[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 91 (Thursday, May 9, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21161-21162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-11549]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 050296A]
Endangered Species; Permits
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Issuance of permit 1001 (P606) and receipt of a notification of
withdrawal of a request for a permit (P45V).
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued a permit that
authorizes a take of an Endangered Species Act-listed species for the
purpose of scientific research/monitoring, subject to certain
conditions set forth therein, to the Contra Costa Water District at
Concord, CA (CCWD) and has received a notification of withdrawal of a
request for a scientific research/enhancement permit from the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service at Sacramento, CA (FWS).
ADDRESSES: The applications and related documents are available for
review in the following offices, by appointment:
Office of Protected Resources, F/PR8, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226 (301-713-1401); and
Environmental and Technical Services Division, 525 NE Oregon
Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-4169 (503-230-5400).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The permit was issued 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 217-222).
Notice was published on February 23, 1996 (61 FR 6975) that an
application had been filed by CCWD (P606) for a scientific research/
monitoring permit. Permit 1001 was issued to CCWD on April 26, 1996.
Permit 1001 authorizes CCWD a take of juvenile, endangered, Sacramento
River winter-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated
with monitoring the Mallard Slough pumping facility for the presence of
ESA-listed species in compliance with the California ESA requirements
provided by the California Department of Fish and Game. The monitoring
results will indicate the relative abundance of sensitive fish species
and allow CCWD to modify the operation of the Mallard Slough facility
as necessary to minimize potential entrainment losses. Permit 1001
expires on July 31, 2001.
[[Page 21162]]
Notice was published on November 27, 1995 (60 FR 58334) that an
application had been filed by FWS (P45V) for a scientific research/
enhancement permit. FWS applied for a scientific research/enhancement
permit to continue their authorization to take adult and juvenile,
endangered, Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus
tshawytscha) associated with supplementation hatchery programs and a
captive broodstock program, currently authorized under permit 747.
Permit 747, issued to FWS on August 8, 1991, was to expire on December
31, 1995 but was extended by two amendments (61 FR 346, January 4,
1996; 61 FR 16898, April 18, 1996) to expire on November 30, 1996. Due
to continued technical concerns with hybridization and imprinting
problems, NMFS was unable to complete the necessary actions required to
issue a new scientific research/enhancement permit to replace permit
747.
The amendments also established a moratorium on the collection of
adult ESA-listed fish for broodstock in 1996 to avoid compromising the
genetic integrity of the winter-run chinook salmon population due to
the hybridization problems and to avoid a significant drain on the 1996
spawning population if juveniles continue to imprint exclusively on
Battle Creek, where FWS's Coleman National Fish Hatchery is located,
rather than returning to the mainstem Sacramento River as intended.
NMFS has received notification that FWS would like to withdraw
their request for a scientific research/enhancement permit. Prior to
the expiration of permit 747, FWS will submit a new scientific
research/enhancement permit application that will fully discuss the
operational procedures to be implemented to correct the hybridization
and imprinting problems.
Issuance of the permit, as required by the ESA, was based on a
finding that the permit: (1) Was requested in good faith, (2) will not
operate to the disadvantage of the ESA-listed species that is the
subject of the permit, and (3) is consistent with the purposes and
policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA and the NMFS regulations
governing ESA-listed species permits.
Dated: May 2, 1996.
Margaret Lorenz,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-11549 Filed 5-8-96; 8:45 am]
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