Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened and Endangered Status for Distinct Population Segments of Atlantic Sturgeon in the Northeast Region

We, NMFS, are issuing a final determination to list the Gulf of Maine (GOM) Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the New York Bight (NYB) and Chesapeake Bay (CB) DPSs of Atlantic sturgeon as endangered species under the ESA. We have proposed protective regulations for the GOM DPS in accordance with ESA section 4(d) in a separate rulemaking published in the Federal Register on June 10, 2011. We are currently considering the available information in order to designate critical habitat. With this rule, we are also soliciting information that may be relevant to the designation of critical habitat for all three DPSs in the Northeast Region. Details of our analyses, their outcome, and a request for public comment on our proposed critical habitat designations will be published in subsequent Federal Register documents.