[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 28 (Thursday, February 11, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6880-6882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-3430]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 020499A]
Endangered Species; Permits
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Receipt of applications for scientific research permits (1194,
1195, 1196) and modifications to scientific research permits (948, 998,
1036); Issuance of scientific research permits (1181, 1183, 1184) and
modifications to scientific research permits (895, 1124).
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following actions regarding
permits for takes of endangered and threatened species for the purposes
of scientific research and/or enhancement: NMFS has received permit
applications from: NMFS, Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle,
WA (NWFSC)(1194), U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research
Station in Corvallis, OR (USFS)(1195), and Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife in Olympia, WA (WDFW)(1196); NMFS has received
applications for modifications to existing permits from: Northern Wasco
County People's Utility District in The Dalles, OR (NWCPUD)(948),
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Fort Hall, ID (SBT)(998), and U.S.
Geological Survey in Cook, WA (USGS) (1036); NMFS has issued permits
to: Mendocino Redwood Company (MRC)(1181), Ross N. Taylor (RNT)(1183),
and Garcia and Associates (GAA)(1184); and NMFS has issued
modifications to scientific research permits to: U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Walla Walla District at Walla Walla, WA (Corps) (895) and
Idaho Department of Fish and Game at Boise, ID (IDFG)(1124).
DATES: Written comments or requests for a public hearing on any of the
applications must be received on or before March 15, 1999.
ADDRESSES: The applications and related documents are available for
review in the following offices, by appointment:
For permits 895, 948, 998, 1036, 1124, 1194, 1195, and 1196:
Protected Resources Division, F/NWO3, 525 NE Oregon Street, Suite 500,
Portland, OR 97232-4169 (503-230-5400).
For permits 1181, 1183, and 1184: Protected Species Division, NMFS,
777 Sonoma Avenue, Room 325, Santa Rosa, CA 95404-6528 (707-575-6066).
All documents may also be reviewed by appointment in the Office of
Protected Resources, F/PR3, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver
Spring, MD 20910-3226 (301-713-1401).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For permits 895, 948, 998, 1036, 1124, 1194, 1195, and 1196: Leslie
Schaeffer, Portland, OR (503-230-5433).
For permits 1181, 1183, and 1184: Dan Logan, Protected Resources
Division, Santa Rosa, CA (707-575-6066).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority
Issuance of permits and permit modifications, as required by the
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. Permits and modifications are issued in accordance with and are
subject to parts 217-222 of Title 50 CFR, the NMFS regulations
governing listed species permits.
Species Covered in this Notice
The following species and evolutionarily significant units (ESUs)
are covered in this notice:
[[Page 6881]]
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): Snake River (SnR)
spring/summer, SnR fall, Upper Columbia River (UCR) spring
Coho salmon (O. kisutch): Central California coast (CCC), southern
Oregon/northern California coast (SONCC)
Sockeye salmon (O. nerka): SnR
Steelhead trout (O. mykiss): UCR, SnR, southern California coast
(SCC)
To date, neither a listing determination for UCR spring chinook
salmon under the ESA, nor protective regulations for threatened SnR
steelhead under section 4(d) of the ESA have been promulgated by NMFS.
This notice of receipt of applications requesting takes of these
species is issued as a precaution in the event that NMFS issues an UCR
spring chinook salmon listing determination and/or SnR steelhead
protective regulations. The initiation of a 30-day public comment
period on the applications, including their proposed takes of UCR
spring chinook salmon and/or SnR steelhead, does not presuppose a
listing determination or the contents of the eventual protective
regulations, respectively.
New Applications Received
NWFSC (1194) requests a 5-year permit that would authorize annual
direct takes of adult, threatened, artificially propagated, SnR spring/
summer chinook salmon and adult, endangered, artificially propagated,
UCR steelhead associated with an evaluation of passive integrated
transponder (PIT) tag interrogation systems at Bonneville Dam on the
lower Columbia River. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the
ability of the prototype PIT-tag detection systems to detect PIT-tagged
adult salmon passing through the facility, and evaluate the effects of
the detection systems on adult behavior as they approach and pass
through the system. ESA-listed fish are proposed to be captured, tagged
with PIT and Peterson disk tags, released in the adult ladder below the
detection systems, and allowed to volitionally pass to the main adult
fish ladder. ESA-listed adult fish indirect mortalities are also
requested.
