Before the Secretary of Commerce Petition for Protective Regulations Under Section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act for the Conservation of Threatened Corals Pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus. Photo credit: NOAA Fisheries Center for Biological Diversity 20 February 2020 Notice of Petition Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20230 Email: [email protected], [email protected] Dr. Neil Jacobs, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20230 Email: [email protected] Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator NOAA Fisheries 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 Email: [email protected] Petitioner: Kristin Carden, Ph.D./J.D. Oceans Program Scientist, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity 1212 Broadway #800 Oakland, CA 94612 Phone: 510.844.7100 x327 Email: [email protected] Sarah Uhlemann Senior Attorney & International Program Director, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity 2400 NW 80th Street, #146 Seattle, WA 98117 Phone: (206) 324-2344 Email: [email protected] ii Pursuant to Section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA, Act), 16 U.S.C. § 1533(d), 50 C.F.R. § 424.10, and Section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 553(e), the Center for Biological Diversity (Center) hereby petitions the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), to promulgate a rule under Section 4(d) of the ESA to provide for the conservation of the 20 threatened coral species listed under the ESA on 10 September 2014. (See 79 Fed. Reg. 53852 (Sept. 10, 2014).) Specifically, the Center urges NMFS to extend all prohibitions of ESA Section 9 (with limited exceptions to promote science and restoration as provided in ESA Section 10) to and promulgate additional protective regulations needed for survival and recovery of the listed corals. Upon receipt and review of this petition, the Center requests that NMFS make specific findings as to whether, for the 20 listed coral species: (1) protective regulations are necessary and advisable, and (2) the specific regulations proposed herein are necessary and advisable. We petition NMFS to issue regulations addressing the following: extension of ESA Section 9 prohibitions; trade; disease; habitat degradation; fishing; water pollution; and greenhouse gas emissions (specifically as they affect ocean warming and acidification). The Center is a non-profit, public interest environmental organization dedicated to the protection of native species and their habitats through science, policy, and environmental law. The Center has more than 1.7 million members and online activists throughout the United States and internationally. The Center and its members are concerned with the conservation of endangered species and the effective implementation of the ESA. Respectfully submitted this 20th day of February, 2020. iii Table of Contents I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 A. Regulatory History ........................................................................................................... 1 B. Threats Facing Coral Reef Ecosystems in General ......................................................... 1 i. Climate Change ................................................................................................................ 1 ii. Coral Collection and Trade ........................................................................................... 3 C. Threats Facing the 20 Listed Coral Species .................................................................... 5 II. Section 9 Protections for the Listed Corals: Basis, Rationale, and Proposed Content ........... 8 A. Section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act Requires Regulations that Ensure the Survival and Recovery of Listed Species, Including Section 9 Protections ................................ 8 i. Section 9 Protections Are Necessary and Advisable for the Listed Corals’ Conservation 9 ii. Existing Regulatory Mechanisms Are Inadequate to Protect the Listed Corals from Threats Covered by Section 9 ............................................................................................... 10 B. Proposed Section 9 Prohibitions for the Listed Corals .................................................. 11 III. Additional Protections Are Necessary and Advisable for the Listed Corals’ Survival and Recovery ....................................................................................................................................... 12 A. The 4(d) Rule Should Reflect and Integrate the Best Available Science to Effectively Mitigate Key Threats to the Listed Coral Species .................................................................... 12 i. Caribbean Corals ............................................................................................................ 13 ii. Indo-Pacific Corals ..................................................................................................... 13 B. Proposed Content of Additional Protective Regulations: Local Stressors .................... 13 C. Proposed Content of Additional Protective Regulations: Climate Change ................... 14 IV. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 15 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................. 16 Appendix A: LEMIS Data ............................................................................................................... Appendix B: Proposed Regulatory Language .................................................................................. iv I. Introduction A. Regulatory History On 10 September 2014, NMFS published a final rule listing 20 coral species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, including five Caribbean coral species (Dendrogyra cylindrus, Orbicella annularis, Orbicella faveolata, Orbicella franksi, and Mycetophyllia ferox) and fifteen Indo-Pacific coral species (Acropora globiceps, Acropora jacquelineae, Acropora lokani, Acropora pharaonis, Acropora retusa, Acropora rudis, Acropora speciosa, Acropora tenella, Anacropora spinosa, Euphyllia paradivisa, Isopora crateriformis, Montipora australiensis, Pavona diffluens, Porites napopora, and Seriatopora aculeata). (79 Fed. Reg. 53852 (Sept. 10, 2014).) NMFS determined that the most important threats contributing to extinction risk for these species are ocean warming, disease (as related to climate change), and ocean acidification. (See id.) NMFS stated that “these impacts are currently occurring, and are expected to worsen, posing increasingly severe effects on the species considered in this final rule.” (Id.) On 13 January 2015 the agency solicited public comment on its notice of proposed rulemaking for protective regulations for these coral species under section 4(d) of the ESA. (80 Fed. Reg. 1616 (Jan. 13, 2015).) NMFS has yet to take further action on the promulgation of these regulations. The threats facing these species continue unabated, and a 4(d) rule is needed more urgently than ever. To ensure the 20 listed corals species are protected from climate change, trade, and the myriad local threats imperiling their survival and recovery, the Center submits this petition requesting that NMFS promulgate for their protection a 4(d) rule under the ESA. The Center requests that this rule extend all ESA Section 9 prohibitions (including prohibitions on import, export, take, and all commercial activities, with limited exceptions for scientific and restoration activities that benefit the corals’ survival and recovery) and provide additional protective regulations that address, inter alia, the threat posed to the corals by greenhouse gas pollution. B. Threats Facing Coral Reef Ecosystems in General i. Climate Change As NMFS determined in its final listing rule, climate change underlies three primary existential threats facing these 20 coral species: ocean warming, disease, and ocean acidification. Ocean warming and acidification caused by greenhouse gas pollution are wreaking havoc on reef ecosystems worldwide. The world’s oceans have absorbed more than 90 percent of the excess heat caused by climate change, resulting in average sea surface warming of 0.7°C (1.3°F) per century since 1900. (USGCRP 2017). Global average sea surface temperature is projected to rise by 2.7°C (4.9°F) by the end of the century under a higher emissions scenario. (USGCRP 2017). In addition, climate change contributes to marine heat waves—periods of extreme warm surface temperatures—which have become longer-lasting and more frequent in recent decades. The number of heat wave days doubled between 1982 and 2016 and is projected to increase 23 times under 2°C warming. (Frolicher et al. 2018). At present, 87 percent of marine heat waves are attributable to human-induced warming. (Id.) 1 Scientific research definitively links anthropogenic ocean warming to the catastrophic, mass coral bleaching events that have been documented since 1980 and are increasing in frequency alongside increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. (Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2007; Donner et al. 2009; Eakin et al. 2010; NMFS 2015; Hughes et al. 2017;