[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 57 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14431-14432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7236]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 031999D]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Receipt of a request for modification 1 to permit 1094.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Washington Department of Fish 
and Wildlife at Olympia, WA (WDFW) has applied in due form for a permit 
modification that would authorize takes of anadromous fish species 
listed under the Endangered Species Act for research/enhancement 
purposes.

DATES: Written comments or a request for a public hearing on this 
request for a permit modification must be received on or before April 
26, 1999.


[[Page 14432]]


ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for 
review in the following office, by appointment:
    Protected Resources Division (PRD), F/NWO3, 525 NE Oregon Street, 
Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-4169 (503-230-5400).
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing should be 
submitted to the Chief, PRD in Portland, OR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Koch (503-230-5424).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: WDFW requests a permit modification under 
the authority of section 10 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16 
U.S.C. 1531-1543) and the NMFS regulations governing ESA-listed fish 
and wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 217-227).
    Permit 1094 authorizes WDFW an annual take of adult and juvenile, 
endangered, naturally produced and artificially propagated, upper 
Columbia River (UCR) steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) associated with a 
hatchery supplementation program in the mid- to upper Columbia River 
Basin. Incidental takes of ESA-listed species resulting from WDFW 
hatchery operations and hatchery produced fish releases are also 
authorized by the permit. WDFW believes the artificial propagation of 
ESA-listed steelhead will benefit the species by enhancing the 
population, which is not currently able to naturally replace itself. 
For modification 1, WDFW requests an increase in the number of ESA-
listed juvenile steelhead releases from the program in 1999 for 
scientific research and enhancement purposes, which may result in an 
increase in incidental takes of ESA-listed species. Also for 
modification 1, WDFW requests incidental takes of juvenile, endangered, 
UCR spring chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) associated with the program. 
WDFW has provided a revised conservation plan designed to minimize and 
mitigate the potential increase in incidental takes of ESA-listed 
species. The revised conservation plan includes a strategy to manage 
adult returns. The increases in hatchery produced fish releases is 
requested to be valid in 1999 only. Takes of endangered, UCR spring 
chinook salmon are requested to be valid for the duration of the 
permit, which expires on May 31, 2003.
    Those individuals requesting a hearing on this application 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 above application summary are those of the 
applicant and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMFS.

    Dated: March 19, 1999.
Kevin Collins,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-7236 Filed 3-24-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F