USFS (1195) requests a 5-year permit that would authorize annual
direct takes of juvenile, threatened, SnR fall chinook salmon and
juvenile, threatened, SnR steelhead associated with a project designed
to answer questions about life history strategies and the contribution
of tributary production to overall steelhead abundance in the upper
Grande Ronde River Basin. The study objectives are to continue long-
term monitoring of steelhead smolt production in the Meadow Creek
Basin, to enumerate steelhead smolt production in McCoy Creek, and to
describe the range and interaction(s) of life-history strategies used
by steelhead in the Meadow Creek Basin. ESA-listed fish are proposed to
be captured, sampled for biological data and/or tagged or fin-clipped,
and released. A small percentage of fish will be released upstream and
recaptured to allow for calculation of trap efficiency. ESA-listed
juvenile fish indirect mortalities are also requested.
WDFW (1196) requests a 5-year permit that would authorize annual
direct takes of adult and juvenile, UCR spring chinook salmon. Takes of
UCR spring chinook salmon are requested in anticipation of a possible
listing decision of this species by NMFS. The program is intended to
supplement naturally spawning populations of UCR spring chinook salmon
and produce captive brood fish for stock preservation and recovery
purposes. For the supplementation program, adult UCR spring chinook
salmon are proposed to be collected for broodstock and spawned in a
hatchery. Progeny are proposed to be reared in artificial production
facilities and released into the Methow, Chewuch, Twisp, and Chiwawa
Rivers. For the captive broodstock program, UCR spring chinook are
proposed to be collected in the gamete, egg, fry, and/or smolt stage;
marked and/or tagged; reared to spawning adult stage; and spawned with
the resultant second generation of smolts released into the Methow,
Chewuch, Twisp, and Chiwawa Rivers. Adult and juvenile fish indirect
mortalities are also requested.
Modification Requests Received
NWCPUD requests modification 3 to permit 948, which authorizes
annual direct takes of juvenile, endangered, SnR sockeye salmon;
juvenile, threatened, naturally produced and artificially propagated,
SnR spring/summer chinook salmon; juvenile, threatened, SnR fall
chinook salmon; and juvenile, endangered, artificially propagated and
naturally produced, UCR steelhead associated with a study designed to
assess run of the river juvenile anadromous fish condition after
passage through the screened turbine intake channel at The Dalles Dam,
located on the Columbia River. For modification 3, NWCPUD requests
annual direct takes of juvenile UCR spring chinook salmon in
anticipation of a possible listing decision of this species by NMFS.
ESA-listed juvenile fish indirect mortalities are also requested.
Modification 3 is requested to be valid for the duration of permit 948,
which expires on September 30, 1999.
SBT requests modification 2 to permit 998, which authorizes annual
direct takes of juvenile, endangered, SnR sockeye salmon and juvenile,
threatened, naturally produced, SnR spring/summer chinook salmon
associated with a study designed to evaluate smolt outmigration from
Pettit and Alturas Lakes in Idaho. For modification 2, SBT requests an
increased take of ESA-listed juvenile sockeye salmon for the purpose of
conducting mark/recapture studies and to evaluate downstream mortality
of the fish to the lower Snake River dams. ESA-listed juvenile sockeye
salmon are proposed to be captured, anesthetized, tagged with passive
integrated transponders, allowed to recover from the anesthetic,
released upstream of the trap, recaptured, inspected for tags, and
released. An associated increase in ESA-listed juvenile fish indirect
mortalities is also requested. Modification 2 is requested to be valid
for the duration of permit 998, which expires on December 31, 2000.
USGS requests modification 2 to permit 1036, which authorizes
annual direct takes of adult and juvenile, threatened, artificially
propagated and naturally produced, SnR spring/summer chinook salmon;
adult and juvenile, threatened, SnR fall chinook salmon; and adult and
juvenile, endangered, artificially propagated and naturally produced,
UCR steelhead associated with research designed to determine the post
release attributes and survival of hatchery and natural fall chinook
salmon in the Snake River. For modification 2, USGS requests annual
takes of adult and juvenile UCR spring chinook salmon in the Hanford
Reach of the Columbia River to predict the effects of reservoir
drawdown on juvenile salmonids and their predators in free-flowing
river reaches and to compare the effects with a similar study in the
Hells Canyon Reach of the Snake River. Takes of UCR spring chinook
salmon are requested in anticipation of a possible listing decision of
this species by NMFS. Also for modification 2, USGS requests takes of
ESA-listed juvenile fish associated with a change in the location of
fish sampling for a race and residualism study. ESA-listed juvenile
fish indirect mortalities are also requested. Modification 2 is
requested to be valid for the duration of permit 1036, which expires on
December 31, 2001.
