BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE PETITION TO LIST 43 CORAL SPECIES UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT A shortspine thornyhead and a golden king crab rest on a bedrock ledge colonized by hydrocorals and gorgonians at a depth of 727 meters in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Source: Robert P. Stone (NOAA) 2005. SUBMITTED AUGUST 20, 2012 NOTICE OF PETITION Rebecca M. Blank Acting Secretary of Commerce U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Ave, NW Washington, D.C. 20230 Email: [email protected] Dr. Richard Merrick NOAA Fisheries Service Partnerships & Communications 1315 East West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 Ph: (301) 427-8000 Email: [email protected] PETITIONER The Center for Biological Diversity PO Box 100599 Anchorage, AK 99510-0599 Ph: (907) 274-1110 Fax: (907) 258-6177 Date: August 20, 2012 Kiersten Lippmann Center for Biological Diversity Pursuant to Section 4(b) of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), 16 § 1533(b), Section 553(3) of the Administrative Procedures Act, 5 U.S.C. § 533(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 43 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 approximately 39,000 members, and over 378,000 members and online activists 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 petitions 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 43 coral species as threatened or 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 43 coral species covered by this Petition are as follows: 1. Arthrogorgia otsukai 31. Errinopora nanneca 2. Arthrogorgia utinomii 32. Errinopora undulate 3. Fanellia compressa 33. Errinopora zarhyncha 4. Fanellia fraseri 34. Stylaster trachystomus 5. Narella abyssalis 35. Stylaster brochi 6. Narella alaskensis 36. Stylaster alaskanus 7. Narella arbuscula 37. Stylaster leptostylus 8. Narella bayeri 38. Stylaster campylecus 9. Narella cristata 39. Stylaster crassiseptum 10. Plumarella aleutiana 40. Stylaster parageus parageus 11. Plumarella echinata 41. Stylaster repandus 12. Plumarella hapala 42. Stylaster stejnegeri 13. Plumarella nuttingi 43. Distochopora borealis 14. Plumarella profunda 15. Plumarella robusta 16. Plumarella spicata 17. Plumarella superba 18. Primnoa pacifica var. willeyi 19. Primnoa wingi 20. Thouarella cristata 21. Thouarella trilineata 22. Alaskagorgia aleutiana 23. Cryogorgia koolsae 24. Cavernularia vansyoci 25. Swiftia beringi 26. Crypthelia trophostega 27. Cyclohelia lamellata 28. Errinopora dichotoma 29. Errinopora disticha 30. Errinopora fisheri iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary............................................................................................................ 1 I: Natural History and Biology of Alaskan Cold Water Coral Species .............................. 5 I. Introduction to Cold water Corals ............................................................................... 5 2. Overview of Cold Water Corals of Alaska................................................................. 7 a. History of Research on Alaskan Cold Water Corals............................................... 8 b. Taxonomy ............................................................................................................. 10 c. Range, Distribution, and Habitat Associations ..................................................... 11 Aleutian Islands .................................................................................................... 12 Coral Gardens ................................................................................................... 13 Gulf of Alaska....................................................................................................... 14 Gulf of Alaska Seamounts ................................................................................ 15 Bering Sea and Arctic ........................................................................................... 15 Bering Sea Canyons (Zhemchug and Pribolof) .................................................... 16 d. Life History, Reproduction, Nutrition, and Growth ............................................. 16 i. Reproduction...................................................................................................... 17 ii. Nutrition............................................................................................................ 18 iii. Calcification, Growth, and Repair................................................................... 19 iv. Longevity......................................................................................................... 21 e. Species Associations ............................................................................................. 21 f. Value for medicinal use and as historical archives................................................ 25 II. Natural History and Status of Petitioned Corals of Alaska.......................................... 26 A. Overview of Taxonomy of the Petitioned Corals .................................................... 26 B. Overview of the Distribution of the Petitioned Corals............................................. 26 C. Species Accounts...................................................................................................... 27 1. Class Anthozoa................................................................................................. 27 Subclass Octocorallia or Alcyonaria (soft corals) ................................................ 27 Order Gorgonacea (sea fans) ................................................................................ 29 Family Primnoidae............................................................................................ 29 Arthrogorgia otsukai ..................................................................................... 31 Arthrogorgia utinomii ................................................................................... 32 Fanellia compressa........................................................................................ 33 Fanellia fraseri .............................................................................................. 34 Narella abyssalis ........................................................................................... 35 Narella alaskensis.......................................................................................... 36 Narella arbuscula .......................................................................................... 37 Narella bayeri................................................................................................ 38 Narella cristata .............................................................................................. 39 Plumarella aleutiana...................................................................................... 40 Plumarella echinata....................................................................................... 41 Plumarella hapala.......................................................................................... 42 Plumarella nuttingi........................................................................................ 43 Plumarella profunda...................................................................................... 44 Plumarella robusta ........................................................................................ 45 Plumarella spicata ......................................................................................... 46 iv Plumarella superba........................................................................................ 47 Primnoa pacifica var. willeyi ........................................................................ 48 Primnoa wingi............................................................................................... 49 Thouarella cristata......................................................................................... 51 Thouarella trilineata.....................................................................................