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

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 Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Parts 223 and 224 [Docket No. 151110999-5999-01] RIN 0648-XE314 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: 90-day petition finding, request for information, and initiation of status review. SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce the 90-day finding on a petition to list the oceanic whitetip shark ( Carcharhinus longimanus ) range-wide, or in the alternative, as one or more distinct population segments (DPSs) identified by the petitioners as endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted for the species worldwide. Accordingly, we will initiate a status review of oceanic whitetip shark range-wide at this time. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting scientific and commercial information regarding this species. DATES: Information and comments on the subject action must be received by March 14, 2016. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, information, or data, by including “NOAA-NMFS-2015-0152” by either of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal . Go to www.regulations.gov/​#!docketDetail;​D=​ NOAA-NMFS-2015-0152, click the “Comment Now” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your c…