Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Withdrawal of Proposed Rule To Remove the Northern Populations of the Tidewater Goby From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

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We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), withdraw the proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on June 24, 1999, to remove the northern populations of tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife and the concurrent proposal to keep listed as endangered a distinct population segment (DPS) of tidewater goby in Orange and San Diego Counties, CA. The tidewater goby will remain listed throughout its range as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Our withdrawal is based on comments and additional information received from the public, the scientific community, industry, other concerned governmental agencies, and other parties interested in the proposed delisting rule. We are convinced by the information provided by the scientific community that our assessment of the importance of new tidewater goby populations and the recolonization ability of the tidewater goby in the proposed delisting rule were premature. We agree with a number of the commenters that it is prudent to wait and assess the persistence of these populations for a longer period of time. Withdrawing the delisting propo