[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 246 (Thursday, December 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80419-80420]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32597]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 121500F]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Receipt of request to modify permit 1093 for scientific 
research.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following action regarding 
permits for takes of endangered or threatened species for the purposes 
of scientific research: the NMFS has received an application for 
modification of existing permit 1093, in due form, from the U.S. 
Geological Survey (USGS), California Cooperative Fishery Research Unit 
in Arcata, CA.

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 p.m. eastern standard 
time on January 22, 2001.

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:
    Protected Species Division, NMFS, 777 Sonoma Avenue, Room 325, 
Santa Rosa, CA 95404-6528 (707-575-6053).
    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: Dan Logan, Protected Resources 
Division, Santa Rosa, CA (ph: 707-575-6053, fax: 707-578-3435, 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 (ESUs) 
are covered in this notice:

Fish

    Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch): threatened Southern Oregon/
Northern California Coasts.

[[Page 80420]]

Modification Requests Received

    The USGS requests a modification to Permit 1093 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). Permit 1093 authorizes takes 
of adult and juvenile, threatened, SONCC coho salmon (Oncorhynchus 
kisutch) associated with defined fish population studies throughout the 
ESU. The ongoing study consists of five assessment tasks for which ESA-
listed fish are taken: (1) Presence/absence, (2) population estimates, 
(3) spawner surveys, (4) genetic sampling, and (5) habitat quality 
evaluation. ESA-listed fish are observed or captured, anesthetized, 
handled, allowed to recover from the anesthetic, and released. Indirect 
mortalities are also authorized. Modification 1 would increase 
the authorized annual capture/handle take of adult SONCC coho salmon 
for the purpose of determining ocean survival rates, rates of straying 
by adults within the basin, and examine relationships between juvenile 
size and ocean survival of coho salmon within the SONCC ESU. These data 
are currently lacking for California. These data are expected to allow 
managers to make more informed decisions when implementing protective 
measures for the listed species and to benefit recovery planning for 
coho salmon in the northern California/southern Oregon ESU, as well as 
in other ESUs.

    Dated: December 15, 2000.
Wanda L. Cain,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-32597 Filed 12-20-00; 8:45 am]
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