[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 190 (Friday, September 29, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58514-58516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-25042]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 092500A]


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 
(1228) and for modifications to scientific research permits (1025, 
1059); Issuance of a scientific research/enhancement permit (1129), and 
a scientific research permit (1234).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following actions regarding 
permits for takes of endangered or threatened species for the purposes 
of scientific research and/or enhancement: NMFS has received a permit 
application from Peter Weber of Berkeley, CA (WEBER) (1228); NMFS has 
received applications

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for modifications to existing permits from the California Department of 
Fish and Game, Native Anadromous Fish and Watershed Branch, Sacramento, 
CA (CDFG)(1025)and Carl Page of Cotati, CA (PAGE)(1059); NMFS has 
issued scientific research permit 1234 to Mr. Joseph Hightower, of 
North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (NCCFWR) 
(1234); NMFS has issued a scientific research/enhancement permit to the 
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at Olympia, WA (WDFW) 
(1129).

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 5pm eastern standard 
time on October 30, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on any of the new applications or 
modification requests should be sent to the appropriate office as 
indicated here. 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:
    Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 777 Sonoma Avenue, Room 325, 
Santa Rosa, CA 95404-6528 (707 575-6053).
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing should be 
submitted to the Protected Resources Division in Santa Rosa, CA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For permit 1129: Robert Koch, 
Portland, OR (503-230-5424, fax: 503-230-5435, e-mail: 
[email protected]).
    For permit 1234: Terri Jordan, Silver Spring, MD, (301-713-1401 
x148, fax: 301-713-0376, email: [email protected]).
    For permits 1025, 1059, and 1228: Permits Coordinator, Protected 
Resources Division, Santa Rosa, CA (Phone: 707-575-6053).

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): threatened SnR spring/summer, 
threatened SnR fall.
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened SnR.
    Endangered Sacramento River Winter-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 
tshawytscha);
    Endangered, Southern CA Coast (SoCC) steelhead (Oncorhynchus 
mykiss); and
    Shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum).

New Application Received

    WEBER (1228) requests a research permit to obtain up to 50 
incidental mortalities of juvenile endangered Sacramento River Winter-
run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) per year for 5 years from 
NMFS-permitted researchers. The goal of WEBER'S study is to identify 
geochemical markers that can be used to determine the origin and 
outmigration history of juvenile chinook salmon in the Sacramento-San 
Joaquin system. If naturally occurring markers are identified, they 
could benefit winter-run chinook salmon by providing additional 
information on their life history, threats to their survival, and 
limiting factors in their recovery. WEBER proposes to analyze otoliths 
using various methods of spectrometry.

Modifications Requests Received

    CDFG requests modification 4 to permit 1025 for authorization to 
increase capture/handle take of juvenile, endangered Sacramento River 
Winter-run chinook salmon associated with extant fish population 
studies in the Sacramento River. ESA-listed salmonids are observed or 
captured, anesthetized, handled for measurement, allowed to recover 
from anesthetic and then released. Modification 4 would increase the 
authorized annual capture/handle take of juvenile winter-run chinook 
salmon to 30,000. An increase in indirect mortalities to 750 is also 
requested. Modification 4 is requested to be valid for the duration of 
permit (1025), which expires on June 30, 2001.
    PAGE requests modification 1 to permit 1059 for takes of adult and 
juvenile, endangered, Southern California Coast (SoCC) steelhead 
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) associated with presence/absence surveys, 
population studies, spawner surveys - including the handling and 
sampling of carcasses, and habitat surveys. Juvenile and adult SoCC 
steelhead will be trapped, measured, sampled for tissues, and released. 
PAGE is currently authorized to take SoCC steelhead associated with 
fish population and habitat studies in coastal drainages throughout 
California. Modification 1 of permit 1059 would decrease the observe/
harass and capture/handle take of juvenile SoCC steelhead and increase 
the capture/handle take of adult SoCC steelhead authorized in permit 
1059. The modification would also include the addition of several new 
study sites in coastal streams for the purpose of collecting data on 
the distribution and abundance of steelhead within the SoCC ESU. 
Modification 1 is requested to be valid for the duration of permit 
(1059), which expires on June 30, 2003.

Permits Issued

    Notice was published on March 24, 1998 (63 FR 14069), and March 9, 
1999 (64 FR 11444), that WDFW applied for a scientific research/
enhancement permit. Permit 1129 was issued to WDFW on July 25, 2000. 
Permit 1129 authorizes WDFW annual takes of adult and juvenile, 
threatened, naturally produced and artificially propagated, SnR spring/
summer chinook salmon associated with a hatchery supplementation 
program and a captive broodstock programs are for the Tucannon River 
spring chinook salmon population. The objectives of WDFW's 
supplementation and captive broodstock programs are to: (1) enhance the 
number of potential spawners in the natural environment; (2) preserve 
the genetic integrity of the stock to prevent extinction; and (3) stop 
the decline in run sizes and eventually, to rebuild the natural 
population over time. For the supplementation program, WDFW will retain 
a percentage of the adult salmon that return to the Tucannon River each 
year for broodstock and release all of the

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adult salmon not retained for broodstock above the adult trap to spawn 
naturally. ESA-listed adult salmon retained for broodstock will be 
transported to WDFW's Tucannon River Fish Hatchery and/or Lyons Ferry 
Fish Hatchery and spawned. The resulting progeny will be reared in the 
hatcheries and released as smolts when ready to outmigrate to the 
ocean. For the captive broodstock program, ESA-listed juvenile fish 
will be retained in the hatcheries, reared to adulthood, and spawned in 
the hatchery environment as a means of protecting the genetic integrity 
of the run. Permit 1129 also allows a limited use of remote site 
incubators to reseed the uppermost reaches of the Tucannon River with 
spring chinook salmon eggs and fry to aid in the long-term recovery and 
rebuilding of the run. Annual incidental takes of endangered SnR 
sockeye salmon, threatened SnR fall chinook salmon, and threatened SnR 
steelhead associated with WDFW's hatchery operations and juvenile fish 
releases from WDFW's hatchery supplementation program are also 
authorized. Permit 1129 expires on December 31, 2003.
    Notice was published on February 16, 2000 (65 FR 7854) that Mr. 
Joseph Hightower, of NCCFWR applied for a scientific research permit 
(1234). The applicant has requested a 5-month permit to take up to 10 
shortnose sturgeon in the Roanoke River, North Carolina. The take is 
needed to answer questions regarding impacts of the Roanoke and Gaston 
dams on anadromous fishes are required by the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission relicensing process. No shortnose sturgeon have been 
recorded as being taken from the Roanoke River; however, sampling 
effort has been low. The North Caroline Department of Marine Fisheries 
captured one shortnose sturgeon in Bachelor's Bay (in western Albemarle 
Sound, near the mouth of the Roanoke River) in April 1998. The Final 
Recovery Plan for shortnose sturgeon mandates that surveys be conducted 
to identify and determine the status of extant populations of shortnose 
sturgeon. Permit 1234 was issued on September 19, 2000, authorizing 
take of listed species. Permit 1234 expires April 30, 2001.

    Dated: September 25, 2000.
Wanda L. Cain,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-25042 Filed 9-28-00; 8:45 am]
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