[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 44 (Friday, March 6, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11220-11221]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-5835]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 030298B]
Endangered Species; Permits
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Receipt of applications for a scientific research permit (1122,
1137) and modifications to permits 948 and 994.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management,
Roseburg District Office at Roseburg, OR (BLM) (1122) and the Fish
Ecology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NMFS at Seattle,
WA (NWFSC) (1137) have applied in due form for permits; and that the
Northern Wasco County People's Utility District at The Dalles, OR
(NWCPUD) (948) and the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research
Unit at Moscow, ID (ICFWRU) (994) have applied in due form for
modifications to permits that would authorize takes of listed species
for the purpose of scientific research.
DATES: Written comments or requests for a public hearing on these
applications must be received on or before April 6, 1998.
ADDRESSES: The applications and related documents are available for
review in the following offices, by appointment:
Protected Resources Division (PRD), F/NWO3, NMFS, 525 NE Oregon
Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-4169 (503-230-5400).
Office of Protected Resources, F/PR3, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226 (301-713-1401); and
Written comments or requests for a public hearing should be
submitted to the Chief, PRD, Portland.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For permit 1122 - Tom Lichatowich, PRD
(503-230-5438);
For permits 1137, 948, and 994 - Robert Koch, PRD (503-230-5424).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BLM (1122) and NWFSC (1137) request permits;
and NWCPUD (948) and ICFWRU (994) request modifications to permits
under the authority of section 10 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(ESA) (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543) and the NMFS regulations governing ESA-
listed fish and wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 217-227).
BLM (1122) requests a five-year permit for an annual direct take of
juvenile, endangered, Umpqua River cutthroat trout (URCT) Oncorhynchus
clarki clarki associated with a research project designed to determine
sub-basin contribution to the migratory population. This information
will benefit wild populations by identifying important habitat areas
where restoration efforts will have the most impact. BLM proposes to
use screw traps to estimate abundance from selected sub-basins and will
radio-tag up to 20 of the fish captured in each sub-basin to determine
whether the fish are resident, fluvial, or anadromous. The proposal
will concentrate on Canton, Rock, Calapooya and Myrtle Creeks as well
as Little River of the Umpqua River during the outmigration period of
March through June. URCT will be captured, anesthetized, handled
(measured, tagged, marked as appropriate) and allowed to recover before
release. ESA-listed juvenile fish
[[Page 11221]]
indirect mortalities associated with the scientific research activities
are also requested.
NWFSC (1137) requests a one-year scientific research permit for
takes of juvenile, endangered, Snake River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus
nerka); juvenile, threatened, naturally produced and artificially
propagated, Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus
tshawytscha); juvenile, threatened, Snake River fall chinook salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha); juvenile, endangered, naturally produced
and artificially propagated, upper Columbia River steelhead
(Oncorhynchus mykiss); juvenile, threatened, Snake River steelhead
(Oncorhynchus mykiss); and juvenile lower Columbia River steelhead
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) (currently proposed as threatened) associated
with four scientific research studies at hydropower dams on the Snake
and Columbia Rivers in the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of the four
studies are: (Study 1) to evaluate a prototype fish separator at Ice
Harbor Dam; (Study 2) to establish biological design criteria for fish
passage facilities at McNary Dam; (Study 3) to evaluate vertical
barrier screens, outlet flow control devices, and methods of debris
control at McNary and Little Goose Dams; and (Study 4) to evaluate
extended-length bar screens at the first powerhouse of Bonneville Dam.
ESA-listed juvenile fish would be captured, handled with some tagged
with passive integrated transponders, and released. The applicant
requests lethal take of ESA-listed juvenile fish, as well as indirect
mortalities of ESA-listed juvenile fish associated with the research
activities.
NWCPUD requests modification 2 to scientific research permit 948.
Permit 948 authorizes NWCPUD annual takes of juvenile, ESA-listed,
Snake River salmon 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 2, NWCPUD requests an annual take of
juvenile, endangered, naturally produced and artificially propagated,
upper Columbia River steelhead and juvenile, threatened, Snake River
steelhead associated with the research. ESA-listed juvenile steelhead
are proposed to be captured, handled, and released. ESA-listed juvenile
steelhead indirect mortalities associated with the research are also
requested. Modification 2 is requested to be valid for the duration of
the permit which expires on September 30, 1999.
ICFWRU requests modification 3 to scientific research permit 994.
Permit 994 authorizes ICFWRU annual takes of adult, ESA-listed, Snake
River salmon associated with a study designed to assess the passage
success of migrating adult salmonids at the four dams and reservoirs in
the lower Columbia River, evaluate adult fish responses to specific
flow and spill conditions, and evaluate measures to improve adult fish
passage. For modification 3, ICFWRU requests an increase in the take of
adult, threatened, Snake River spring/summer and fall chinook salmon
associated with the research. Also for modification 3, a new study is
proposed. The new study is designed to determine if adult salmon
successfully return to natal streams or hatcheries and if homing is
affected by mode of seaward migration (in-river versus transport). ESA-
listed adult salmon are proposed to be captured at Lower Granite Dam on
the Snake River, fitted with radio transmitters and identifier tags,
and released. Once returned to the river, ESA-listed adult fish will be
tracked electronically to hatcheries and spawning grounds. Modification
3 is requested to be valid for the duration of the permit which expires
on December 31, 2000.
To date, protective regulations for threatened Snake River
steelhead under section 4(d) of the ESA have not been promulgated by
NMFS. This notice of receipt of applications requesting takes of this
species is issued as a precaution in the event that NMFS issues
protective regulations that prohibit takes of Snake River steelhead.
The initiation of a 30-day public comment period on the applications,
including their proposed takes of Snake River steelhead, does not
presuppose the contents of the eventual protective regulations. To
date, a listing determination for lower Columbia River steelhead under
the ESA has not been promulgated by NMFS. This notice of receipt of an
application requesting a take of this species is issued as a precaution
in the event that NMFS issues a listing determination. The initiation
of a 30-day public comment period on the application, including its
proposed take of lower Columbia River steelhead, does not presuppose a
listing determination.
Those individuals requesting a hearing (see ADDRESSES) should set
out the specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be
appropriate. The holding of such hearing is at the discretion of the
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA. All statements and
opinions contained in this application summary are those of the
applicant and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMFS.
Dated: March 2, 1998.
Marta F. Nammack,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-5835 Filed 3-5-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
