[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 166 (Monday, August 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 43737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21710]



[[Page 43737]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 081996A]


Marine Mammals; Pinniped Removal Authority

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

ACTION: Public Meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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. The Task Force is meeting to review the available 
information from the 1996 winter steelhead run and evaluate the 
effectiveness of the permitted intentional lethal taking of 
individually identified pinnipeds or alternative actions that were 
implemented. Following its evaluation, the Task Force may recommend 
additional actions that it believes to be necessary for the elimination 
of the problem interaction.

DATES: The public meeting of the Task Force is scheduled for September 
16-17, 1996, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

ADDRESSES: The Task Force meeting will be held in the Snoqualmie Room 
at the Marriott Hotel, 3201 S. 176th St., Seattle, WA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Scordino, 206-526-6140.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Task Force was formed pursuant to section 
120 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in 1994 to provide 
recommendations to NMFS on an application from the State of Washington 
for the lethal removal of California sea lions that have a significant 
negative impact on the wild run of winter steelhead that migrate 
through the Ballard Locks. A complete description of the State's 
application and the formation of the Task Force was published in the 
Federal Register on August 2, 1994 (59 FR 39325), and September 27, 
1994 (59 FR 49234). After several public meetings in 1994, the Task 
Force submitted its report to NMFS recommending approval of the State's 
application for lethal removal of California sea lions at the Ballard 
Locks, and NMFS issued a 3-year Letter of Authorization to the State 
(see 60 FR 3841, January 19, 1995). In the fall of 1995, the Task Force 
was reconvened to evaluate the effectiveness of the lethal removal 
authorization and alternative actions that were implemented in 1995 in 
accordance with section 120 of the MMPA. The report and recommendations 
from the fall 1995 meetings of the Task Force were considered by NMFS, 
and NMFS modified the conditions for lethal removal in the Letter of 
Authorization to Washington for 1996 (61 FR 13153, March 26, 1996).
    The Task Force will meet again on September 16 and 17, 1996, to 
evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken in 1996 under the modified 
Letter of Authorization. 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. There will be an opportunity 
for the public to provide comments to the Task Force at 4 p.m. on the 
first day of the meeting. The meeting is physically accessible to 
people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or 
other auxiliary aids should be directed to Joe Scordino at (206)526-
6140 at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: August 20, 1996.
John F. Witzig,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-21710 Filed 8-23-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F