[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 69 (Friday, April 9, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18877-18878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8114]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 032604A]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Applications for two scientific research permits (1482, 1484) 
and three permit modifications (1156, 1341, 1345).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received two scientific 
research permit applications and three applications to modify existing 
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 at the appropriate address or 
fax number (see ADDRESSES) no later than 5 p.m. Pacific daylight-saving 
time on May 10, 2004.

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 or by e-mail to 
[email protected].

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 naturally-produced and 
artificially propagated upper Columbia River (UCR); threatened 
naturally-produced and artificially propagated SR spring/summer (spr/
sum); threatened SR fall; threatened lower Columbia River (LCR); 
threatened naturally produced and artificially-propagated Puget Sound 
(PS); threatened upper Willamette River (UWR).
    Chum salmon (O. keta): threatened Columbia River (CR); threatened 
Hood Canal summer (HC).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened SR; threatened middle Columbia 
River (MCR); endangered UCR; threatened LCR; threatened UWR.
    Coho Salmon (O. kisutch): threatened Southern Oregon/Northern 
California Coast (SONCC).

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 a hearing is 
at the discretion of the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA.

Applications Received

Permit 1156 - Modification 2

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking to modify 
Permit 1156 to increase the number of SR steelhead, SR spr/sum chinook 
salmon, SR fall chinook salmon, and PS chinook salmon they are 
currently allowed to take. They also want to be allowed to take adult 
and juvenile SR sockeye salmon and juvenile HC chum salmon. Under the 
current permit they are allowed to annually capture, handle, and 
release adult and juvenile, naturally-produced and artificially-
propagated UCR spring chinook salmon; adult and juvenile, naturally-
produced and artificially-propagated UCR steelhead; adult and juvenile 
LCR chinook salmon; adult and juvenile SR steelhead; adult and juvenile 
MCR steelhead; adult and juvenile LCR steelhead; juvenile, naturally-
produced and artificially-propagated PS chinook salmon; adult and 
juvenile UWR steelhead; adult and juvenile UWR chinook salmon; adult 
and juvenile SR spr/sum chinook salmon; adult and juvenile SR fall 
chinook salmon; and adult and juvenile SONCC coho salmon. The research 
takes place in randomly selected river systems in Oregon, Idaho, and 
Washington. The research was originally conducted under Permit 1156, 
which was in place for 5 years (63 FR 45799) with two modifications (65 
FR 20954, 66 FR 56658, 67 FR 34909, 67 FR 39960, 67 FR 66129); it 
expired on December 31, 2002. A new 5-year permit was granted for the 
research in 2003, and the EPA is seeking to modify that permit to 
change the take allotment and add two cooperators. Nonetheless, the 
modification reflects a continuation of ongoing research. The research 
is designed to assess species status and trends in selected river 
systems. The EPA intends to continue conducting annual surveys for 
fish, macroinvertebrates, algae, and microbial assemblages as well as 
physical and chemical habitat conditions. The research will benefit 
listed fish by providing baseline information about water quality in 
the study areas and will also support enforcement of the Clean Water 
act in those river systems where listed fish are present. The EPA 
proposes to capture the fish (using backpack or raft electrofishing), 
sample them for biological information, and release them. The EPA 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. 
Dynamac Corporation, Washington Department of Energy, and Idaho 
Department of Environmental Quality will be cooperators in the 
research. The EPA requests that cooperators' biologists be authorized 
as agents of the EPA in conducting the research.