Permits and Modifications Issued
Notice was published on October 28, 1998 (63 FR 57666), that an
application
[[Page 6882]]
had been filed by the Corps for modification 5 to enhancement permit
895. Modification 5 to permit 895 was issued to the Corps on January
28, 1999. Permit 895 authorizes the Corps annual direct takes of
juvenile, endangered, SnR sockeye salmon; juvenile, threatened,
naturally produced and artificially propagated, SnR spring/summer
chinook salmon; juvenile, threatened, SnR fall chinook salmon; and
juvenile, endangered, naturally produced and artificially propagated,
UCR steelhead associated with the operation of the Juvenile Fish
Transportation program at four hydroelectric projects on the Snake and
Columbia Rivers in the Pacific Northwest (Lower Granite, Little Goose,
Lower Monumental, and McNary Dams). Permit 895 also authorizes the
Corps annual incidental takes of adult salmonids associated with
fallbacks through the juvenile fish bypass systems at the four dams.
For modification 5, the Corps is authorized an increase in the annual
direct take of juvenile, threatened, SnR fall chinook salmon. An
associated increase in juvenile fall chinook salmon indirect
mortalities is also authorized. Modification 5 is valid for the
duration of the permit, which expires on December 31, 1999.
Notice was published on November 18, 1998 (63 FR 64064), that an
application had been filed by IDFG for modification 1 to scientific
research permit 1124. Modification 1 to permit 1124 was issued to IDFG
on January 28, 1999. Permit 1124 authorizes IDFG annual direct takes of
adult and juvenile, endangered, SnR sockeye salmon; adult and juvenile,
threatened, naturally produced and artificially propagated, SnR spring/
summer chinook salmon; and juvenile, threatened, SnR fall chinook
salmon associated with scientific research in the state of Idaho. For
modification 1, IDFG is authorized an increase in the annual direct
take of juvenile, threatened, naturally produced, SnR spring/summer
chinook salmon. IDFG underestimated parr production and emigration of
this species in 1998. Modification 1 is valid for the duration of the
permit, which expires on December 31,2002.
Notice was published on October 21, 1998 (63 FR 56148), that an
application had been filed by MRC for a scientific research permit.
Permit 1181 was issued to MRC on January 28, 1999, and authorizes takes
of adult and juvenile, threatened, CCC coho salmon associated with fish
population and habitat studies on MRC properties within the CCC ESU.
ESA-listed fish may be observed or captured, anesthetized, handled,
allowed to recover from the anesthetic, and released. Indirect
mortalities are also authorized. Permit 1181 expires on June 30, 2004.
Notice was published on October 21, 1998 (63 FR 56148), that an
application had been filed by RNT for a scientific research permit.
Permit 1183 was issued to RNT on February 2, 1999. Permit 1183
authorizes RNT takes of adult and juvenile, threatened, CCC and SONCC
coho salmon in California, associated with fish population and habitat
studies in the coastal stream drainages within the ESUs. ESA-listed
fish will be captured, anesthetized, handled, allowed to recover from
the anesthetic, and released. ESA-listed salmon indirect mortalities
associated with the research are also authorized. Permit 1183 expires
on June 30, 2004.
Notice was published on November 18, 1998 (63 FR 64063), that an
application had been filed by GAA for a scientific research permit.
Permit 1184 was issued to GAA on February 2, 1999. Permit 1184
authorizes takes of adult and juvenile, threatened, CCC coho salmon,
and adult and juvenile, endangered, SCC steelhead associated with fish
population and habitat studies throughout these ESUs. ESA-listed fish
may be observed or captured, anesthetized, handled, allowed to recover
from the anesthetic, and released. Indirect mortalities are also
authorized. Additionally, fish rescue operations may be authorized by
NMFS on a case-by-case basis. Permit 1184 expires on June 30, 2004.
Dated: February 5, 1999.
Kevin Collins,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-3430 Filed 2-10-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
