Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on the Proposed Rule To List the Alabama Sturgeon as Endangered

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AF56

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of

Reopening of Comment Period on the Proposed Rule To List the Alabama

Sturgeon as Endangered

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, give notice that we are

[[Page 37493]]

reopening the comment period on the proposed rule to list the Alabama

sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus suttkusi) as endangered. We invite all

interested parties to submit comments on this proposal.

DATES: We will accept comments until September 10, 1999. We will

consider any comments received by the closing date in the final

decision on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments and materials concerning the

proposal to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6578

Dogwood View Parkway, Jackson, Mississippi 39213. Comments and

materials received will be available for public inspection, by

appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Hartfield (see ADDRESSES

section), 601/965-4900, extension 25; facsimile 601/965-4340.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Alabama sturgeon is a small freshwater sturgeon that was

historically found only in the Mobile River Basin of Alabama and

Mississippi. The Alabama sturgeon's historic range once included about

1,600 kilometers (km) (1,000 miles (mi)) of the Mobile River system in

Alabama (Black Warrior, Tombigbee, Alabama, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Mobile,

Tensaw, and Cahaba rivers) and Mississippi (Tombigbee River). Since

1985, all confirmed captures of this fish have been from a short, free-

flowing reach of the Alabama River below Miller's Ferry and Claiborne

locks and dams in Clarke, Monroe, and Wilcox counties, Alabama. The

historic decline of the Alabama sturgeon is attributed to over-fishing,

loss and fragmentation of habitat as a result of navigation-related

development, and water quality degradation. Current threats primarily

result from its small population numbers and its inability to offset

mortality rates with reproduction and recruitment.

On March 26, 1999, we published a rule proposing endangered status

for the Alabama sturgeon in the Federal Register (64 FR 14676). Section

4(b)(5)(E) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires that we hold a

public hearing if it is requested within 45 days of the publication of

the proposed rule. Sheldon Morgan, Chairman, Alabama-Tombigbee Rivers

Coalition, requested a public hearing within the allotted time period.

On May 25, 1999, we published a notice in the Federal Register

announcing a public hearing and extending the comment period until July

5, 1999 (64 FR 28142). We held a public hearing on June 24, 1999, at

the Montgomery Civic Center in Montgomery, Alabama.

Public Comments Solicited

We intend that any final action resulting from this proposal will

be as accurate and as effective as possible. Therefore, we request

comments or suggestions from the public, other concerned governmental

agencies, the scientific community, industry, or any other interested

party concerning this proposed rule. In making a final decision, we

will take into consideration the comments and any additional

information we receive, and such communications may lead to a final

determination that differs from this proposal.

The previous comment period on this proposal closed on July 5,

1999. To allow all interested parties the maximum time to submit their

comments for the record, we are reopening the comment period until

September 10, 1999.

Author

The primary author of this notice is Paul Hartfield (see ADDRESSES

section).

Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered

Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: July 6, 1999.

H. Dale Hall,

Acting Regional Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 99-17557 Filed 7-9-99; 8:45 am]

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