Comment from Thomas Ostrom

The Suquamish Tribe is a federally recognized Tribe. The proposed rule covers a species important to the Tribe and which spawns and rears in freshwater water habitats within the Tribe's Usual and Accustomed fishing area. The Tribe requests government – to – government consultation so that tribal information and data may be transmitted to NOAA – Fisheries. In particular, the Tribe wishes to focus consultation on the designation of critical habitat in the freshwater streams on the Kitsap Peninsula. Many of these streams support, or once supported, spawning and rearing of Puget Sound Steelhead. None of these streams is currently designated critical habitat for any other ESA listed species.