[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 201 (Wednesday, October 16, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 53900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-26499]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 100996D]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Issuance of incidental take permit 1,017 (P211K) and 
modification 5 to scientific research permit 818 (P211C).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued an incidental take 
permit and a modification to a scientific research permit that 
authorize takes of Endangered Species Act-listed species, subject to 
certain conditions set forth therein, to the Oregon Department of Fish 
and Wildlife (ODFW) at Portland, OR and La Grande, OR.

ADDRESSES: The applications and related documents are available for 
review in the following offices, by appointment:
    Office of Protected Resources, F/PR3, 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 and modification to 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 
ESA-listed fish and wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 217-222).
    Notice was published on August 7, 1996 (61 FR 41130) that an 
application had been filed by ODFW (P211K) for an incidental take 
permit. Permit 1,017 was issued to ODFW on September 30, 1996. Permit 
1,017 authorizes ODFW an annual incidental take of resident, fluvial, 
and anadromous, endangered, Umpqua River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus 
clarki clarki) associated with the state of Oregon's recreational and 
commercial fisheries in the Umpqua River Basin. ODFW is charged by 
statute with the management and protection of the fish and wildlife 
resources of the state. An individual incidental take permit was issued 
since ODFW is responsible for establishing the State's fishing 
regulations and controls fishing activities by issuing licenses to 
citizens. Pursuant to the incidental take authorization, ODFW will 
implement a conservation plan that includes measures designed to 
minimize the incidental take of ESA-listed cutthroat trout. ODFW 
requested a five-year permit. However, since ODFW will monitor the 
fisheries in the Umpqua River Basin for at least three years to obtain 
more precise information on the incidental take of ESA-listed cutthroat 
trout, NMFS determined that permit 1,017 be issued for a period of 
three years, with annual review and authorization requirements. 
Accordingly, Permit 1,017 will expire on September 30, 1999.
    Notice was published on August 6, 1996 (61 FR 40821) that an 
application had been filed by ODFW (P211C) for modification 5 to 
scientific research permit 818. Modification 5 to permit 818 was issued 
to ODFW on September 30, 1996. Permit 818 authorizes annual takes of 
adult and juvenile, threatened, Snake River spring/summer chinook 
salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) for scientific research. For 
modification 5, permit 818 has been extended to be effective for 
approximately five years. Permit 818 was issued to ODFW on April 22, 
1993 and is now set to expire on June 30, 1998. Also for modification 
5, ODFW is authorized an increase in the takes of adult and juvenile, 
ESA-listed salmon associated with new studies in the Wallowa River 
Basin. The new research will provide essential information on the life 
history and critical habitat of the spring chinook salmon populations 
in the Wallowa River Basin. The information collected will enable 
managers to make more effective decisions concerning the protection and 
enhancement of critical habitat.
    Issuance of the permit and permit modification, 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 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 ESA-listed species permits.

    Dated: October 9, 1996.
Robert C. Ziobro,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-26499 Filed 10-15-96; 8:45 am]
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