BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE PETITION TO LIST 83 CORAL SPECIES UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT Blue rice coral photo © Keoki Stender Submitted October 20, 2009 NOTICE OF PETITION Gary Locke Secretary of Commerce U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room 5516 Washington, D.C. 20230 E-mail: [email protected] James Balsiger, Acting Director NOAA Fisheries National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration 1315 East-West Highway Silver Springs, MD 20910 E-mail: [email protected] PETITIONER The Center for Biological Diversity 351 California Street, Suite 600 San Francisco, CA 94104 ph: (415) 436-9682 fax: (415) 436-9683 Date: October 20, 2009 Miyoko Sakashita Shaye Wolf Center for Biological Diversity Pursuant to Section 4(b) of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), 16 U.S.C. §1533(b), Section 553(3) of the Administrative Procedures Act, 5 U.S.C. § 553(e), and 50 C.F.R. §424.14(a), the Center for Biological Diversity (“Petitioner”) hereby petitions the Secretary of Commerce and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”), through the National Marine Fisheries Service (“NMFS” or “NOAA Fisheries”), to list 83 coral species and to designate critical habitat to ensure their survival and recovery. The Center for Biological Diversity (“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 over 43,000 members throughout the United States and internationally. The Center and its members are concerned with the conservation of endangered species, including coral species, and the effective implementation of the ESA. ii NMFS has jurisdiction over this petition. This petition sets in motion a specific process, placing definite response requirements on NMFS. Specifically, NMFS must issue an initial finding as to whether the petition “presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.” 16 U.S.C. §1533(b)(3)(A). NMFS must make this initial finding “[t]o the maximum extent practicable, within 90 days after receiving the petition.” Id. Petitioner needs not demonstrate that the petitioned action is warranted, rather, Petitioner must only present information demonstrating that such action may be warranted. While Petitioner believes that the best available science demonstrates that listing the 83 coral species as endangered is in fact warranted, there can be no reasonable dispute that the available information indicates that listing these species as either threatened or endangered may be warranted. As such, NMFS must promptly make a positive initial finding on the petition and commence a status review as required by 16 U.S.C. § 1533(b)(3)(B). The 83 coral species covered by this Petition are as follows: Acanthastrea brevis Alveopora fenestrata Montipora caliculata Acanthastrea hemprichii Alveopora verrilliana Montipora dilatata Acanthastrea ishigakiensis Anacropora puertogalerae Montipora flabellata Acanthastrea regularis Anacropora spinosa Montipora lobulata Acropora aculeus Astreopora cucullata Montipora patula Acropora acuminata Barabattoia laddi Mycetophyllia ferox Acropora aspera Caulastrea echinulata Oculina varicosa Acropora dendrum Cyphastrea agassizi Pachyseris rugosa Acropora donei Cyphastrea ocellina Pavona bipartita Acropora globiceps Dendrogyra cylindrus Pavona cactus Acropora horrida Dichocoenia stokesii Pavona decussata Acropora jacquelineae Euphyllia cristata Pavona diffluens Acropora listeri Euphyllia paraancora Pavona venosa Acropora lokani Euphyllia paradivisa Pectinia alcicornis Acropora microclados Galaxea astreata Physogyra lichtensteini Acropora palmerae Heliopora coerulea Pocillopora danae Acropora paniculata Isopora crateriformis Pocillopora elegans Acropora pharaonis Isopora cuneata Porites horizontalata Acropora polystoma Leptoseris incrustans Porites napopora Acropora retusa Leptoseris yabei Porites nigrescens Acropora rudis Millepora foveolata Porites pukoensis Acropora speciosa Millepora tuberosa Psammocora stellata Acropora striata Montastraea annularis Seriatopora aculeata Acropora tenella Montastraea faveolata Turbinaria mesenterina Acropora vaughani Montastraea franksi Turbinaria peltata Acropora verweyi Montipora angulata Turbinaria reniformis Agaricia lamarcki Montipora australiensis Turbinaria stellula Alveopora allingi Montipora calcarea Authors: Emily Brown and Shaye Wolf, Center for Biological Diversity iii TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 2 PART ONE: NATURAL HISTORY AND STATUS OF PETIONTED CORAL SPECIES 5 I. BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO CORALS ........................................................................... 5 II. NATURAL HISTORY AND STATUS OF PETITONED CORAL SPECIES IN THE CARIBBEAN............................................................................................................................. 7 A. SPECIES ACCOUNTS.................................................................................................... 7 1. FAMILY: AGARICIDAE........................................................................................... 7 Agaricia lamarcki (Lamarck's Sheet Coral) ............................................................... 7 2. FAMILY: FAVIIDAE ................................................................................................. 8 Montastraea annularis (Boulder Star Coral) .............................................................. 9 Montastraea faveolata (Mountainous Star Coral).................................................... 10 Montastraea franksi..................................................................................................... 11 3. FAMILY: MEANDRINIDAE................................................................................... 11 Dendrogyra cylindrus (Pillar Coral) .......................................................................... 11 Dichocoenia stokesii (Elliptical Star Coral or Pineapple Coral)............................. 12 4. FAMILY: MUSSIDAE.............................................................................................. 13 Mycetophyllia ferox (Rough Cactus Coral)............................................................... 14 5. FAMILY: OCULINIDAE......................................................................................... 15 Oculina varicosa (Large Ivory Coral, Ivory Bush Coral, Ivory Tree Coral)......... 15 B. STATUS OF CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS OF THE WIDER CARIBBEAN .... 16 1. US Caribbean Territories: Florida, Flower Garden Banks, Puerto Rico, Navassa, USVI................................................................................................................................. 19 2. Northern Caribbean and Western Atlantic: ............................................................ 20 Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos ............................................................................................................ 20 3. Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System: Belize, Mexican Yucatan, Honduras, Guatemala........................................................................................................................ 20 4. Lesser Antilles: The French West Indies, The Netherlands Antilles, Anguilla, Antigua, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago..................................................................... 20 5. Southern Tropical America: Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Venezuela......................................................................................................................... 21 III. NATURAL HISTORY AND STATUS OF PETITIONED CORAL SPECIES OF THE INDO-PACIFIC............................................................................................................. 21 A. SPECIES ACCOUNTS FOR CORALS OCCURING IN HAWAI’I ....................... 21 1. FAMILY: ACROPORIDAE..................................................................................... 21 Acropora paniculata (Fuzzy Table Coral)................................................................. 22 Montipora dilatata (Irregular Rice Coral or Hawaiian Reef Coral)....................... 23 Montipora flabellata (Blue Rice Coral)...................................................................... 24 Montipora patula (Sandpaper Rice Coral/Spreading Coral/Ringed Rice Coral).. 25 2. FAMILY: AGARICIDAE......................................................................................... 26 Leptoseris incrustans ................................................................................................... 26 3. FAMILY: PORITIDAE ............................................................................................ 27 Porites pukoensis.......................................................................................................... 27 iv 4. FAMILY: FAVIIDAE ............................................................................................... 28 Cyphastrea agassizi (Agassiz's Coral)........................................................................ 28 Cyphastrea ocellina (Ocellated Coral) ....................................................................... 29 5. FAMILY: SIDERASTREIDAE ............................................................................... 30 Psammocora stellata (Stellar Coral) .........................................................................