Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Findings for Two Petitions To Reclassify the West Indian Manatee (Draft)
Oct. 12, 2023
USFWS announced two 90-day findings on petitions to reclassify the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), or populations thereof, under the ESA. Two valid subspecies of the West Indian manatee, the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus), are currently protected under the Act as part of the threatened West Indian manatee species-level listing. One petition requests the Puerto Rico population of the Antillean manatee be listed as an endangered distinct population segment (DPS) and critical habitat be designated for this entity under the Act. The second petition requests to reclassify the West Indian manatee, including its subspecies the Antillean manatee and Florida manatee, as endangered species under the Act. They find that the petitions present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this document, they announce that they plan to initiate a status review to determine whether the petitioned actions are warranted. The findings announced in this document were made on 12 October 2023. POC is Nicole Rankin, Division of Conservation and Classification Manager, telephone: 404–679–7089, email: Nicole_Rankin@fws.gov. (Federal Register 12 October 2023 [Proposed Rule] Pages 70634-70637)