[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 83 (Wednesday, April 30, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23107-23111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10674]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 041103A]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Receipt of applications for 10 scientific research permits and 
three permit modifications.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received 11 permit 
applications and three applications to modify existing scientific 
research permits relating to Pacific salmon and steelhead. All of the 
proposed research is intended to increase knowledge of species listed 
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to help guide management and 
conservation efforts.

DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on the applications or 
modification requests must be received no later than 5 p.m. Pacific 
daylight savings time on May 30, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the applications or modification 
requests should be sent to Protected Resources Division, NMFS, F/NWO3, 
525 NE Oregon Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-2737. Comments may 
also be sent via fax to 503-230-5435. Comments will not be accepted if 
submitted via e-mail or the internet.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Garth Griffin, Portland, OR (ph: 503-
231-2005, Fax: 503-230-5435, e-mail: [email protected]). Permit 
application instructions are available at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Species Covered in This Notice

    The following listed species and evolutionarily significant units 
(ESUs) are covered in this notice:
    Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka): endangered Snake River (SR).
    Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha): endangered natural and 
artificially propagated upper Columbia River

[[Page 23108]]

(UCR); threatened natural and artificially propagated SR spring/summer 
(S/S); threatened SR fall; threatened lower Columbia River (LCR); 
threatened artificially produced Puget Sound (PS); threatened upper 
Willamette River (UWR).
    Chum salmon (O. keta): threatened Columbia River (CR).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): endangered natural and artificially 
propagated UCR; threatened SR; threatened middle Columbia River (MCR); 
threatened LCR.
    Coho Salmon (O. kisutch): threatened Oregon coast (OC).

Authority

    Scientific research permits are issued in accordance with Section 
10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et. seq.) and regulations 
governing listed fish and wildlife permits (50 CFR 222-226). NMFS 
issues permits/modifications based on findings that such permits and 
modifications: (1) are applied for in good faith; (2) if granted and 
exercised, would not operate to the disadvantage of the listed species 
that are the subject of the permit; and (3) are consistent with the 
purposes and policy of section 2 of the ESA. The authority to take 
listed species is subject to conditions set forth in the permits.
    Anyone 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.

Permit Applications Received

Permit 1119

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is seeking a 5-year 
permit covering five studies that, among them, would annually take 
adult and juvenile endangered UCR spring chinook salmon (natural and 
artificially propagated) and adult and juvenile endangered UCR 
steelhead (natural and artificially propagated) at various points in 
the Wenatchee, Entiat, Methow, Okanogan, and Yakima River watersheds 
and other points in eastern Washington State. The research was 
originally conducted under Permit 1119, which was in place for 5 years 
(63 FR 27055) with two amendments (65 FR 11288, 66 FR 38641); it 
expired on December 31, 2002. Over the years, there have been some 
changes in the research and they are reflected in this proposal (e.g., 
the aforementioned amendments), nonetheless, the proposed projects are 
largely continuations of ongoing research. They are: Study 1-Recovery 
of ESA-listed Entiat River Salmonids through Improved Management 
Actions; Study 2-From extirpation to colonization: an attempt to 
restore salmon back to their former streams; Study 3-Entiat Basin 
Spawning Ground Surveys; Study 4-Snorkel Surveys in the Wenatchee, 
Entiat, Methow, Okanogan, and Yakima Watersheds and Other Waterways of 
Eastern Washington; Study; 5-Fish Salvage Activities in the Wenatchee, 
Entiat, Methow, Okanogan, and Yakima Watersheds and other Waterways of 
Eastern Washington. Under these studies, listed adult and juvenile 
salmon would be variously (a) captured (using nets, traps, and 
electrofishing equipment) and anesthetized; (b) sampled for biological 
information and tissue samples; (c) tagged with passive integrated 
transponders (PIT tags) or other identifiers; and (e) released.
    The research has many purposes and would benefit listed salmon and 
steelhead in different ways. In general, the purpose of the research is 
to (a) gain current information on the status and productivity of 
various fish populations (to be used in determining the effectiveness 
of restoration programs); (b) collect data on the how well artificial 
propagation programs are helping salmon recovery efforts (looking at 
hatchery and wild fish interactions); (c) support the aquatic species 
restoration goals found in several regional plans; and (d) fulfill ESA 
requirements for several fish hatcheries. The fish would benefit 
through improved recovery actions, better designs for hatchery 
supplementation programs, and by being rescued outright when they are 
stranded by low flows in Eastern Washington streams. The USFWS does not 
intend to kill any of the fish being captured, but a small percentage 
may die as an unintended result of the research activities.

