Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
We, NMFS, announce our 90-day finding on a petition to revise the critical habitat designation for the endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In January 2016, we issued a final rule designating approximately 29,763 square nautical miles (nm\2\) (102,084 square kilometers (km\2\)) of critical habitat for North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank region and off the Southeast U.S. Coast. The petition requests that we revise this critical habitat designation to include a migratory habitat. We find that the petition does not present substantial scientific information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.
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 [Docket No. 260716-0171] RTID 0648-XR139 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; 90-day finding. SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce our 90-day finding on a petition to revise the critical habitat designation for the endangered North Atlantic right whale ( Eubalaena glacialis ) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In January 2016, we issued a final rule designating approximately 29,763 square nautical miles (nm 2 ) (102,084 square kilometers (km 2 )) of critical habitat for North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank region and off the Southeast U.S. Coast. The petition requests that we revise this critical habitat designation to include a migratory habitat. We find that the petition does not present substantial scientific information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. DATES: This finding was made on July 22, 2026. ADDRESSES: Copies of the petition 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: Jean Higgins, NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Protected Resources Division, (978) 281-9345, jean.higgins@noaa.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background On March 31, 2025, we received a petition from Save L…
Citation: 91 FR 46048
