Petition Submitted to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) announced 90-day findings on two petitions to reclassify the West Indian manatee under the Endangered Species Act, finding that the petitions “present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted.” One petition, submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity, Harvard Law School Animal Law & Policy Clinic, Miami Waterkeeper, Save the Manatee Club, and Frank S. González García, seeks to reclassify the West Indian manatee and the Florida and Antillean manatee subspecies from threatened to endangered. The other petition, submitted by Julio C. Colón, requests that FWS list the Puerto Rico population of the Antillean manatee as an endangered distinct population segment of the West Indian manatee. FWS will be issuing a 12-month petition finding and will accept comments and new scientific and commercial data relating to the petitioned actions from the public.
[To accompany Case Law Update "FWS Announced 90-Day Findings on Potential ESA Uplisting of West Indian Manatees" from Brooks Animal Law Digest Issue No. 211]