estimates in the first three States were derived from

fixed-wing surveys and use the Caughley correction factors, and those

in Queensland were ``derived from helicopter counts in 9 survey blocks

extrapolated to the total harvest area for each species'' (ANCA in

litt.). The population estimates represent declines of about 10

percent, 18 percent, and 3.5 percent between 1992 and 1993 for South

Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland, respectively. Red kangaroo

populations in Western Australia have fluctuated from 1,004,000,

1,993,000, 2,329,000, 2,370,000, to 1,362,700 in 1981, 1984, 1987,

1990, and 1993, respectively.

The 1993 estimate of 8,360,000 eastern gray kangaroos in Queensland

(based on helicopter surveys) represents a 20 percent decline between

1992 and 1993. The 1993 estimates of 2,440,000 and 1,250,000 eastern

and western gray kangaroos in New South Wales (based on fixed-wing

surveys) represent an 8 percent decline in gray kangaroos from

estimates in 1992 in that State. The 1993 estimate of 380,800 western

gray kangaroos in South Australia (based on fixed-wing surveys)

represents a 4 percent increase between 1992 and 1993.

The population estimate of 433,800 for western gray kangaroos in

Western Australia indicated a decline of 60 percent between 1990 and

1993. In view of ``the average to exceptional rainfall and low harvest

rates between 1990 and 1993 * * * the 1990 population estimates for

Western Greys in Western Australia was re-examined and estimates for

the commonly surveyed blocks for the period 1981 to 1993 reviewed''

(op. cit.). The Service understands that some blocks were not surveyed

in 1993, but more importantly ``the 1990 population estimate was

identified as being principally due to anomalously high densities

recorded on two 1 deg. x 1 deg. degree [sic] blocks. If these two

blocks are excluded and comparison is made only with the common survey

blocks, the decline between the 1990 estimates and the 1993 estimates

is 9 percent'' (op. cit.). The population estimates for western gray

kangaroos for commonly surveyed areas in Western Australia excluding

estimates obtained from the two blocks for 1981, 1984, 1987, 1990, and

1993 are 277,200, 274,300, 325,300, 446,200, and 406,200, respectively.

In light of this new information, the Service is extending the

comment period on the proposal to delist the threatened species of

kangaroo. Comments and additional information concerning any aspect of

the proposed rule are hereby solicited from the public, concerned

governmental agencies within the United States, the Australian

government, the scientific community, industry, private interests, and

any other interested parties.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531-1544.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements, Transportation.

Dated: February 9, 1994.

Richard N. Smith,

Deputy Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 94-3790 Filed 2-17-94; 8:45 am]

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