[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 91 (Thursday, May 10, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23882-23883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-11839]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 050301G]


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 
(1303); Receipt of request to modify research permit 1245; NMFS has 
issued permit 1297; NMFS has issued an amendment of enhancement permit 
1237.

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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 under the Endangered Species 
Act (ESA): NMFS has received an application for a scientific research 
permit from Dr. R. Michael Laurs, of Southwest Fisheries Science Center 
(SWFSC); NMFS has received a request to modify permit 1245 from Mr. 
Bruce Stender of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources; 
NMFS has issued permit 1297 to Dr. Peter Dutton of the NMFS - Southwest 
Fisheries Science Center and an amendment of permit 1237 to the Walla 
Walla District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Walla Walla, WA.

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 June 11, 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:
    For permits 1245, 1297, 1303: Endangered Species Division, F/PR3, 
1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (phone:301-713-1401, 
fax: 301-713-0376).
    For permits 1237: Protected Resources Division, F/NWO3, 525 NE 
Oregon Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-2737 (phone: 503-230-5400, 
fax: 503-230-5435).
    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 (phone:301-713-1401).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For permits 1245, 1297, 1303: Terri 
Jordan, Silver Spring, MD (phone: 301-713-1401, fax: 301-713-0376, e-
mail: [email protected])
    For permits 1237: Robert Koch, Portland, OR (ph: 503-230-5424, 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. Scientific 
research and/or enhancement permits are issued under Section 
10(a)(1)(A) 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,

[[Page 23883]]

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 evolutionary significant units (ESUs) are 
covered in this notice:

Sea turtles

    Threatened and endangered Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
    Endangered Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
    Endangered Kemp's ridley turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
    Endangered Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
    Threatened Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
    Threatened and endangered Olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys 
olivacea)

Fish

    Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka): endangered Snake River (SnR).
    Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha): endangered, naturally produced and 
artificially propagated, upper Columbia River (UCR) spring; threatened, 
naturally produced and artificially propagated, SnR spring/summer.
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): endangered, naturally produced and 
artificially propagated, UCR; threatened SnR; threatened middle 
Columbia River.

New Applications Received

Application 1303

    The applicant requests authorization to allow take of listed sea 
turtles while conducting experiments on methods for reducing sea turtle 
take by longline fisheries in the Pacific Ocean and to allow import of 
living, deeply hooked sea turtles for treatment and rehabilitation. The 
applicant proposes to take a total of 15 green, 43 leatherback, 221 
loggerhead and 24 olive ridley turtles over the three-year life of the 
permit. This application is available for download and review from the 
Office of Protected Resources permitting web site: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/PR3/Permits/ESAPermit.html.

Modification Requests Received

Permit #1245

    The applicant requests a modification to Permit 1245. Permit 1245 
authorizes the take of listed sea turtles for scientific research 
purposes. Permit #1245 authorizes the take of 250 loggerhead, 10 green, 
50 Kemp's ridley, five hawksbill and one leatherback turtles annually. 
Modification #2 would authorize researchers to intubate and ventilate a 
turtle verified to be unconscious, allow researchers to collect skin 
biopsies from each turtle, collect an additional biopsy of any abnormal 
growth and to collect a keratin sample from the carapace of each turtle 
for mercury content analysis.

Permits and Modified Permits Issued

Permit #1297

    Notice was published on March 5, 2001 (66 FR 13305) that Donna 
McDonald, of Ocean Planet Research, Incorporated applied for a 
scientific research permit (1297).
    The purpose of this project is to continue long-term monitoring of 
the status of sea turtles in San Diego Bay. Numbers present, species, 
size, sex, health status, and presence or absence of tag will be 
recorded. Permit 1297 was issued on April 27, 2001, authorizing take of 
listed species. Permit 1297 expires May 31, 2006.

Permit #1237

    Notice was published on February 16, 2000 (65 FR 7855) that the 
Corps applied for an enhancement permit (1237). Permit 1237 was issued 
to the Corps on March 22, 2001 (see 66 FR 18447, April 9, 2001). Permit 
1237 authorizes the Corps annual takes of ESA-listed Snake River salmon 
and steelhead associated with transporting juvenile anadromous fish 
around the dams and past the reservoirs on the mainstem lower Snake and 
Columbia Rivers in the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of the Corps' 
Juvenile Fish Transportation Program is to increase juvenile fish 
survival over the alternative of in-river passage, given existing in-
river migratory conditions. On April 26, 2001, NMFS issued an amendment 
of enhancement permit 1237. For the permit amendment, the Corps is 
authorized takes of ESA-listed fish species associated with juvenile 
fish transport at McNary Dam on the lower Columbia River during the 
spring 2001 juvenile salmonid outmigration season. The Corps requested 
the additional ESA-listed fish takes (associated with spring transport 
at McNary Dam) in its original permit application (see 65 FR 7855, 
February 16, 2000). Since the beginning of 2001, forecasted river 
conditions and anticipated estimates of the project passage survival of 
juvenile fish migrating in the lower Columbia River during 2001 have 
progressively deteriorated. It now appears that the survival rate of 
spring-migrating juvenile salmonids between McNary Dam and Bonneville 
Dam may be lower than previously expected for the 2001 juvenile 
salmonid outmigration season. Therefore, NMFS has determined that 
spring transport at McNary Dam by the Corps will not operate to the 
disadvantage of the ESA-listed fish in 2001. The Corps will load the 
juvenile fish into aerated trucks and barges for transportation to 
below Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Further handling of the 
fish does not occur, except for loading via raceways or when the fish 
are handled for monitoring purposes by Corps personnel or for 
scientific research purposes by individuals holding separate take 
authorizations. The amendment is valid for the duration of Permit 1237. 
However, the conduct of spring transport at McNary Dam in future years 
will be subject to annual approval by NMFS. Additional annual takes of 
ESA-listed adult fish associated with handling fallbacks at the 
juvenile fish transportation facility at McNary Dam are also authorized 
by the permit amendment. Permit 1237 expires on December 31, 2005.

    Dated: May 4, 2001.
Chris Mobley,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-11839 Filed 5-9-01; 8:45 am]
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