The US National Marine Fisheries Service has announced plans to hold a pair of hearings related to its proposed rule to apply protective regulations to the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) under the Endangered Species Act.
One hearing will be held in person while the second one will take place online.
The in-person public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, August 20th, 2024, at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. HST, the informational meeting will begin at 6 p.m. HST, and the public hearing will begin at 7 p.m. HST.
The virtual hearing is scheduled for the following times and date:
- Samoa Standard Time Zone: the informational meeting will begin on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 7 p.m. SST, and the public hearing will begin at 8 p.m. SST.
- Hawaii Standard Time Zone: the informational meeting will begin on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 8 p.m. HST, and the public hearing will begin at 9 p.m. HST.
- Chamorro Standard Time Zone: the informational meeting will begin on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at 4 p.m. ChST, and the public hearing will begin at 5 p.m. ChST.
Comments on the proposed rule are due no later than September 15th, 2024.
For more info about the hearings and to access the proposed rule, check out the NMFS announcement.
