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RuleSignificant03-52082003-03-19

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Gulf Sturgeon

Interior Department, Fish and Wildlife Service, Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Abstract

We, FWS and NMFS, collectively "the Services," designate critical habitat for the Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi), a threatened species listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We designate 14 geographic areas among the Gulf of Mexico rivers and tributaries as critical habitat for the Gulf sturgeon. These 14 geographic areas (units) encompass approximately 2,783 river kilometers (rkm) (1,730 river miles (rmi)) and 6,042 square kilometers (km<SUP>2</SUP>) (2,333 square miles (mi<SUP>2</SUP>)) of estuarine and marine habitat. Critical habitat identifies specific areas that are essential to the conservation of a listed species, and that may require special management considerations or protection. Section 7(a)(2) of the Act requires that each Federal agency shall, in consultation with and with the assistance of the Services, insure that any action authorized, funded or carried out by such agency is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of an endangered or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. Section 4 of the Act requires us to consider economic and other relevant impacts of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. We solicited data and comments from the public on all aspects of the proposal, including data on economic and other impacts of the designation.

Action & Dates

Action
Final rule.
Dates
The effective date of this rule is April 18, 2003.
Effective Date
2003-04-18

CFR References

Topics

Endangered and threatened speciesExportsImportsReporting and recordkeeping requirementsTransportation

Document Excerpt

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 RIN 1018-AI23 Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 226 [Docket No.; I.D. 020522126-3051-02] RIN 0648-AQ03 AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Interior, and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: We, FWS and NMFS, collectively &ldquo;the Services,&rdquo; designate critical habitat for the Gulf sturgeon ( Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi ), a threatened species listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We designate 14 geographic areas among the Gulf of Mexico rivers and tributaries as critical habitat for the Gulf sturgeon. These 14 geographic areas (units) encompass approximately 2,783 river kilometers (rkm) (1,730 river miles (rmi)) and 6,042 square kilometers (km 2 ) (2,333 square miles (mi 2 )) of estuarine and marine habitat. Critical habitat identifies specific areas that are essential to the conservation of a listed species, and that may require special management considerations or protection. Section 7(a)(2) of the Act requires that each Federal agency shall, in consultation with and with the assistance of the Services, insure that any action authorized, funded or carried out by such agency is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of an endangered or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical

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Related Documents

Other Federal Register documents from the same docket.

Full Document

Citation: 68 FR 13370