The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) determines endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for the black-capped petrel ( Pterodroma hasitata), a pelagic seabird species that nests on the island of Hispaniola and spends the rest of its life at sea. The species forages in high concentration off the coast of North Carolina; however, the marine range extends across much of the western Atlantic (Nova Scotia to Venezuela) and into the Caribbean Sea and northern Gulf of Mexico. This rule extends the protections of the Act to the black-capped petrel. This rule is effective 29 January 2024. POC is Jose Cruz-Burgos, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, USFWS, Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, tele: 786-244-0081 email: Caribbean_es@fws.gov.
(Federal Register 28 December 2023 [Rule] Pages 89611-89626)