[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15131-15132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6983]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 031400B]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Receipt of an application for a scientific research permit 
(1245); receipt of applications to modify permits (1194, 1212); and 
receipt of a modification to an application to modify a permit (994).

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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 a permit application from Mr. J. David Whitaker, 
of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) (1245); NMFS 
has received applications for permit modifications from Northwest 
Fisheries Science Center, NMFS at Seattle, WA (NWFSC)(1194, 1212); and 
NMFS has received an amendment to an application for permit 
modifications from the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 
Unit at Moscow, ID (ICFWRU) (994).

DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on the new application 
or any of the modification requests must be received at the appropriate 
address or fax number (see ADDRESSES) no later than 5:00 p.m. eastern 
standard time on April 20, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the new application or any of the 
modification requests should be sent to the appropriate office as 
indicated below. Comments may also be sent via fax to the number 
indicated for the application or modification request. Comments will 
not be accepted if submitted via e-mail or the internet. The 
applications and related documents are available for review in the 
indicated office, by appointment:
    For permits 994, 1194, and 1212: Protected Resources Division, F/
NWO3, 525 NE Oregon Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-2737 (ph: 
503-230-5400, fax: 503-230-5435).
    For permit 1245: Office of Protected Resources, Endangered Species 
Division, F/PR3, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (ph: 
301-713-1401, fax: 301-713-0376).
    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 permits 994, 1194, and 1212: 
Robert Koch, Portland, OR (ph: 503-230-5424, fax: 503-230-5435, e-mail: 
[email protected]).
    For permit 1245: Terri Jordan, Silver Spring, MD (ph: 301-713-1401, 
fax: 301-713-0376, e-mail: [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  

Authority

    Issuance of permits and permit modifications, as required by the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543) (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. Authority to 
take listed species is subject to conditions set forth in the permits. 
Permits and modifications are issued in accordance with and are subject 
to the ESA and NMFS regulations governing listed fish and wildlife 
permits (50 CFR parts 222-226).
    Those individuals requesting a hearing on an application listed in 
this notice should set out the specific reasons why a hearing on that 
application would be appropriate (see ADDRESSES). The holding of such 
hearing is at the discretion of the Assistant Administrator for 
Fisheries, NOAA. All statements and opinions contained in the permit 
action summaries are those of the applicant and do not necessarily 
reflect the views of NMFS.

Species Covered in This Notice

    The following species and evolutionarily significant units (ESU's) 
are covered in this notice:

Sea Turtles

    Endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas), endangered Kemp's ridley 
turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), endangered leatherback turtle 
(Dermochelys coriacea), threatened loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta).

Fish

    Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka): endangered Snake River (SnR).
    Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha): threatened SnR spring/summer; 
threatened SnR fall; endangered upper Columbia River (UCR) spring; 
threatened lower Columbia River (LCR).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened SnR; endangered UCR; threatened 
middle Columbia River (MCR); threatened LCR.
    To date, final protective regulations for threatened LCR chinook 
salmon and SnR, MCR, and LCR steelhead under section 4(d) of the ESA 
have not been promulgated by NMFS. Protective regulations are currently 
proposed for threatened LCR chinook salmon (65 FR 169, January 3, 2000) 
and threatened SnR, MCR, and LCR steelhead (64 FR 73479, December 30, 
1999). This notice of receipt of applications requesting takes of these 
species is issued as a precaution in the event that NMFS issues final 
protective regulations that prohibit takes of threatened LCR chinook 
salmon and threatened SnR, MCR, and LCR steelhead. The initiation of a 
30-day public comment period on the applications, including their 
proposed takes of threatened LCR chinook salmon and threatened SnR, 
MCR, and LCR steelhead does not presuppose the contents of the eventual 
final protective regulations.

[[Page 15132]]

New Applications Received

    SCDNR (1245) has requested a 3-year permit to establish 
scientifically valid indices of abundance for the northern sub-
population of the loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, green and leatherback sea 
turtles which occur in the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern United 
States. This study is intended to capture juveniles and adults, thereby 
providing a more comprehensive assessment of total population abundance 
and an assessment of the health of individual animals.

