[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 94 (Thursday, May 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26780-26781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-12803]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 050997B]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Issuance of permit 1034 (P770#72), permit 1035 (P45Y), permit 
1036 (P45X), and modification 1 to permit 994 (P497D).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued a permit to the 
Coastal Zone and Estuarine Studies Division, Northwest Fisheries 
Science Center, NMFS at Seattle, WA (CZESD); two permits to the 
Columbia River Research Laboratory, U.S. Geological Survey at Cook, WA 
(USGS); and a modification to a permit to the Idaho Cooperative Fish 
and Wildlife Research Unit at Moscow, ID (ICFWRU) that authorize takes 
of Endangered Species Act-listed species for the purpose of scientific 
research, 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 permits 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 February 28, 1997 (62 FR 9178) that an 
application had been filed by CZESD (P770#72) for a scientific research 
permit. Permit 1034 was issued to CZESD on April 15, 1997. Permit 1034 
authorizes CZESD takes of juvenile, threatened, naturally-produced and 
artificially-propagated, Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon 
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha); juvenile, threatened, Snake River fall 
chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha); and juvenile, endangered, 
Snake River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) associated with two 
juvenile fish bypass studies at McNary Dam on the Columbia River. Study 
1 is an evaluation of vertical barrier screens and outlet flow-control 
devices. Study 2 will establish design criteria for improved wet-
separator efficiency and high-velocity flume development. Based on the 
results from these bypass studies, guidance devices and bypass system 
components can be redesigned, modified, or deployed using specific 
configurations to enhance juvenile fish passage at hydroelectric 
powerhouses. Permit 1034 is valid in 1997 only.
    Notice was published on March 11, 1997 (62 FR 11158) that an 
application had been filed by USGS (P45Y) for a scientific research 
permit. Permit 1035 was issued to USGS on April 17, 1997. Permit 1035 
authorizes USGS annual takes of juvenile, threatened, artificially-
propagated, Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 
tshawytscha) associated with two studies designed to monitor juvenile 
fish health and passage efficiency at Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake 
River. For Study 1, ESA-listed juvenile fish will be tagged with radio 
transmitters and tracked electronically to measure the vertical and 
horizontal distribution of juvenile salmonids exposed to high levels of 
total dissolved gas in an effort to assess the risk of mortality from 
gas bubble disease. For Study 2, ESA-listed juvenile fish will be 
tagged with radio transmitters and tracked electronically to measure 
fish passage success at Ice Harbor Dam. CZESD is authorized to act as 
an agent of USGS under the permit in the conduct of Study 2. Permit 
1035 expires on December 31, 1999.
    Notice was published on March 11, 1997 (62 FR 11158) that an 
application had been filed by USGS (P45X) for a scientific research 
permit. Permit 1036 was issued to USGS on April 17, 1997. Permit 1036 
authorizes USGS annual

[[Page 26781]]

takes of adult and juvenile, threatened, Snake River fall chinook 
salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and juvenile, threatened, Snake River 
spring/summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated with 
a study designed to determine the post-release attributes and survival 
of hatchery and natural fall chinook salmon in the Snake River. The 
study consists of eight assessment tasks: (1) Life cycle, (2) redd 
counts, (3) food and growth, (4) habitat use, (5) predation, (6) 
temperature response, (7) migratory behavior, and (8) race and 
residualism. Permit 1036 expires on December 31, 2001.
    Notice was published on January 17, 1997 (62 FR 2657) that an 
application had been filed by ICFWRU (P497D) for modification 1 to 
scientific research permit 994. Modification 1 to permit 994 was issued 
to ICFWRU on April 2, 1997. Permit 994 authorizes ICFWRU annual takes 
of adult, threatened, Snake River spring/summer and fall chinook salmon 
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated with a study designed to assess 
the passage success of migrating adult salmonids at the four dams and 
reservoirs in the lower Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest, to 
evaluate fish responses to specific flow and spill conditions, and to 
evaluate measures to improve fish passage. For modification 1, adult 
sockeye salmon will be included in the study, a percentage of which 
will be adult, endangered, Snake River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus 
nerka). Modification 1 is valid for the duration of the permit. Permit 
994 expires on December 31, 2000.
    Issuance of the permits and the modification to 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: May 9, 1997.
Nancy Chu,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-12803 Filed 5-14-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F