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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 229 / Thursday, December 2, 2021 / Notices
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very few specimens have been seen in the past several years Conand pers.
comm. 2010 in Conand et al. 2013. In Mayotte, the species was reported to be observed less frequently in 2016 than in 2005, 2012, and 2015, however, we do not have reported density numbers Mulochau 2018; FAO 2019. Off the coast of Saudi Arabia, H. nobilis was not documented in 2004s harvested species but had been present in the harvest record from 19992003. However, in 2006 H. nobilis was observed at 3 of 18
surveyed sites along the coast of Saudi Arabia Hasan 2008; Hasan 2009. For Tanzania, there are anecdotal reports that H. nobilis once previously dominated the sea cucumber fishery, but now it is reported to comprise a very small percentage of the total catch Conand & Muthiga 2007. The abundance of H. nobilis in the Seychelles is reported to be stable Conand et al. 2013; FAO 2019; CITES
2019.
Adult density is critical to the species persistence because the species needs a sufficient density to successfully reproduce Conand & Muthiga 2007;
Purcell et al. 2010; Purcell et al. 2011.
However, due to the limited speciesspecific information on H. nobilis throughout its range it is not possible to determine whether current densities are adequate to allow for successful reproduction. Research is required to determine minimum population densities for positive rates of population growth Friedman et al. 2011. Overall, while some quantitative data are available, the abundance and density trends of H. nobilis across their range are poorly understood.
Productivity Teatfish generally exhibit low natural mortality rates, low to moderate population growth rates, and variable success of larval survival and recruitment, resulting in generally low productivity CITES 2019; FAO 2019.
While larger individuals may be considered highly fecund, teatfish experience high levels of larval mortality Uthicke, 2004; FAO 2019.
Additionally, successful reproduction is highly dependent on adult density Conand & Muthiga 2007; Purcell et al.
2010; Purcell et al. 2011. How productivity may affect the extinction risk of H. nobilis specifically is challenging to determine given the lack of species-specific information. As stated ealier, there have been documented abundance declines see Table 1 in MNFS 2021 in Chagos Saloman Atoll, Mayotte, Egypt Wadi Quny and Eel Gardens in the Gulf of Aqaba; however, divers have reported
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commonly seeing H. nobilis in Egypts waters as recently as 2019 FAO 2019.
The remaining 22 range countries do not have species-specific abundance or population growth data. While population declines due to overharvest could negatively affect the speciess reproduction and survival, we do not have the data to determine if this is currently affecting H. nobilis, as minimum population densities for successful reproduction have yet to be determined Purcell et al. 2011.
Spatial Structure/Connectivity H. nobilis has a relatively large range, occurring throughout the Indian Ocean, including along the east coast of Africa, the Red and Arabian Seas, the coastal waters of Madagascar and the west coast of India CITES 2019; Conand et al.
2013; Uthicke et al. 2004. While there have been reports of population declines, no widespread extirpations or a reduction of range have been reported.
Additionally, no information is available on the population structure of H. nobilis within its range or the connectivity of populations throughout its range. We considered using other species of teatfish as a reference for connectivity. Skillings et al. 2014, discussed the connectivity of H.
whitmaei and H. atra in the Hawaiian Islands and showed that species with similar range sizes do not predict relative dispersal ability. Both species appeared to share similar life history traits, similar minimum larval duration, occupy the same habitats, are both wide ranging, and are closely related, yet they did not have similar levels of population structuring based on analyses of their genetic data. Thus, differences in population structure may stem from subtle, species-specific differences in habitat usage, population size, or life history that also have large impacts on genetic structure Skillings et al 2014. Given these speciesdependent results, it would be inappropriate to use another species of teatfish as a proxy for determining if current spatial structure and connectivity of populations are contributing to the extinction risk of H.
nobilis.
Diversity We could not find any information regarding H. nobilis specific genetic diversity. Without any genetic analyses to determine diversity or effective population size, we are unable to conclude whether low genetic diversity is a threat contributing to the species risk of extinction.

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Summary of Demographic Risk Analysis In the Status Review Report the risk rating to the species for Abundance, Productivity, and Spatial Distribution/
Spatial Connectivity was unknown with a confidence rating of 1 and for Genetic Diversity the rated risk to the species was also unknown with a confidence rating of 0. Thus, we conclude that, while H. nobilis will likly experience future reductions in abundance due to overutilization for international trade discussed in the Analysis of Section 4a1 Factors section, we are unable to reliably predict the biological or behavioral response of H. nobilis to this change, and we therefore do not have reliable information showing that the magnitude of this change could be sufficient to put the species in danger of extinction now or in the foreseeable future.
Analysis of Section 4a1 Factors The Present or Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment of Its Habitat or Range As described in the Status Review Report NMFS 2021, the available data do not provide us with an understanding of H. nobiliss habitat usage, thus, it is difficult to identify any specific present or future threats that may affect the features of the habitat on which the species relies. As an alternative, we focus our discussion in the Status Review Report on threats to coral reef habitat as a whole and while there is clear evidence that coral reefs i.e., H. nobilis habitat will undergo substantial changes due to impacts from ocean warming, acidification, and a variety of other threats, it is unclear whether and to what degree the changes in coral reef composition and ecological function will affect the extinction risk of this sea cucumber species throughout its range. While the habitat complexity provided by the morphological structure of many corals may change due to selective elimination of certain coral species, there is no information to suggest which features of the coral reef or species of coral H. nobilis may be dependent on. Consequently, it is difficult to predict how the loss of coral reef habitat or changes in coral reef composition will directly affect extinction risk for H. nobilis. We recognize that the changes in coral reef habitat predicted over the next several decades will likely negatively affect sea cucumber populations; but whether these impacts will significantly increase the extinction risk of H. nobilis is unclear. Thus, the rated risk to the species assigned in the Status Review
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