Permit 1194

    The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) in Seattle, WA is 
requesting a 5-year permit to annually take adult endangered UCR 
steelhead, adult endangered UCR spring chinook salmon, and adult 
threatened SR spring/summer chinook salmon during a study designed to 
evaluate passive integrated transponder tag (PIT) interrogation systems 
at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Permit 1194 has been in place 
for almost 5 years and is due to expire on December 31, 2003. The NWFSC 
proposes to continue to capture (using traps at Bonneville Dam), 
anesthetize, tag, release, and monitor with video cameras adult fish.
    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 it. The 
NWFSC does not intend to kill any of the fish being captured, but a 
small percentage may die as an unintended result of the research 
activities.

Permit 1335-Modification 2

    The USDA Forest Service (USFS) in Corvallis, OR requests that 
Permit 1335 be modified to allow them to increase annual takes of 
juvenile endangered UCR chinook (artificially propagated); juvenile 
threatened LCR chinook salmon; juvenile threatened UWR chinook salmon; 
juvenile threatened PS chinook (artificially propagated); juvenile 
endangered UCR steelhead (artificially propagated); juvenile threatened 
LCR steelhead; juvenile threatened UWR steelhead; juvenile threatened 
OC coho salmon; and juvenile threatened SONCC coho salmon in selected 
stream systems in the Columbia, Puget Sound, and Oregon Coast basins. 
The USFS proposes to capture (using backpack electrofishing), 
anesthetize, measure, and release listed salmonids.
    The purposes of the study are to assess watershed conditions and 
factors limiting salmonid health and production, and evaluate watershed 
health under the Northwest Forest Plan. The activities will benefit 
listed fish by generating information to improve forest management. The 
USFS does not intend to kill any of the listed fish being captured, but 
a small percentage may die as an unintended result of the research 
activities.

Permit 1366-Modification 1

    The Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (OCFWRU) and 
the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife research Unit (ICFWRU) are 
requesting a 5-year permit covering four studies that, among them, 
would annually take juvenile threatened SR fall chinook salmon; 
juvenile threatened SR spring/summer chinook salmon (natural and 
artificially propagated); juvenile endangered UCR spring chinook salmon 
(natural and artificially propagated), juvenile threatened LCR chinook 
salmon; juvenile endangered UCR steelhead (natural and artificially 
propagated); juvenile threatened SR steelhead; and adult and juvenile 
endangered SR sockeye salmon at various dams on the Columbia and Snake 
Rivers. The research is largely a continuation of four ongoing studies

[[Page 23109]]

(with some alteration in take numbers). They are: Study 1-\Evaluation 
of Comparative Survival of In-river Passage and Multiple Bypassed 
Juvenile Salmon; Study 2-Evaluation of Delayed Mortality in the Near-
ocean Environment Following Passage Through the Columbia river 
Hydropower System; Study 3-Evaluation of Survival and Adult Return Rate 
of Transported Juvenile Salmon Compared to In-river Migrating Fish; 
Study 4-Evaluation of Migration and Survival of Juvenile Salmonids 
Following Transportation. Under these studies, juvenile listed salmon 
would be variously (a) captured using lift nets or dipnets at the dams 
(or acquired from Columbia River Smolt Monitoring Program or NMFS 
personnel at Bonneville Dam), (b) sampled for biological information or 
tagged with radiotransmitters, and (c) released.
    The research has many purposes and would benefit listed salmon and 
steelhead in different ways. In general, the purpose of the research is 
to compare biological and physiological indices of wild and hatchery 
juvenile fish exposed to stress during bypass, collection, and 
transportation activities at the dams. The research will benefit the 
listed species by helping determine what effects the dams and their 
associated structures and management activities have on the 
outmigrating salmonids and using that information modify those factors 
in ways that increase salmonid survival.

