[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 166 (Monday, August 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 43737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21710]
[[Page 43737]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 081996A]
Marine Mammals; Pinniped Removal Authority
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Public Meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces a public meeting of the Pinniped-Fishery
Interaction Task Force (Task Force) on the sea lion/steelhead conflict
at the Ballard Locks. The Task Force is meeting to review the available
information from the 1996 winter steelhead run and evaluate the
effectiveness of the permitted intentional lethal taking of
individually identified pinnipeds or alternative actions that were
implemented. Following its evaluation, the Task Force may recommend
additional actions that it believes to be necessary for the elimination
of the problem interaction.
DATES: The public meeting of the Task Force is scheduled for September
16-17, 1996, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
ADDRESSES: The Task Force meeting will be held in the Snoqualmie Room
at the Marriott Hotel, 3201 S. 176th St., Seattle, WA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Scordino, 206-526-6140.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Task Force was formed pursuant to section
120 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in 1994 to provide
recommendations to NMFS on an application from the State of Washington
for the lethal removal of California sea lions that have a significant
negative impact on the wild run of winter steelhead that migrate
through the Ballard Locks. A complete description of the State's
application and the formation of the Task Force was published in the
Federal Register on August 2, 1994 (59 FR 39325), and September 27,
1994 (59 FR 49234). After several public meetings in 1994, the Task
Force submitted its report to NMFS recommending approval of the State's
application for lethal removal of California sea lions at the Ballard
Locks, and NMFS issued a 3-year Letter of Authorization to the State
(see 60 FR 3841, January 19, 1995). In the fall of 1995, the Task Force
was reconvened to evaluate the effectiveness of the lethal removal
authorization and alternative actions that were implemented in 1995 in
accordance with section 120 of the MMPA. The report and recommendations
from the fall 1995 meetings of the Task Force were considered by NMFS,
and NMFS modified the conditions for lethal removal in the Letter of
Authorization to Washington for 1996 (61 FR 13153, March 26, 1996).
The Task Force will meet again on September 16 and 17, 1996, to
evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken in 1996 under the modified
Letter of Authorization. The meeting is open to the public; however,
the public will not be allowed to discuss or debate the issues with
members of the Task Force at the meetings. There will be an opportunity
for the public to provide comments to the Task Force at 4 p.m. on the
first day of the meeting. The meeting is physically accessible to
people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or
other auxiliary aids should be directed to Joe Scordino at (206)526-
6140 at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: August 20, 1996.
John F. Witzig,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-21710 Filed 8-23-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
