[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 44 (Friday, March 6, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11220-11221]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-5835]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 030298B]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Receipt of applications for a scientific research permit (1122, 
1137) and modifications to permits 948 and 994.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management, 
Roseburg District Office at Roseburg, OR (BLM) (1122) and the Fish 
Ecology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NMFS at Seattle, 
WA (NWFSC) (1137) have applied in due form for permits; and that the 
Northern Wasco County People's Utility District at The Dalles, OR 
(NWCPUD) (948) and the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 
Unit at Moscow, ID (ICFWRU) (994) have applied in due form for 
modifications to permits that would authorize takes of listed species 
for the purpose of scientific research.

DATES: Written comments or requests for a public hearing on these 
applications must be received on or before April 6, 1998.
ADDRESSES: The applications and related documents are available for 
review in the following offices, by appointment:
    Protected Resources Division (PRD), F/NWO3, NMFS, 525 NE Oregon 
Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-4169 (503-230-5400).
    Office of Protected Resources, F/PR3, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, 
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226 (301-713-1401); and
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing should be 
submitted to the Chief, PRD, Portland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For permit 1122 - Tom Lichatowich, PRD 
(503-230-5438);
    For permits 1137, 948, and 994 - Robert Koch, PRD (503-230-5424).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BLM (1122) and NWFSC (1137) request permits; 
and NWCPUD (948) and ICFWRU (994) request modifications to permits 
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 217-227).
    BLM (1122) requests a five-year permit for an annual direct take of 
juvenile, endangered, Umpqua River cutthroat trout (URCT) Oncorhynchus 
clarki clarki associated with a research project designed to determine 
sub-basin contribution to the migratory population. This information 
will benefit wild populations by identifying important habitat areas 
where restoration efforts will have the most impact. BLM proposes to 
use screw traps to estimate abundance from selected sub-basins and will 
radio-tag up to 20 of the fish captured in each sub-basin to determine 
whether the fish are resident, fluvial, or anadromous. The proposal 
will concentrate on Canton, Rock, Calapooya and Myrtle Creeks as well 
as Little River of the Umpqua River during the outmigration period of 
March through June. URCT will be captured, anesthetized, handled 
(measured, tagged, marked as appropriate) and allowed to recover before 
release. ESA-listed juvenile fish

[[Page 11221]]

indirect mortalities associated with the scientific research activities 
are also requested.
    NWFSC (1137) requests a one-year scientific research permit for 
takes of juvenile, endangered, Snake River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus 
nerka); juvenile, threatened, naturally produced and artificially 
propagated, Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 
tshawytscha); juvenile, threatened, Snake River fall chinook salmon 
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha); juvenile, endangered, naturally produced 
and artificially propagated, upper Columbia River steelhead 
(Oncorhynchus mykiss); juvenile, threatened, Snake River steelhead 
(Oncorhynchus mykiss); and juvenile lower Columbia River steelhead 
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) (currently proposed as threatened) associated 
with four scientific research studies at hydropower dams on the Snake 
and Columbia Rivers in the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of the four 
studies are: (Study 1) to evaluate a prototype fish separator at Ice 
Harbor Dam; (Study 2) to establish biological design criteria for fish 
passage facilities at McNary Dam; (Study 3) to evaluate vertical 
barrier screens, outlet flow control devices, and methods of debris 
control at McNary and Little Goose Dams; and (Study 4) to evaluate 
extended-length bar screens at the first powerhouse of Bonneville Dam. 
ESA-listed juvenile fish would be captured, handled with some tagged 
with passive integrated transponders, and released. The applicant 
requests lethal take of ESA-listed juvenile fish, as well as indirect 
mortalities of ESA-listed juvenile fish associated with the research 
activities.
    NWCPUD requests modification 2 to scientific research permit 948. 
Permit 948 authorizes NWCPUD annual takes of juvenile, ESA-listed, 
Snake River salmon associated with a study designed to assess run-of-
the-river juvenile anadromous fish condition after passage through the 
screened turbine intake channel at The Dalles Dam, located on the 
Columbia River. For modification 2, NWCPUD requests an annual take of 
juvenile, endangered, naturally produced and artificially propagated, 
upper Columbia River steelhead and juvenile, threatened, Snake River 
steelhead associated with the research. ESA-listed juvenile steelhead 
are proposed to be captured, handled, and released. ESA-listed juvenile 
steelhead indirect mortalities associated with the research are also 
requested. Modification 2 is requested to be valid for the duration of 
the permit which expires on September 30, 1999.
    ICFWRU requests modification 3 to scientific research permit 994. 
Permit 994 authorizes ICFWRU annual takes of adult, ESA-listed, Snake 
River salmon 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, evaluate adult fish responses to specific 
flow and spill conditions, and evaluate measures to improve adult fish 
passage. For modification 3, ICFWRU requests an increase in the take of 
adult, threatened, Snake River spring/summer and fall chinook salmon 
associated with the research. Also for modification 3, a new study is 
proposed. The new study is designed to determine if adult salmon 
successfully return to natal streams or hatcheries and if homing is 
affected by mode of seaward migration (in-river versus transport). ESA-
listed adult salmon are proposed to be captured at Lower Granite Dam on 
the Snake River, fitted with radio transmitters and identifier tags, 
and released. Once returned to the river, ESA-listed adult fish will be 
tracked electronically to hatcheries and spawning grounds. Modification 
3 is requested to be valid for the duration of the permit which expires 
on December 31, 2000.
    To date, protective regulations for threatened Snake River 
steelhead under section 4(d) of the ESA have not been promulgated by 
NMFS. This notice of receipt of applications requesting takes of this 
species is issued as a precaution in the event that NMFS issues 
protective regulations that prohibit takes of Snake River steelhead. 
The initiation of a 30-day public comment period on the applications, 
including their proposed takes of Snake River steelhead, does not 
presuppose the contents of the eventual protective regulations. To 
date, a listing determination for lower Columbia River steelhead under 
the ESA has not been promulgated by NMFS. This notice of receipt of an 
application requesting a take of this species is issued as a precaution 
in the event that NMFS issues a listing determination. The initiation 
of a 30-day public comment period on the application, including its 
proposed take of lower Columbia River steelhead, does not presuppose a 
listing determination.
    Those individuals requesting a hearing (see ADDRESSES) should set 
out the specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be 
appropriate. The holding of such hearing is at the discretion of the 
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA. All statements and 
opinions contained in this application summary are those of the 
applicant and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMFS.

    Dated: March 2, 1998.
Marta F. Nammack,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-5835 Filed 3-5-98; 8:45 am]
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