Permit 1379

    The Columbia River Inter Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is 
requesting a 5-year permit covering three study projects that, among 
them, would annually take adult and juvenile threatened SR fall chinook 
salmon; adult and juvenile threatened SR spring/summer chinook salmon 
(natural and artificially propagated); juvenile endangered UCR spring 
chinook salmon (natural and artificially propagated), adult threatened 
LCR chinook salmon; adult and juvenile endangered UCR steelhead 
(natural and artificially propagated); adult and juvenile threatened SR 
steelhead; and adult and juvenile endangered SR sockeye salmon at 
various points in the Columbia, Wenatchee, and Methow Rivers in 
Washington State. The research was originally conducted under Permit 
1134, which was in place for 5 years (63 FR 30199) with one amendment 
(67 FR 43909); it expired on December 31, 2002. Over the years, there 
have been some changes in the research and they are reflected in this 
proposal (e.g., the aforementioned amendment and some reallocation of 
research activities and their associated take to this and other 
permits), nonetheless, the proposed projects are largely continuations 
of ongoing research. They are: Project 1-Juvenile Upriver Bright Fall 
Chinook Sampling at the Hanford Reach (does not directly target a 
listed species but would indirectly take them); Project 2-Adult 
Chinook, Sockeye, and Coho Sampling at Bonnevile Dam; and Project 3-
Adult Sockeye Sampling at Tumwater Dam, Wenatchee River (does not 
directly target a listed species but would indirectly take them). Under 
these tasks, listed adult and juvenile salmon would be variously (a) 
captured (using seines, trawls, traps, hook-and-line angling equipment, 
and electrofishing equipment) and anesthetized; (b) sampled for 
biological information and tissue samples, (c) or tagged with radio 
transmitters or other identifiers, (e) and released.
    The research has many purposes and would benefit listed salmon and 
steelhead in different ways. In general, the purpose of the research is 
to gain current information on the status and productivity of various 
fish populations, collect data on migratory and exploitation (harvest) 
patterns, and develop baseline information on various population and 
habitat parameters in order to guide salmonid restoration strategies 
all of which are of use on their own, but most of which are being done 
in accordance with specific requirements of the of the U.S. Canada 
Pacific Salmon Treaty. The research would continue to benefit listed 
fish by helping managers set in-river and ocean harvest regimes so that 
they have minimal impacts on listed populations, prioritize projects in 
a way that gives maximum benefit to listed species, and design 
strategies and activities to help recover them. The CRITFC does not 
intend to kill any of the fish being captured, but a small percentage 
may die as an unintended result of the research activities.

Permit 1382-Modification 1

    The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is seeking a 
modification to Permit 1382 to take juvenile threatened MCR steelhead 
during the course of research designed to assess bull trout populations 
and life history and habitat characteristics in the Umatilla River, 
Oregon. Under permit 1382, the USGS is already conducting this type of 
research in the Wallawa River, Oregon. The researchers intend to use a 
variety of techniques to capture, mark, and monitor bull trout in the 
Umatilla River. The techniques that will affect MCR steelhead are 
snorkel surveys, backpack electrofishing, seining, trap netting, minnow 
trapping, and screw trapping. During the snorkeling exercise, the fish 
will simply be observed. Any MCR steelhead captured during the other 
operations will be counted and immediately released downstream from 
their capture sites.
    The purpose of the research is to tie fish and population health 
(for bull trout) to habitat quality and land use in the Umatilla 
subbasin and thus assist in the process of recovery planning. MCR 
steelhead will benefit from this research because many of the habitat 
features bull trout require are also important to steelhead and 
therefore any improvement in those features for the purposes of 
recovering bull trout will be of help to the local depressed steelhead 
populations as well. The researchers do not intend to kill any of the 
listed fish being captured, but a small percentage may die as an 
unintended result of the research activities.

