[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 6762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-3570]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 020697C]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Issuance of modification 2 to permit 895 (P504D) and an 
amendment of permit 1005 (P770#71).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued a modification to 
a permit to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) at Walla Walla, WA 
and an amendment of a permit to the Coastal Zone and Estuarine Studies 
Division (CZESD), NMFS at Seattle, WA that authorize takes of 
Endangered Species Act-listed species for the purpose of enhancement, 
subject to certain conditions set forth therein.

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 modification to a permit and the 
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 ESA-listed fish and wildlife permits (50 CFR 
parts 217-222).
    Notice was published on October 29, 1996 (61 FR 55789) that an 
application had been filed by the Corps (P504D) for modification 2 to 
enhancement permit 895. Modification 2 to permit 895 was issued to the 
Corps on January 17, 1997. Permit 895 authorizes the Corps annual takes 
of adult and juvenile, endangered, Snake River sockeye salmon 
(Oncorhynchus nerka); adult and juvenile, threatened, naturally-
produced and artificially-propagated, Snake River spring/summer chinook 
salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha); and adult and juvenile, threatened, 
Snake River fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated 
with the operation of the Juvenile Fish Transportation Program on the 
Snake and Columbia Rivers. For modification 2, the Corps is authorized 
an increase in the annual incidental take of adult, threatened, Snake 
River fall chinook salmon associated with the juvenile fish 
transportation facilities at four hydroelectric projects on the rivers. 
Modification 2 is valid for the duration of the permit. Permit 895 
expires on December 31, 1998.
    On February 5, 1997, NMFS issued an amendment of CZESD's 
enhancement permit 1005. Permit 1005 authorizes CZESD takes of adult 
and juvenile, endangered, Snake River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus 
nerka) associated with a captive broodstock program, being conducted in 
cooperation with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG). For the 
amendment, CZESD is authorized to transfer ESA-listed sockeye salmon 
eggs and/or juveniles to the Mitchell Act-funded rearing facility at 
Bonneville Hatchery, operated by the Oregon Department of Fish and 
Wildlife (ODFW), and/or any other hatchery facility deemed acceptable 
by the Environmental and Technical Services Division (ETSD), NMFS in 
Portland, Oregon, for final rearing. ODFW, and any other agency to 
receive ESA-listed fish and/or eggs from CZESD, will be acting as an 
agent of CZESD under the terms and conditions of permit 1005 in the 
care and maintenance of the fish and/or eggs. When the ESA-listed fish 
are smolts, ODFW, and any other agency to receive ESA-listed fish and/
or eggs from CZESD, is authorized to transfer the fish to IDFG for 
release in Stanley Basin Lakes and outlet streams. Permit 1005 has also 
been extended to be valid through December 31, 1997. The amendment is 
valid for the duration of the permit.
    Issuance of the modification to a permit and the amendment of a 
permit, as required by the ESA, was based on a finding that such 
actions: (1) Were requested/proposed 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: February 7, 1997.
Robert C. Ziobro,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-3570 Filed 2-12-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F