[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 139 (Wednesday, July 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44760-44762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18262]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D.071200D]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Receipt of applications to modify permits (984)(1058) and 
issued modifications to existing permits (994)(1134)(1194).

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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 request to modify permit (984) from Dr. Steve 
Ross, of the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve, and 
from the Idaho Fishery Resource Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service at Ahsahka, ID (FWS) (1058); NMFS has issued modifications to a 
scientific research permit to the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish 
Commission at Portland, OR (CRITFC)(1134), a scientific research permit 
to the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Moscow, ID 
(ICFWRU)(994) and a scientific research permit to the Fish Ecology 
Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries 
Service at Seattle, WA (NWFSC)(1194).

DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on any of the new 
applications or modification requests must be received at the 
appropriate address or fax number no later than 5:00 pm eastern 
standard time on August 18, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on any of the new applications or 
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, 1058, 1134, 1194: 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 984: Office of Protected Resources, Endangered Species 
Division, F/PR3, 1315 East-West

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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 permit 984: Terri Jordan, Silver Spring, MD (ph: 301-713-1401, 
fax: 301-713-0376, e-mail: [email protected]).
    For permits 994, 1058: Robert Koch, Portland, OR (ph: 503-230-5424, 
fax: 503-230-5435, e-mail: [email protected]).
    For permit 1134, 1194: Leslie Schaeffer, Portland, OR (503-230-
5433, fax: 503-230-5435, 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:
    Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka): endangered Snake River (SnR).
    Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha): endangered upper Columbia River 
(UCR) spring, threatened SnR spring/summer, threatened SnR fall, 
threatened lower Columbia River (LCR).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): endangered UCR; threatened SnR; threatened 
middle Columbia River (MCR); threatened LCR.
    Shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum).

Modification Requests Received

Permit 984

    Dr. Steven Ross requests modification 3 to ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) 
scientific research permit 984. Permit 984 authorizes the take of 
shortnose sturgeon from rivers throughout the state of North Carolina. 
This permit authorizes capture in gillnets, handling, weighing, 
photographing, dorsalm din clipping for genetic material collection, 
external and internal tagging and release. Currently both Dr. Mary 
Moser of the National Marine Fisheries Service--Northwest Fisheries 
Science Center in Seattle, WA and Dr. Steven Ross are co-investigators, 
modification #3 would remove Dr. Moser from the permit as co-
investigator and extend the expiration date of the permit to December 
31, 2001.

Permit 1058

    FWS requests modification 2 to ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) scientific 
research permit 1058. Permit 1058 authorizes FWS annual takes of adult 
and juvenile, threatened, Snake River fall chinook salmon associated 
with two scientific research studies. The purpose of Study 1 is to 
monitor and evaluate adult returns of hatchery-origin fall chinook 
salmon released as juveniles above Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River 
in the Pacific Northwest. Currently, information on ESA-listed, 
natural-origin fish is needed to assess the impacts of fish management 
actions (e.g., hatchery supplementation), as well as other human 
activities (e.g., regulated river flows), on wild fish populations. 
Study 1 has two components: (1) Radio-tagging returning adult salmon at 
Lower Granite Dam to document the movements and spawning distribution 
of known natural-origin fall chinook salmon above the dam, and (2) 
collecting data and scale/tissue samples from spawned-out adult fish in 
the Snake River and tributaries above Lower Granite Dam to augment 
information on spawning distribution collected from the radio-tagged 
fish. The purpose of Study 2 is to obtain a better understanding of the 
factors leading to residualism and interactions between residuals and 
wild or natural stocks of juvenile fish in the Clearwater River Basin 
in ID. For modification 2, FWS requests an increase in the annual take 
of ESA-listed adult fish associated with Component 1 of Study 1.
    Due to increases in adult salmon runsize estimates in the Snake 
River, a greater number of ESA-listed fish are likely to be captured 
and handled (checked for tags and sampled for tissues and/or scales) by 
FWS. Tissue samples and scales will subsequently be analyzed for 
genetic attributes and population determinants. Modification 2 is 
requested to be valid for the duration of the permit which expires on 
December 31, 2001.

Permits and Modifications Issued

Permit 994

    Notice was published on March 21, 2000 (65 FR 15131) that ICFWRU 
applied for a modification to permit 994. Modification 5 to permit 994 
was issued on July 5, 2000. 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 modification 5, ICFWRU is authorized a take of adult 
UCR spring chinook salmon associated with the research. With regard to 
ICFWRU's request for an increase in take of adult SnR sockeye salmon 
and takes of adult LCR chinook salmon, adult MCR steelhead, and adult 
LCR steelhead associated with the research, NMFS is not acting on that 
part of ICFWRU's application at this time. NMFS will make a decision 
regarding ICFWRU's proposed additional takes following the completion 
of ESA Section 7 consultations on this and other scientific research 
permit actions that have been requested for the 2000 research season. 
Modification 5 is valid for the duration of permit 994, which expires 
on December 31, 2000.

Permit 1134

    Notice was published on September 27, 1999 (64 FR 51959) that the 
CRITFC had applied for a modification to permit 1134. Modification 1 to 
permit 1134 was issued on July 10, 2000, and authorizes CRITFC annual 
takes of adult and juvenile fish associated with three new projects: 
(1) biological and chemical monitoring, and physical habitat assessment 
in steelhead waters; (2) tagging juvenile Hanford Reach upriver bright 
fall chinook salmon; and (3) SnR steelhead kelt identification study. 
Annual takes of adult and juvenile,

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naturally produced and artificially propagated UCR spring chinook 
salmon and adult and juvenile LCR chinook salmon associated with the 
research are also authorized. Modification 1 is valid for the duration 
of permit 1134, which expires on December 31, 2002.

Permit 1194

    Notice was published on March 21, 2000 (65 FR 15131) that the NWFSC 
had applied for a modification to permit 1194. Modification 1 to permit 
1194 was issued on June 6, 2000, and authorizes NWFSC annual takes of 
adult artificially propagated UCR spring chinook salmon. Modification 1 
is valid for the duration of permit 1194, which expires on December 31, 
2003.

    Dated: July 14, 2000.
Wanda L. Cain,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-18262 Filed 7-18-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F