Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Rule To Remove the Umpqua River Cutthroat Trout From the List of Endangered Wildlife

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), are amending the current regulations by removing the entry of the Umpqua River Ecologically Significant Unit (ESU) of the coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki clarki) from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (List). The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which has jurisdiction for this population, has determined that the Umpqua River cutthroat trout population, formerly identified as an ESU of the species, is part of a larger population segment that previously was determined to be neither endangered nor threatened as defined by the Endangered Species Act (Act). Therefore, NMFS determined that the Umpqua River cutthroat trout should be removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and recommended that the Department of the Interior implement this action by amending the List accordingly. We concur with the determination by NMFS and are removing all of the Act's protections, including critical habitat designation, for this population in the Umpqua River basin.