50 CFR Part 16 - INJURIOUS WILDLIFE

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is amending its regulations under the Lacey Act to add all species of salamanders from 20 genera, of which there are 201 species, to the list of injurious amphibians. With this interim rule, both importation into the United States and interstate transportation between States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or possession of the United States of any live or dead specimen, including parts, of these 20 genera of salamanders are prohibited, except by permit for zoological, educational, medical, or scientific purposes (in accordance with permit conditions) or by Federal agencies without a permit solely for their own use. This action is necessary to protect the interests of wildlife and wildlife resources from the introduction, establishment, and spread of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans into ecosystems of the United States. The fungus affects salamanders, with lethal effects on many species, and is not yet known to be found in the United States. Because of the devastating effect that we expect the fungus will have on native U.S. salamanders if introduced and, therefore, the need to act immediately to prevent the disease from being introduced into the United States, the Service is publishing this interim rule.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposes to amend its regulations to add to the list of injurious fish the following freshwater fish species: Crucian carp ( Carassius carassius ), Eurasian minnow ( Phoxinus phoxinus ), Prussian carp ( Carassius gibelio ), roach ( Rutilus rutilus ), stone moroko ( Pseudorasbora parva ), Nile perch ( Lates niloticus ), Amur sleeper ( Perccottus glenii ), European perch ( Perca fluviatilis ), zander ( Sander lucioperca ), and wels catfish ( Silurus glanis ). In addition, the Service also proposes to amend its regulations to add the freshwater crayfish species common yabby ( Cherax destructor ) to the list of injurious crustaceans. These listings would prohibit the importation of any live animal, gamete, viable egg, or hybrid of these 10 fish and 1 crayfish into the United States, except as specifically authorized. These listings would also prohibit the interstate transportation of any live animal, gamete, viable egg, or hybrid of these 10 fish and 1 crayfish between the States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or possession of the United States, except as specifically authorized. As proposed, these species are injurious to human beings, to the interests of agriculture, or to wildlife or the wildlife resources of the United States, and the listing will prevent the purposeful or accidental introduction and subsequent establishment of these 10 fish and 1 crayfish into ecosystems of the United States. We are also making available for public review and comment the associated draft environmental assessment and draft economic analysis for this action.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or we) is amending its regulations under the Lacey Act to add reticulated python ( Python reticulatus ), DeSchauensee's anaconda ( Eunectes deschauenseei ), green anaconda ( Eunectes murinus ), and Beni anaconda ( Eunectes beniensis ) to the list of injurious wildlife. By this action, the importation into the United States and interstate transportation between States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or possession of the United States of any live animal, gamete, viable egg, or hybrid of these four constrictor snakes is prohibited, except by permit for zoological, educational, medical, or scientific purposes (in accordance with permit conditions) or by Federal agencies without a permit solely for their own use. The best available information indicates that this action is necessary to protect the interests of human beings, agriculture, wildlife, and wildlife resources from the purposeful or accidental introduction and subsequent establishment of these large nonnative constrictor snake populations into ecosystems of the United States. We are also withdrawing our proposal to add the boa constrictor ( Boa constrictor ) to the list of injurious wildlife.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are updating the addresses of our headquarters offices in our regulations. The Service will relocate its headquarters offices on July 28, 2014. We are taking this action to ensure regulated entities and the general public have accurate contact information for the Service's offices.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on the proposed rule published on March 12, 2010, which proposed to amend our regulations to add nine species of large constrictor snakes as injurious species under the Lacey Act. Because four of the nine species were added to the regulations in 2012, this reopening notice is restricted to the five remaining species: the reticulated python ( Broghammerus reticulatus or Python reticulatus ), DeSchauensee's anaconda ( Eunectes deschauenseei ), green anaconda ( Eunectes murinus ), Beni anaconda ( Eunectes beniensis ), and boa constrictor ( Boa constrictor ). If you have previously submitted comments on the proposed rule, please do not resubmit them because we have already incorporated them in the public record and will fully consider them in our final decision on these five species.