BILLING CODE: 3510-22-P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 223
[Docket No. 240508-0132]
RIN 0648-BM49
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Protective Regulations for the
Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus longimanus); Extension of Public Comment
Period
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of public comment period and announcement of
public hearing.
SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce the extension of the public comment period on our
May 14, 2024, proposed rule to issue protective regulations under section 4(d) of the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the conservation of the threatened oceanic whitetip
shark (Carcharhinus longimanus). As part of that proposed action, we solicited comment
on the proposed rule, a draft environmental assessment (EA), and an initial regulatory
flexibility analysis (IRFA) over a 60-day period, to end on July 15, 2024. Today, we
extend the public comment period by 60 days to September 15, 2024, and announce that
we will be holding one or more public hearings on the proposed rule. Comments
previously submitted do not need to be resubmitted, as they will be fully considered in
the agency’s proposed action.
DATES: The deadline for receipt of comments is extended from July 15, 2024, until
September 15, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this proposed rule, identified by NOAANMFS-2023-0117 by any one of the following methods:
•

Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS2023-0117 in the Search box. Click the “Comment” icon, complete the required
fields, and enter or attach your comments.

•

Mail or hand-delivery: Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

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 part of the public record and will generally be posted for
public viewing on https://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).
The proposed rule and other supporting materials are available electronically at:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/oceanic-whitetip-shark/conservationmanagement.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrienne Lohe, NMFS Office of
Protected Resources, 301-427-8442; Adrienne.Lohe@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On May 14, 2024, we published a proposed rule to issue protective regulations
under section 4(d) of the ESA for the threatened oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus

longimanus) (89 FR 41917). In that notification, we also announced a 60-day public
comment period and the availability of a draft EA and IRFA.
We received a request to extend the public comment period and hold public
hearings for fishing communities in Hawaii, the Territories of American Samoa and
Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in order to better
understand the potential impact of the proposed rule and for communities to provide
comments on the proposed rule. We considered the request and concluded that a 60-day
extension should allow sufficient time for responders to submit comments without
significantly delaying finalization of the proposed rule. We are therefore extending the
close of the public comment period from July 15, 2024, to September 15, 2024. In
addition to extending the public comment period, we are announcing that we will hold
one or more public hearings on the proposed rule. Details on the date(s), time(s) and
location(s) of the public hearing(s) will be announced in an upcoming Federal Register
notice.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: July 5, 2024.


Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-15177 Filed: 7/10/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 7/11/2024]