[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 81 (Thursday, April 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22001-22002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8463]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 042005A]


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 (1531, 1532) 
and requests to modify two permits (1119, 1338).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received two scientific 
research permit applications and two modification requests relating to 
Pacific salmon. 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 
must be received at the appropriate address or fax number (see 
ADDRESSES) no later than 5 p.m. Pacific daylight-saving time on May 31, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the application should be sent to 
Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 1100, 
Portland, OR 97232-1274. Comments may also be sent via fax to 503-230-
5441 or by e-mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    Garth Griffin, Portland, OR (ph.: 503-231-2005, Fax: 503-230-5441, 
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:
    Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): endangered natural and 
artificially propagated upper Columbia River (UCR); threatened natural 
and artificially propagated Snake River (SR) spring/summer (spr/sum); 
threatened SR fall; threatened lower Columbia River (LCR).
    Chum salmon (O. keta): threatened Columbia River (CR).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened middle Columbia River (MCR); 
endangered UCR.
    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 based on findings that such permits: (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, NMFS.

Applications Received

Permit 1119 - Modification 2

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is seeking to modify its 
5-year permit covering six studies that, among them, would annually 
take adult and juvenile endangered UCR spring chinook salmon (natural 
and artificially propagated) and 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 ongoing research projects are: Study 1-
Recovery of ESA-listed Entiat River Salmonids through Improved 
Management Actions; Study 2-Peshastin Creek Salmonid Production and 
Life History Investigations; 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; Study 6-Icicle

[[Page 22002]]

Creek Salmonid Production and Life History Investigations. The FWS is 
only asking to change the first two studies. Under the ongoing 
research, listed adult and juvenile salmon and steelhead would be 
variously (a) captured (using nets, traps, and electrofishing 
equipment) and anesthetized; (b) sampled for biological information and 
tissue samples; (c) tagged with PIT tags or other identifiers; (d) 
marked and recaptured to determine trap efficiency, and (e) released.
    The research has many purposes and would benefit listed salmon and 
steelhead in different ways. In general, the purposes of the research 
are 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 FWS does not 
intend to kill any of the fish being captured, but a small percentage 
may die as an unintentional result of the research activities.

Permit 1338 - Modification 1

    The FWS is asking to modify its 5-year permit to continue studying 
salmonids in tributaries of the Lower Columbia River. The FWS is 
requesting to increase its annual take of juvenile LCR chinook salmon 
and CR chum salmon because the abundance of juvenile salmon has 
increased in the study area.
    The research is designed to provide a better understanding of life 
history requirements and factors affecting chum salmon in Hardy Creek 
and in Hamilton Springs and ultimately to improve the conservation of 
salmonids in the lower Columbia River. The study will benefit listed 
chum salmon by providing information on their freshwater life history 
that can be used in Columbia River water management and recover 
planning. The FWS is requesting authorization to capture (using fyke 
nets, weirs, or screw traps), handle, mark, and release additional 
juvenile fish. The USFWS does not intend to kill any fish being 
captured but some additional fish may die as an unintentional result of 
the research activities.

Permit 1531

    Aaron Maxwell of the Southern Oregon University (SOU) is asking for 
a 3-year research permit to identify existing salmonid strongholds and 
detail threats to salmonid survival and recovery. The research will 
take place in Bear Creek, a tributary to the Rogue River in southern 
Oregon. The SOU is requesting to take juvenile SONCC coho salmon.
    The research is designed to assess species abundance and to further 
document the location of habitats occupied by native and non-native 
fish species in the Bear Creek Watershed. Detailed species abundance 
data will be used to identify productive habitats and to prioritize 
sites of feasible restoration potential. The study will benefit listed 
coho salmon by providing information on habitat that could be used for 
the long-term protection of intact ecosystems in the Klamath-Siskiyou 
Bioregion. The SOU proposes to capture, using minnow traps, handle, and 
release listed salmonids. The SOU does not intend to kill any fish 
being captured but some may die as an unintentional result of the 
research activities.

Permit 1532

    The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is seeking 
a 5-year permit to take juvenile MCR steelhead during the course of 
research designed to determine their freshwater movements and how those 
movements are affected by the area's substantially altered hydrograph. 
The research will take place in Satus, Ahtanum, and Toppenish Creeks, 
Washington.
    The fish will be captured using screw traps, anesthetized, and some 
will be tissue-sampled and some will receive passive integrated 
transponder (PIT) tags. The information gathered will be used to 
determine the fishes' movements, abundance, and the ongoing status of 
the various MCR steelhead populations in the Yakima River subbasin. The 
research will benefit the fish by helping managers determine the 
effectiveness of current recovery measures and design new ones where 
needed. The CRITFC does not plan to kill any of the fish being 
captured, but a few may die as an unintentional result of the research.
    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: April 21, 2005.
Phil Williams,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-8463 Filed 4-27-05; 8:45 am]
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