[[Page 18878]]

Permit 1341 - Modification 1

    The Shoshone-Bannock (Sho-Ban) Tribes are seeking to modify Permit 
1341 to increase the number of SR spr/sum chinook salmon they are 
currently allowed to capture. Under the current permit, they annually 
capture, handle, and release SR sockeye salmon and SR spring/summer 
chinook salmon in Pettit and Alturas Lakes in Idaho State. The purpose 
of the research is to generate data on chinook and sockeye overwinter 
survival, downstream migration survival, and downstream migration 
timing. This data, in turn, is used to evaluate various release 
strategies and calculate smolt-to-adult return rates. The research 
benefits the fish by helping managers run the Pettit and Alturas Lakes 
sockeye salmon reintroduction program in the most efficient way 
possible; the program is considered key to the survival and recovery of 
SR sockeye salmon. Under the permit, juvenile SR sockeye salmon and 
spr/sum chinook salmon are collected in rotary screw traps and weirs. 
The fish are then sampled for biological information and released (or 
they receive a passive integrated transponder tag and are released). In 
addition, to determine trap efficiencies, a portion of the juvenile SR 
sockeye salmon captured are marked with a small cut on the caudal fin, 
released upstream of the traps, captured at the traps a second time, 
inspected for the caudal fin mark, and released. The Sho-Ban tribes do 
not intend to kill any of the fish being captured, but a small number 
may die as an unintended result of the research activities.

Permit 1345 - Modification 1

    The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking to 
modify Permit 1345 to increase the number of adult and juvenile PS 
chinook salmon they are currently allowed to capture every year. Under 
the current permit, they are allowed to annually take UCR steelhead and 
chinook salmon, PS chinook salmon, SR steelhead, SR spr/sum chinook, 
and MCR steelhead during the course of Washington State's annual 
warmwater fish stock assessment surveys. The purpose of these surveys 
is to gather data on the state's fish species and thereby allow the 
WDFW to manage them in the best way possible. The research will benefit 
listed fish by giving managers more information on their abundance, 
distribution, and health. The surveys are usually conducted using boat 
electrofishing equipment in the backwater sloughs, oxbow lakes, and 
ponds associated with major river systems throughout Washington State. 
During the research, any captured juvenile listed salmonids are sampled 
for biological information and immediately released. If adult listed 
salmonids are seen, the electrofishing equipment is turned off and they 
are allowed to escape. The WDFW 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 1482

    The WDFW is requesting a 5-year research permit to annually 
capture, handle, and release juvenile and adult UCR steelhead and 
spring chinook salmon (natural and artificially propagated). The 
research will take place in the Methow, Wenatchee, Entiat, and mainstem 
Columbia Rivers in Washington State. The research would be conducted 
during the course of two studies: Salmonid Stock Assessment and Habitat 
Utilization, and Habitat Evaluation, Research, and Monitoring. The 
purpose of the research is to collect biological data on the salmonid 
populations in question, determine where salmonids are present in the 
areas listed above, genetically identify individual salmonid stocks, 
and examine habitat condition where the salmon and steelhead are found. 
The research will benefit the fish by helping managers (a) understand 
the potential effects of proposed land use practices, (b) determine 
appropriate regulatory and habitat protection measures in the areas 
where land use actions are planned, (c) project the impacts of 
potential hydraulic projects, and (d) evaluate the effectiveness of 
local forest practices in terms of their ability to protect listed 
salmonids. The WDFW proposes to capture the fish using electrofishing 
equipment, seines, and barbless hook-and-line angling gear. Once 
captured, the fish will be variously tissue sampled, measured, marked, 
allowed to recover, and released. The WDFW 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 1484

    The Washington Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is requesting 
a 5-year research permit to annually handle juvenile PS chinook salmon, 
LCR chinook salmon, LCR steelhead, and CR chum salmon in WDNR-managed 
forest lands in the State of Washington. The purpose of the research is 
to conduct surveys to correctly identify stream types. By correctly 
identifying stream types, the WDNR could potentially benefit listed 
species by increasing the size of riparian zones and thus protecting 
the type of habitat needed for healthy salmonid populations. The WDNR 
proposes to capture the fish (using backpack electrofishing), identify, 
and release them. The WDNR 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.
    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 action in the Federal 
Register.

    Dated: March 30,2004.
Susan Pultz,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-8114 Filed 4-8-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S