[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 122 (Monday, June 26, 1995)] [Notices] [Pages 32945-32946] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 95-15528] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE [I.D. 062095B] Endangered Species; Permits AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Issuance of permit 964 (P770#69), modification 5 to permit 825 (P513), modification 4 to permit 817 (P45K), and modification 2 to permit 823 (P503C). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued a permit and modifications to permits authorizing takes of listed species for the purpose of scientific research, subject to certain conditions set forth therein, to the Coastal Zone and Estuarine Studies Division (CZESD) of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, the Columbia River Inter- Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), the Northwest Biological Science Center of the National Biological Service (NBS), and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG). 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, F/NWO3, NMFS, 525 NE Oregon Street, Portland, OR 97232-4169 (503-230-5400). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Permit 964, modification 5 to permit 825, modification 4 to permit 817, and modification 2 to permit 823 were 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 listed fish and wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 217-222). Notice was published on February 9, 1995 (60 FR 7752) that an application had been filed by CZESD (P770#69) for a permit to take listed species. CZESD requested authorization for a direct take of juvenile, listed, Snake River fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and an incidental take of juvenile, listed, Snake River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and juvenile, listed, naturally- produced and artificially-propagated, Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated with a juvenile fall chinook salmon transportation study. The purpose of the study is to compare the adult recoveries of run-of-the-river subyearling chinook salmon transported around the hydropower dams on the Columbia River using state-of-the-art facilities and technologies versus those migrating inriver under as favorable passage conditions as possible. Permit 964 was issued to CZESD on June 14, 1995. The duration of the research will be from approximately June 15 to September 15 for 3 of the next 5 years. The take of listed species associated with the research is authorized for 1995. Permit 964 expires on December 31, 1999. Notice was published on April 26, 1995 (60 FR 20480) that an application had been filed by CRITFC (P513) for modification 5 to permit 825. Permit 825 authorizes a take of adult and juvenile, listed, naturally-produced and artificially-propagated, Snake River spring/ summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated with five scientific research projects. For modification 5, CRITFC requested an additional take of juvenile, listed, Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon and a take of juvenile, listed, Snake River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) associated with a new scientific research project designed to provide fishery managers and hydropower system operators with real-time information on the distribution and incidence of gas bubble trauma symptoms experienced by migrating juvenile salmon during spills at Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor Dams on the Snake River and McNary and Bonneville Dams on the Columbia River. Modification 5 to permit 825 was issued on June 9, 1995 and is valid for the duration of the permit. Permit 825 expires on December 31, 1997. Notice was published on March 20, 1995 (60 FR 14735) that an application had been filed by NBS (P45K) for modification 4 to permit 817. Permit 817 authorizes a take of juvenile, listed, Snake River fall and spring/summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated with a study designed to assess the migration timing of juvenile anadromous salmon using passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and Panjet marks. For modification 4, NBS requested an increase in the annual take authorized in the permit and approval to use an additional sampling gear type. The increase in the annual take was requested to obtain a sufficient sample size to estimate the migration timing of fish produced in the upper Snake and Clearwater Rivers to Lower Monumental Dam on the lower Snake River. In addition, NBS requested approval to use modified fyke nets instead of beach seines to capture fish for tagging and to assess nearshore movements of the marked fish in the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. Modification 4 to permit 817 was issued on June 5, 1995 and is valid for the duration of the permit. Permit 817 expires on December 31, 1996. Notice was published on March 9, 1995 (60 FR 12913) that an application had been filed by IDFG (P503C) for modification 2 to permit 823. Permit 823 authorizes a take of adult and juvenile, listed, naturally-produced and artificially-propagated, Snake River spring/ summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), adult and juvenile, listed, Snake River fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and adult and juvenile, endangered, Snake River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) associated with a wide range of scientific research activities. For modification 2, IDFG requested an increase in the lethal take [[Page 32946]] of juvenile, endangered, Snake River sockeye salmon in Redfish Lake to optimize the evaluation of Redfish Lake fertilization/supplementation efforts in 1995 and beyond. In addition, IDFG requested to implement three other actions which would not require an increase in the take of listed species authorized in the permit. These three actions are: (1) A fish flush strategy designed to provide flushing flows through a seasonally dewatered stretch of the Lemhi River between the Barracks Lane Bridge and the Clark Steelhead Bridge during times of critical adult and juvenile salmon migrations; (2) the installation of a second juvenile fish trap upstream from the existing juvenile fish trap, the Sawtooth Hatchery weir, on the upper Salmon River to optimize trapping efficiency with the aim of developing more accurate estimates of anadromous fish survival rates and migration timing; and (3) the installation of a rotary screw trap in Rapid River upstream from the Rapid River Fish Hatchery to collect natural production information on wild steelhead salmon. Modification 2 to permit 823 was issued on June 13, 1995 and is valid for the duration of the permit. Permit 823 expires on November 30, 1997. Issuance of these permit actions, as required by the ESA, was based on a finding that such actions: (1) Were applied for in good faith, (2) will not operate to the disadvantage of the listed species that are the subject of the permits, and (3) are consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA and the NMFS regulations governing listed species permits. Dated: June 20, 1995. Robert C. Ziobro, Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 95-15528 Filed 6-23-95; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-F