🌊Corrections to Critical Habitat Regulations for Threatened Corals
NMFS is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register of July 15, 2025. The document designated critical habitat for five species of Indo-Pacific corals that are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As part of the final rule, NMFS added a section describing the critical habitat areas being designated and amended a table to cross-reference the newly added section for each of the five species. In amending the table, NMFS inadvertently used the incorrect section number as the cross-reference. This document corrects those errors.
Learn More🌊Critical Habitat Designations and Their Business Implications
We, NMFS, designate critical habitat for five threatened Indo- Pacific coral species, Acropora globiceps, A. retusa, A. speciosa, Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa (formerly Euphyllia paradivisa), and Isopora crateriformis, pursuant to section 4 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Final critical habitat includes 18 specific areas encompassing approximately 237 square kilometers (km\2\; 92 square miles, mi\2\) of marine habitat in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Pacific Remote Island Areas, and Hawai[revaps]i. We have considered economic, national security, and other relevant impacts of the designations, but are not excluding any areas from the critical habitat designations due to anticipated impacts.
Learn More🐸Implications of Endangered Species Habitat Designation for Businesses
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce that we are reopening the comment period for the proposed rule to designate critical habitat for four distinct population segments (DPSs) of the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 760,071 acres (307,590 hectares) in California fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. Comments previously submitted on the proposed rule need not be resubmitted as they are already incorporated into the public record for the rulemaking action and will be fully considered in our development of the final rule.
Learn More🐟Designation of Critical Habitat for Bay-Delta Longfin Smelt
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to designate critical habitat for the San Francisco Bay-Delta distinct population segment (DPS) of the longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys), a fish species from the San Francisco Bay estuary in California, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 91,630 acres (37,082 hectares) in California fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. We also announce the availability of an economic analysis of the proposed designation of critical habitat for the species.
Learn More🐸Critical Habitat Designation for Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog in California
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to designate critical habitat for four distinct population segments (DPSs) of the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 760,071 acres (307,590 hectares) in California fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. We also announce the availability of an economic analysis of the proposed designation of critical habitat for four DPSs.
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