99-32779. Endangered Species; Permits

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 242 (Friday, December 17, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70697-70698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32779]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 120999I]


Endangered Species; Permits

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of applications for scientific research and enhancement 
permits (1224, 1225).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received an application 
for a scientific research permit from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at 
Cascade Locks, OR (COE) (1224), and an application for an enhancement 
permit from Mr. Bruce Hecker, of the South Carolina Aquarium (BH-SCA) 
(1225).

DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on the applications 
must be received at the appropriate address or fax number no later than 
5:00pm eastern standard time on January 18, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the applications should be sent to the 
appropriate office as indicated below. Comments may also be sent via 
fax to the number indicated for the application. Comments will not be 
accepted if submitted via e-mail or the internet. The applications and 
related documents are available for review in the indicated office, by 
appointment:
    For permit 1224: Protected Resources Division, F/NWO3, 525 NE 
Oregon Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-2737 (ph: 503-230-5400, 
fax: [phone]).
    For permit 1225: Office of Protected Resources, Endangered Species 
Division, F/PR3, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (ph: 
301-713-1401, fax: [phone]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    For permit 1224: Leslie Schaeffer, Portland, OR (ph: 503-230-5433, 
fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]).
    For permit 1225: Terri Jordan, Silver Spring, MD (ph: 301-713-1401, 
fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

    Issuance of permits and permit modifications, as required by the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543) (ESA), is based on 
a finding that such permits/modifications: (1) Are applied for in good 
faith; (2) would not operate to the disadvantage of the listed species 
which are the subject of the permits; and (3) are consistent with the 
purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA. Authority to 
take listed species is subject to conditions set forth in the permits. 
Permits and modifications are issued in accordance with and are subject 
to the ESA and NMFS regulations governing listed fish and wildlife 
permits (50 CFR parts 222-226).
    Those individuals requesting a hearing on an application listed in 
this notice should set out the specific reasons why a hearing on that 
application would be appropriate (see ADDRESSES). The holding of such 
hearing is at the discretion of the Assistant Administrator for 
Fisheries, NOAA. All statements and opinions contained in the permit 
action summaries are those of the applicant and do not necessarily 
reflect the views of NMFS.

Species Covered in this Notice

    The following species and evolutionarily significant units (ESU's) 
are covered in this notice:
    Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss): Threatened Snake River (SnR), 
threatened lower Columbia River (LCR), threatened middle Columbia River 
(MCR), endangered upper Columbia River (UCR).
    Endangered shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum).
    To date, protective regulations for threatened SnR, LCR, and MCR 
steelhead under section 4(d) of the ESA have not been promulgated by 
NMFS. This notice of receipt of an application requesting takes of 
these species is issued as a precaution in the event that NMFS issues 
protective regulations. The initiation of a 30-day public comment 
period on the application, including its proposed takes of LCR 
steelhead, SnR steelhead, and MCR steelhead, does not presuppose the 
contents of the eventual protective regulations.

New Applications Received

    COE (1224) requests a 5-year scientific research permit to 
authorize annual takes of SnR steelhead kelts; LCR steelhead kelts, MCR 
steelhead kelts, and naturally produced and artificially propagated, 
UCR steelhead kelts associated with research designed to evaluate the 
survival, travel times and passage routes of adult steelhead that have 
spawned and are emigrating past John Day, The Dalles, and Bonneville 
Dams on the Columbia River on their migration back to the Pacific 
Ocean. Fish will be obtained from Smolt Monitoring Personnel at 
sampling facilities at John Day and McNary Dams on the Columbia River 
and from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel at Powerdale 
Dam on the Hood River, anesthetized, sampled for length, fin condition 
and descaling percentages and tagged with passive integrated 
transponder, radio and/or visual implant tags, and released or 
transported to a location either above or below Bonneville Dam and 
released. Indirect mortalities are requested as part of this research.
    BH-SCA (1225) requests a 5-year enhancement permit to maintain a 
population of up to eight juvenile shortnose sturgeon in a captive 
environment for educational purposes. This application meets Recovery 
Task 2.5 C concerning public education and raising public awareness of 
sturgeon

[[Page 70698]]

issues. The aquarium proposes to present the fish in a manner that will 
enhance the conservation of the species through public education.

    Dated: December 13, 1999.
Wanda L. Cain,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-32779 Filed 12-16-99; 8:45 am]
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