[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 244 (Monday, December 21, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70393-70394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-33727]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 121098A]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Receipt of an amendment to an application for a scientific 
research permit (1122); Issuance of a modifications to a scientific 
research permit (984)

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following actions regarding 
permits for takes of endangered and threatened species for the purposes 
of scientific research and/or enhancement: NMFS has received an amended 
permit application from the Bureau of Land Management, Roseburg 
District Office at Roseburg, OR (BLM) (1122); and NMFS has issued a 
modification to a scientific research permits to Dr. Mary L. Moser, of 
the Center for Marine Science Research (984).

DATES: Written comments or requests for a public hearing on the 
applications must be received on or before January 20, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for 
review in the following offices, by appointment:
    For permit 1122: Protected Resources Division, F/NWO3, 525 NE 
Oregon Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-4169 (503-230-5400).
    For permit 984: Office of Protected Resources, Endangered Species 
Division, F/PR3, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301-
713-1401).
    All documents may also be reviewed by appointment in the Office of 
Protected Resources, F/PR3, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910-3226 (301-713-1401).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For permit 1122: Tom Lichatowich, 
Portland, OR (503-230-5438).
    For permit 984: Terri Jordan, Silver Spring, MD (301-713-1401)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

    Permits are requested 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).
    Those individuals requesting a hearing on the requests for a permit 
should set out the specific reasons why a hearing would be appropriate 
(see ADDRESSES). The holding of such a hearing is at the discretion of 
the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA. All statements and 
opinions contained in the below application summaries are those of the 
applicant and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMFS.
    Issuance of permits and permit modifications, as required by the 
ESA, is based on a finding that such permits/modifications: (1) Are 
applied for in good faith; (2) would not operate to the disadvantage of 
the listed species which are the subject of the permits; and (3) are 
consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the 
ESA. Permits and modifications are issued in accordance with and are 
subject to parts 217-222 of Title 50 CFR, the NMFS regulations 
governing listed species permits.

Species Covered in This Notice

    The following species are covered in this notice: Cutthroat trout 
(Oncorhynchus clarki clarki), Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), and 
Shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum).
    To date, protective regulations for threatened Oregon Coast coho 
salmon

[[Page 70394]]

(OCCS) under section 4(d) of the ESA have not been promulgated by NMFS. 
This notice of receipt of an application requesting takes of this 
species is issued as a precaution in the event that NMFS issues 
protective regulations that prohibit takes of threatened OCCS. The 
initiation of a 30-day public comment period on this application, 
including the proposed take of threatened OCCS, does not presuppose the 
contents of the eventual protective regulations.

Application Received

    BLM (1122) has submitted an amendment to an application for a 5-
year permit that would authorize takes of juvenile, threatened, OCCS 
associated with scientific research. The notice of receipt for the 
original application, requesting authorization for annual direct takes 
of juvenile, endangered, Umpqua River cutthroat trout (URCT) associated 
with the research was published in the Federal Register on March 6, 
1998 (63 FR 11220). The research is designed to determine migration 
patterns, life history strategies, and distribution/abundance of ESA-
listed fish. The information will benefit wild populations by 
identifying important habitat areas for protection and restoration 
efforts. BLM proposes to use screw traps during the juvenile fish 
outmigration period of March through June to estimate abundance in 
selected sub-basins. ESA-listed juvenile fish are proposed to be 
captured, marked, released upstream of the trap, and recaptured to 
determine trap efficiencies. ESA-listed juvenile fish indirect 
mortalities associated with the scientific research activities are also 
requested.

Modification Issued

    On November 17, 1998, NMFS issued modification 2 to permit 984 to 
Dr. Mary Moser, authorizing the use of hatchery bred shortnose sturgeon 
to document predation on juvenile shortnose sturgeon by flathead and 
blue catfish, which are non-indigenous predators and are abundant in 
many rivers of the southeastern United States. The draft recovery plan 
for shortnose sturgeon identifies the importance of determining the 
effects of non-indigenous species on wild sturgeon populations. This 
information is particularly important due to the rapid proliferation of 
these introduced ictalurids in many river systems that support 
shortnose sturgeon. It is anticipated that all cultured shortnose 
sturgeon used in these experiments will be either eaten by catfish or 
euthanized at the end of the study. There will be no release of 
cultured shortnose sturgeon into the wild under any circumstances. A 
portion of the dead fish will be donated to the North Carolina Museum 
of Natural Sciences and to the University of North Carolina-Wilmington 
teaching collection. Modification 2 is valid for the duration of the 
permit, which expires on December 31, 2000.

    Dated: December 14, 1998.
Kevin Collins,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-33727 Filed 12-18-98; 8:45 am]
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