Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; 90-Day Finding on Petitions To List the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab (Limulus Polyphemus) 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 [RTID 0648-XR133; Docket No. 260209-0041] ( printed page 7448) AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; 90-day finding. SUMMARY: NMFS announces our 90-day finding on two petitions to list the Atlantic (or American) horseshoe crab ( Limulus polyphemus ) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to designate critical habitat. We find that the petitions do not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted. DATES: This finding was made on February 18, 2026. ADDRESSES: Copies of the petitions and related materials are available from the NMFS website at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/​national/​endangered-species-conservation/​negative-90-day-findings . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Danielle Palmer, NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Protected Resources Division, (978) 282-8468, danielle.palmer@noaa.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background We received petitions on December 21, 2023, from the Friends of Animals and on February 27, 2024, from the Center for Biological Diversity to list the Atlantic (or American) horseshoe crab ( Limulus polyphemus ) as an endangered or threatened species and to designate critical habitat for this species under the ESA. Both petitions identify four of the five ESA 4(a)(1) factors as threa…