Permit 1403

    The NWFSC is requesting a 5-year permit to annually take juvenile 
threatened SR spring/summer chinook salmon (natural); juvenile 
threatened SR steelhead; and juvenile threatened MCR steelhead at 
various places in the Salmon River subbasin, Idaho, and the John Day 
River subbasin in Oregon. The research encompasses two studies: 
Assessment of Three Alternative Methods of Nutrient Enhancement (Salmon 
Carcasses, Carcass Analogues, and Nutrient Pellets) on Biological 
Communities in Columbia River Tributaries, and Utilization of Nutrients 
from Spawning Salmon by Juvenile Chinook Salmon and Steelhead in the 
Columbia and Snake River Basins. Under these studies, the fish would 
variously be (a) captured (using seines, nets, traps and, possibly, 
electrofishing equipment) and anesthetized; (b) measured and weighed; 
(c) held for a time in enclosures in the stream from which they are 
captured; and (d) released. Both projects call for some juvenile listed 
fish to be intentionally killed as part of the research. It is also 
likely that a small percentage of the fish being captured would 
unintentionally be killed during the process. In addition, tissue 
samples would be taken from adult carcasses found on streambanks.
    The research has many purposes and would benefit listed salmon and 
steelhead in different ways. In general, the purpose of the research is 
to (a) learn how salmonids acquire nutrients from the bodies of dead 
spawners and test three methods of using those nutrients to increase 
growth and

[[Page 23110]]

survival among naturally produced salmonids and (b) determine the 
extent to which juvenile steelhead and chinook use marine-derived 
nutrients and learn more about the relationships between juvenile 
salmonid body size, population density, and nutrient uptake. The 
research will benefit the fish by helping managers use nutrient 
enhancement techniques to help recover listed salmonid populations. 
Moreover, managers will be able to gain a broader understanding of the 
role marine-derived nutrients play in ecosystem health as a whole. 
This, in turn, will help inform management decisions and actions 
intended to help salmon recovery in the future.

Permit 1406

    The NWFSC is requesting a 5-year permit to annually take juvenile 
(and precocious male) threatened SR spring/summer chinook salmon 
(naturally produced) and juvenile threatened SR steelhead at various 
places in the Salmon River drainage in Idaho, at Little Goose Dam on 
the lower Snake River, and at multiple subbbasins in Northeast Oregon, 
Southeast Washington, and Idaho including the Clearwater and Grande 
Ronde Rivers. The research is largely a continuation of two long-term, 
ongoing studies formerly conducted under permits 852 and 1056; the 
studies have been in place for more than 10 years. They are: Monitoring 
the Migrations of wild Snake River Spring/summer Chinook Salmon Smolts 
and Monitoring and Evaluating the Genetic Characteristics of 
Supplemented Salmon and Steelhead. Under these studies, the listed fish 
would be variously captured (using seines, dip nets, and 
electrofishing), re-captured at a smolt bypass facility, anesthetized, 
tagged with PIT tags or otherwise marked, tissue sampled, weighed, 
measured, and released. Both projects call for some juvenile listed 
fish to be intentionally killed as part of the research. It is also 
likely that a small percentage of the fish being captured would 
unintentionally be killed during the process.
    The research has many purposes and would benefit listed salmon and 
steelhead in different ways. In general, the purpose of the research is 
to continue monitoring juvenile out migration behavior and the effects 
of supplementation among steelhead spring/summer chinook salmon 
populations in Idaho. The research will benefit the fish by continuing 
to supply managers with the information they need to (a) budget water 
releases at hydropower facilities in ways that will help protect 
migrating juveniles, and (b) use hatchery programs to conserve listed 
species.

Permit 1421

    The USFWS in Vancouver, WA is requesting a 3-year permit to 
annually take adult and juvenile endangered SR sockeye salmon; adult 
and juvenile endangered UCR spring chinook salmon (natural and 
artificially propagated); adult and juvenile endangered UCR steelhead 
(natural and artificially propagated); adult and juvenile threatened SR 
fall chinook salmon; adult and juvenile threatened SR spring/summer 
chinook salmon (natural and artificially propagated); adult and 
juvenile threatened SR steelhead; adult and juvenile threatened MCR 
steelhead; adult and juvenile threatened LCR chinook salmon; adult and 
juvenile threatened LCR steelhead; and adult and juvenile threatened CR 
chum salmon during the course of a study in the Franz Lake National 
Wildlife Refuge on the Lower Columbia River. The USFWS proposes to 
capture (using boat and backpack electrofishing, fyke nets, and minnow 
traps), anesthetize, measure, check for tags, mark, sample for stomach 
content, and release listed salmonids.
    The objectives of the study are to (1) document fish species in the 
refuge, (2) evaluate fish distribution relative to habitat features, 
and (3) describe fish diets in the refuge. The study will be 
coordinated with a mosquito control study conducted by the Oregon 
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The study will benefit 
listed fish by generating information on the effects of mosquito 
control on salmonids and salmonid prey species, and the spacial and 
temporal relations among fish distribution, fish diets, and areas 
typically treated to control mosquitos. The USFWS does not intend to 
kill any of the listed fish being captured, but a small percentage may 
die as an unintended result of the research activities.