Modification Requests Received

    NWFSC requests a modification to ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) scientific 
research permit 1194. Permit 1194 authorizes NWFSC annual takes of 
adult artificially propagated SnR spring/summer chinook salmon and 
adult artificially propagated UCR steelhead associated with an 
evaluation of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag interrogation 
systems at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River in the Pacific 
Northwest. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the ability of 
the prototype tag detection systems to detect PIT-tagged adult salmon 
passing through the facility and evaluate the effects of the detection 
system on adult behavior as they approach and pass through the system. 
For the modification, NWFSC requests an annual take of adult UCR spring 
chinook salmon associated with the research. ESA-listed adult chinook 
salmon are proposed to be captured, tagged with PITs and non-permanent 
visual markers, released, and monitored from above or underwater with 
video cameras. The modification is requested to be valid for the 
duration of the permit, which expires on December 31, 2003.
    NWFSC requests a modification to ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) scientific 
research permit 1212. Permit 1212 authorizes NWFSC annual takes of 
juvenile SnR sockeye salmon; juvenile naturally produced and 
artificially propagated SnR spring/summer chinook salmon; juvenile SnR 
fall chinook salmon; and juvenile naturally produced and artificially 
propagated UCR steelhead associated with four studies at the hydropower 
dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers in the Pacific Northwest. The 
goal of Study 1 is to provide up-to-date survival estimates of juvenile 
salmonids as they migrate past McNary Dam on the Columbia River. The 
goal of Study 2 is to evaluate the specific trouble areas in the 
juvenile fish bypass system at Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River. 
The goal of Study 3 is to compare the performance of juvenile salmonids 
tagged with Sham radiotransmitters with juvenile salmonids tagged with 
PITs at Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River. The goal of Study 4 is to 
determine tailrace residence times of radio-tagged hatchery chinook 
salmon under varying operational conditions at Lower Monumental Dam and 
to identify spill conditions that utilize the smallest volumes of water 
to maximize fish passage efficiency at Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake 
River. The research will provide information that will be used to 
develop corrective measures to improve juvenile fish passage at the 
dams. For the modification, NWFSC requests a take of juvenile MCR 
steelhead associated with Study 1. ESA-listed juvenile steelhead are 
proposed to be captured at McNary Dam, sampled for biological 
information, and released. ESA-listed juvenile steelhead indirect 
mortalities associated with the research are also requested. The 
modification is requested to be valid for the duration of the permit, 
which expires on December 31, 2003.

Amendment to Modification Request Received

    On September 25, 1998, NMFS published a notice in the Federal 
Register (63 FR 51340) that an application was received from ICFWRU for 
a modification to ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) scientific research permit 
994. Permit 994 authorizes ICFWRU annual takes of adult SnR sockeye 
salmon; adult SnR spring/summer and fall chinook salmon; and adult UCR 
steelhead associated with scientific research designed to assess the 
passage success and homing behavior of adult salmonids that migrate 
upriver past the eight dams and reservoirs in the lower Columbia and 
lower Snake Rivers, evaluate specific flow and spill conditions, and 
evaluate measures to improve adult anadromous fish passage. For the 
modification, ICFWRU requested a take of adult SnR steelhead associated 
with the scientific research. The modification to permit 994 has not 
yet been issued because a final rule providing take prohibitions for 
SnR steelhead under section 4(d) of the ESA has not been published by 
NMFS. NMFS has received an amendment of ICFWRU's application for 
modifications to permit 994. In the application amendment, ICFWRU 
requests an increase in the take of adult SnR sockeye salmon associated 
with a new study designed to monitor the passage of adult sockeye 
salmon returning to the upper Salmon River in Idaho. ESA-listed adult 
sockeye salmon are proposed to be captured at Lower Granite Dam on the 
Snake River, tagged with radiotransmitters and identifier tags, 
released, and tracked electronically. Also for the application 
amendment, ICFWRU requests takes of adult UCR spring chinook salmon; 
adult LCR chinook salmon; adult MCR steelhead; and adult LCR steelhead 
associated with the sampling effort at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia 
River. The modification as amended is requested to be valid for the 
duration of the permit, which expires on December 31, 2000.

    Dated: March 14, 2000.
Wanda L. Cain,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-6983 Filed 3-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F