[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 76 (Thursday, April 18, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16898-16899]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-9515]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 041196B]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Issuance of permit 995 (P605) and a second amendment of permit 
747 (P45H).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued a permit and an 
amendment to a permit that authorize takes of an Endangered Species 
Act-listed species for the purpose of scientific research/enhancement, 
subject to certain conditions set forth therein, to Ms. Pamela A. 
Petrusso, in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at Red 
Bluff, CA (BOR), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Red Bluff, 
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
    Director, Southwest Region, NMFS, NOAA, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 
4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213 (310-980-4016).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The permit and the second amendment of a 
permit 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 23, 1996 (61 FR 6975) that an 
application had been filed by Ms. Pamela A. Petrusso, in collaboration 
with BOR (P605), for a permit to take an ESA-listed species. Permit 995 
was issued to Ms. Petrusso on April 2, 1996. Permit 995 authorizes Ms. 
Petrusso a take of juvenile, endangered, Sacramento River winter-run 
chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated with a study 
designed to determine the physical condition of juvenile chinook salmon 
rearing in mainstem habitats between Keswick Dam and Red Bluff on the 
Sacramento River. The project will contribute to BOR's efforts to 
reduce migration impediments to the four runs of Sacramento River 
chinook salmon by providing baseline data for interpretation of the 
results of entrainment studies. In addition, the study will advance the 
understanding of the early life history and ecology of young chinook 
salmon in the upper Sacramento River. Permit 995 will expire on June 
30, 1998.
    Permit 747 was issued to FWS on August 8, 1991. Permit 747 had 
authorized FWS takes of adult and juvenile, endangered, Sacramento 
River winter-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated 
with scientific research, monitoring, and enhancement activities to 
promote the survival of this ESA-listed species. In the interest of 
ESA-listed species enhancement, supplementation hatchery programs and a 
captive broodstock program were initiated. In 1995, genetics research 
found that the artificial propagation of winter-run chinook salmon has 
likely resulted in hybridization with spring-run chinook salmon. In 
addition, hatchery-produced winter-run chinook salmon have not been 
returning to the mainstem Sacramento River as intended, but rather, are 
returning to Battle Creek where FWS's Coleman National Fish Hatchery is 
located, apparently as a result of imprinting on Battle Creek water.
    Permit 747 was to expire on December 31, 1995. The first amendment 
of permit 747 was issued on December 20, 1995 (61 FR 346, January 4, 
1996) and provided, in part, an extension of the permit through March, 
1996 and a moratorium on the collection of adult ESA-listed fish for 
broodstock for the duration of the permit. An extension of the permit 
was necessary to allow FWS to continue research, monitoring, and 
enhancement activities until new permits replaced permit 747 (60 FR 
58334, November 27, 1995) and to provide an opportunity to address the 
technical concerns with FWS' ESA-listed fish artificial propagation 
program. The purpose of the moratorium on the collection of adult ESA-
listed fish for broodstock is to avoid compromising the genetic 
integrity of the winter-run chinook salmon population due to the 
technical problems and to avoid a significant drain on the 1996 
spawning population if juveniles continue to imprint exclusively on 
Battle Creek.

[[Page 16899]]

    The second amendment of permit 747 was issued to FWS on March 27, 
1996. Three actions are provided by this amendment. They are: (1) An 
extension of permit 747 through November 30, 1996; (2) the continuation 
of the moratorium on the collection of adult ESA-listed fish for 
broodstock for the duration of permit 747; and (3) the continuation of 
the authorization for a take of ESA-listed fish associated with the 
maintenance and care of hatchery fish that are part of FWS's 
propagation and captive broodstock programs. Due to continued technical 
concerns with hybridization and imprinting problems, it was not 
feasible for NMFS to complete the necessary actions required to issue a 
new enhancement permit by the end of March, 1996. The take of ESA-
listed fish associated with the scientific research/monitoring 
component of permit 747 has been deleted and is now authorized under 
permit 990, issued on March 20, 1996 (61 FR 14297, April 1, 1996). The 
second amendment is in effect for the duration of permit 747.
    Issuance of the permit and the second amendment to a permit, as 
required by the ESA, was based on a finding that such actions: (1) Were 
requested in good faith, (2) will not operate to the disadvantage of 
the ESA-listed species that is the subject of the permits, 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: April 11, 1996.
Margaret Lorenz,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-9515 Filed 4-17-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F