Permit 1422

    The USFS is requesting a 5-year permit to annually take juvenile 
endangered UCR chinook salmon, juvenile endangered UCR steelhead, and 
juvenile threatened MCR steelhead during research activities taking 
place at various points in the Yakima, Methow, Entiat, and Wenatchee 
River drainages in Washington State. The fish would be captured (using 
minnow traps, hook-and-line angling, and electrofishing equipment), 
identified, and immediately released. The purpose of the research is to 
determine fish distribution in the subbasins listed above. The research 
will benefit the fish by giving land managers information they need in 
order to design forest management activities (e.g., timber sales, 
grazing plans, road building) in such a way as to conserve listed 
species. The USFS does not intend to kill any of the listed fish being 
captured, but a small percentage may die as an unintended result of the 
research activities.

Permit 1423

    The USFWS is requesting a 3-year permit to annually take juvenile 
endangered UCR steelhead and juvenile endangered UCR chinook (naturally 
propagated) at points near Icicle Creek and Entiat River National Fish 
Hatcheries in Washington State. The fish would be captured (using 
seines, minnow traps, a screw trap, electrofishing, and hook-and-line 
angling), anesthetized, measured, and killed. It is also likely that a 
small number of the fish being captured-over and above those that would 
be sacrificed would unintentionally be killed. Several samples would 
then be taken from the fish and used to determine whether any disease-
viral or bacterial- was present in the population.
    The purpose of the research is to determine if there are any 
interactions between wild and hatchery fish in terms of disease 
transmission and to gather baseline information on pathogen presence in 
the local fish populations. The research would benefit listed fish by 
increasing our knowledge of disease presence and transmission in the 
UCR and thereby help managers reduce the risks associated with those 
diseases.

Permit 1426

    The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is requesting a 5-year 
permit to annually take adult threatened MCR steelhead at Roza Dam on 
the Yakima River, WA. Under this study, the adult MCR steelhead would 
be captured at the adult monitoring and broodstock collection facility 
on the adult ladder at Roza Dam, anesthetized, radio-tagged, allowed to 
recover, and released.
    The purpose of the research is to determine the movements 
(migration timing, holding area locations, migration routes, etc.) of 
the steelhead in the upper Yakima watershed. The information would 
benefit the fish because it would be used to help develop 
supplementation plans and passage improvements as well as protecting 
and enhancing mainstem and tributary habitats the MCR steelhead use. 
The BPAdoes not intend to kill any of the listed fish being captured, 
but a small percentage may die as an

[[Page 23111]]

unintended result of the research activities.

Permit 1427

    The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) in Eugene, OR 
is requesting a 5-year permit to annually take adult and juvenile 
threatened LCR chinook salmon, adult and juvenile threatened UWR 
chinook salmon, adult and juvenile threatened LCR steelhead and adult 
and juvenile threatened UWR steelhead associated with a study in the 
Willamette River, OR. The ODEQ proposes to capture (using boat 
electrofishing), count, and release listed salmonids.
    The objectives of the study are to (1) describe the relationship 
between mercury in fish tissue and in the water column in order to 
develop a site-specific bioaccummulation factor, (2) describe the 
relationship between methlymercury in water and total mercury in water 
and sediment, and (3) begin to identify and quantify mercury sources 
and loadings in the Willamette River system. The study is designed to 
fulfill the requirement mandated by the Federal Clean Water Act and 
will benefit listed fish by helping reduce mercury loading in the 
Willamette River system. The ODEQ does not intend to kill any of the 
listed fish being captured, but a small percentage may die as an 
unintended result of the research activities.
    This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of the ESA. NMFS 
will evaluate the applications, associated documents, and comments 
submitted to determine whether the applications meet the requirements 
of section 10(a) of the ESA and Federal regulations. The final permit 
decisions will not be made until after the end of the 30 day comment 
period. NMFS will publish notice of its final actions in the Federal 
Register.

    Dated: April 23, 2003.
Phil Williams,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-10674 Filed 4-29-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S