[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 157 (Tuesday, August 15, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42146-42147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-20175]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 080495A]


Marine Mammals; Pinniped Removal Authority

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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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, Seattle, WA. The Task Force is meeting to review 
the available information from the 1994-95 wild winter steelhead run 
and to evaluate the effectiveness of both the authorized intentional 
lethal taking of individually identified pinnipeds and the alternative 
actions that were implemented. Following their evaluation, the Task 
Force may recommend additional actions which they believe to be 
necessary for the elimination of the problem interaction.

DATES: The public meeting of the Task Force is scheduled for September 
6-8, 1995, at 9:00 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The Task Force meeting will be held in Building 9, NOAA's 
Western Regional Center, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., Seattle, WA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Scordino, Northwest Region, NMFS, 
206-526-6150.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS received an application from the State 
of Washington on July 12, 1994, to consider the lethal removal of 
California sea lions that are depredating a wild run of winter 
steelhead as they migrate through the Ballard Locks. Notice of receipt 
and acceptance of the State's application, along with an explanation of 
the process set forth in section 120 of the MMPA, was published in the 
Federal Register on August 2, 1994 (59 FR 39325), with a request for 
public comments. On September 27, 1994, a notice announcing the 
establishment of the Pinniped-Fishery Interaction Task Force and its 
first public meeting was published in the Federal Register (59 FR 
49234). Subsequent meetings were announced through NOAA Press Releases 
and reported in the local media. The 21-member Task Force, consisting 
of scientists; representatives of affected conservation and fishing 
community organizations; and representatives of Washington Department 
of Fish and Wildlife, Treaty Tribes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Army Corps of Engineers, and NMFS, held a series of meetings to review 
and discuss the comments received from the 

[[Page 42147]]
public during the comment period and all other available information on 
the sea lion/steelhead conflict. Following the meetings, the Task Force 
submitted a report giving their recommendations and minority views 
regarding the State's application.
    The Task Force's primary recommendation was to make all practicable 
attempts to remove all identified predatory sea lions and temporarily 
hold them in captivity for the duration of the steelhead run. Regarding 
lethal removal, the Task Force recommended that approval of lethal 
removal of individually identifiable predatory California sea lions be 
allowed only under specific conditions. These conditions are explained 
in detail in the Environmental Assessment On Protecting Winter-run Wild 
Steelhead From Predation By California Sea Lions In The Lake Washington 
Ship Canal, Seattle, Washington, January 1995. In brief, the conditions 
include the use of non-lethal deterrence measures such as an acoustic 
barrier; all practicable attempts to capture identified predatory sea 
lions and place them in captivity during the steelhead run; threshold 
limits on levels of predation which must be exceeded before lethal 
removal measures may be implemented; the formation of an Animal Care 
Committee (ACC) to review and recommend protocols for captive 
maintenance, medical procedures and euthanasia; stipulations that any 
lethal removals must be done in a humane manner as specified by the 
ACC; and recommendations for the development of additional information 
on the construction and operation of Ballard Locks and on use of the 
facility by the fish.
    Following the recommendations of the Task Force, NMFS approved the 
State's application and specified the terms and conditions for 
implementation in a Letter of Authorization as published in the Federal 
Register on January 19, 1995 (60 FR 3841). The authorization is valid 
until June 31, 1997 although it may be modified or revoked by NMFS. To 
date no California sea lions have been lethally removed by the State 
under this authorization.
    Under 16 U.S.C. 1389(c)(5), the Task Force will now meet to 
evaluate the effectiveness of alternative actions taken by the State of 
Washington under the lethal removal authority granted with conditions 
by NMFS in January 1995. 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.

    Dated: August 9, 1995.
Patricia Montanio,
Acting Deputy Director, Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 95-20175 Filed 8-14-95; 8:45 am]
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