Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: One-year Finding for a Petition To List the Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) in Eastern North America as Endangered or Threatened

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), announces a one-year finding on a petition to add the harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) in eastern North America to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. After review of all available scientific and commercial information, the Service finds that listing the harlequin duck is not warranted at this time. The Service has based this finding on the following: (1) Prohibition of hunting since 1990 throughout the harlequin duck's entire range in eastern North America; (2) lack of substantial information indicating that the species' breeding, wintering, or staging habitat is likely to be curtailed, modified or destroyed; (3) lack of substantial information indicating that overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific or educational purposes is significantly affecting the species; (4) lack of information indicating that disease or predation is causing a significant loss of individuals of the species; (5) lack of adequate information on population discreteness, size, and other parameters to indicate the species is likely at or below a minimum viable population size; (6) additional protective measures undertaken by the States of Maine and Rhode Island which decrease the likelihood of occurrence or the potential severity of an oil spill in the species' wintering areas; (7) limited population trend data indicating that the population has stabilized and is not declining; and (8) current regulatory mechanisms which, under the documented threats, adequately provide for the protection and conservation of the species.