AGENCY:

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of availability of draft recovery plan; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), announce the availability of a Draft Endangered Species Act (ESA) Recovery Plan for the threatened oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) for public review. We are soliciting review and comment from the public and all interested parties on the Draft Recovery Plan, and will consider all substantive comments received during the review period before submitting the Recovery Plan for final approval.

DATES:

Comments on the Draft Recovery Plan must be received by March 27, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments on the Draft Recovery Plan, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2022-0097 by the following method.

• Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2022-0097 in the Search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.

Instructions:

Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter “N/A” in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).

Electronic copies of the Draft Recovery Plan and supporting documents are available online at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/​species/​oceanic-whitetip-shark#conservation-management.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kristen Koyama, (301) 427-8456, kristen.koyama@noaa.gov

or Chelsey Young, (808) 725-5154, chelsey.young@noaa.gov.

Click here for complete FR Notice.