[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 91 (Thursday, May 9, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21161-21162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-11549]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 050296A]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Issuance of permit 1001 (P606) and receipt of a notification of 
withdrawal of a request for a permit (P45V).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued a permit that 
authorizes a take of an Endangered Species Act-listed species for the 
purpose of scientific research/monitoring, subject to certain 
conditions set forth therein, to the Contra Costa Water District at 
Concord, CA (CCWD) and has received a notification of withdrawal of a 
request for a scientific research/enhancement permit from the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service at Sacramento, 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
    Environmental and Technical Services Division, 525 NE Oregon 
Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-4169 (503-230-5400).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The permit was 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 ESA-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 CCWD (P606) for a scientific research/
monitoring permit. Permit 1001 was issued to CCWD on April 26, 1996. 
Permit 1001 authorizes CCWD a take of juvenile, endangered, Sacramento 
River winter-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated 
with monitoring the Mallard Slough pumping facility for the presence of 
ESA-listed species in compliance with the California ESA requirements 
provided by the California Department of Fish and Game. The monitoring 
results will indicate the relative abundance of sensitive fish species 
and allow CCWD to modify the operation of the Mallard Slough facility 
as necessary to minimize potential entrainment losses. Permit 1001 
expires on July 31, 2001.

[[Page 21162]]

    Notice was published on November 27, 1995 (60 FR 58334) that an 
application had been filed by FWS (P45V) for a scientific research/
enhancement permit. FWS applied for a scientific research/enhancement 
permit to continue their authorization to take adult and juvenile, 
endangered, Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 
tshawytscha) associated with supplementation hatchery programs and a 
captive broodstock program, currently authorized under permit 747. 
Permit 747, issued to FWS on August 8, 1991, was to expire on December 
31, 1995 but was extended by two amendments (61 FR 346, January 4, 
1996; 61 FR 16898, April 18, 1996) to expire on November 30, 1996. Due 
to continued technical concerns with hybridization and imprinting 
problems, NMFS was unable to complete the necessary actions required to 
issue a new scientific research/enhancement permit to replace permit 
747.
    The amendments also established a moratorium on the collection of 
adult ESA-listed fish for broodstock in 1996 to avoid compromising the 
genetic integrity of the winter-run chinook salmon population due to 
the hybridization problems and to avoid a significant drain on the 1996 
spawning population if juveniles continue to imprint exclusively on 
Battle Creek, where FWS's Coleman National Fish Hatchery is located, 
rather than returning to the mainstem Sacramento River as intended.
    NMFS has received notification that FWS would like to withdraw 
their request for a scientific research/enhancement permit. Prior to 
the expiration of permit 747, FWS will submit a new scientific 
research/enhancement permit application that will fully discuss the 
operational procedures to be implemented to correct the hybridization 
and imprinting problems.
    Issuance of the permit, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that the permit: (1) Was requested in good faith, (2) will not 
operate to the disadvantage of the ESA-listed species that is the 
subject of the permit, 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: May 2, 1996.
Margaret Lorenz,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-11549 Filed 5-8-96; 8:45 am]
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