[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 135 (Friday, July 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40986-40987]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13991]



[[Page 40986]]

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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 070605B]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comment.

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

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has prepared an environmental 
assessment (EA) of the impacts on the human environment of the 
potential issuance of scientific research and enhancement permit number 
1530 relating to Pacific salmon. Permit 1530 would be issued jointly to 
the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Nez Perce Tribe through 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game 
(Applicants) to operate the adult fish trap at Lower Granite Dam. This 
document serves to notify the public of the availability of the draft 
EA for review and comment before a final decision on whether to issue a 
Finding of No Significant Impact is made by NMFS. The proposed actions 
are intended to increase knowledge of species listed under the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to help guide management and 
conservation efforts. It is also intended to facilitate collection of 
broodstock to supply an artificial propagation program designed to 
enhance the propagation and survival of threatened Snake River fall 
chinook salmon.

DATES: Comments or requests for public hearing on the application must 
be received at the appropriate address or fax number (see ADDRESSES) no 
later than 5 p.m. Pacific daylight time on August 15, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the application should be sent to Salmon 
Recovery Division, NMFS, 10095 W. Emerald, Boise, ID 83704. Comments 
may be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for providing e-mail 
comments is [email protected]. Include in the subject line of 
the e-mail comment the following identifier: Comments on trapping at 
Lower Granite Dam. Comments may also be submitted via facsimile (fax) 
to (208) 378-5614.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herb Pollard, Boise, ID, at phone 
number: (208)378-5699, e-mail: [email protected].

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): threatened Snake River 
(SR) fall.
    Chinook salmon (O. Tshawytscha): SR spring summer.
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened SR.

Background

    NEPA requires Federal agencies to conduct an environmental analysis 
of their proposed actions to determine if the actions may affect the 
human environment. NMFS expects to take action on ESA section 
10(a)(1)(A) submittals expected from the applicants. Therefore the 
Service is seeking public input on the scope of the required NEPA 
analysis, including the range of reasonalble alternatives and 
associated impacts of any alternatives.
    The application for permit 1530 was previously made available for 
public comment. 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. The Applicants are requesting a 5-year permit to take 
SR fall chinook salmon, SR spring/summer chinook salmon, and SR 
steelhead during the course of operating an adult fish trap a Lower 
Granite Dam on the Columbia River.
    The proposed action is designed to address two purposes. The 
trapping activity is intended to capture a random sample of Snake River 
fall chinook salmon and collect the necessary biological data and 
observations to statistically generate a run 
reconstruction, or description of composition of the entire 
fall chinook salmon migration, as it passes Lower Granite Dam, 
according to age, sex, and origin (hatchery or natural). The second 
purpose is to collect additional adult fall chinook salmon for 
broodstock needed to support enhancement actions at Lyons Ferry 
Hatchery and Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery. Incidental to the primary 
purposes, the program will help managers simultaneously monitor several 
ongoing activities in the basin (e.g., natural production of listed 
species and the operation of the Federal Columbia River hydropower 
system) as well as stray rates and population health for the two listed 
species. To achieve its purposes, the project includes four objectives: 
First, it is meant to capture SR fall chinook salmon so that they may 
be used for mitigation, compensation, and natural production. Second, 
it is intended to remove hatchery-origin fall chinook salmon 
originating from projects other than those in the Snake River Basin so 
that they do not spawn in the Snake River above Lower Granite Dam. 
Third, facilitate research efforts including the capture of fish to 
measure the relative reproductive success of hatchery fish being used 
for natural supplementation and thereby monitor the success of that 
program. Fourth, the captured steelhead will be used to monitor the 
staus of steelhead populations in the Snake River Basin.
    Fish species will benefit in several ways. By providing broodstock 
for Lyons Ferry Hatchery and Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery, the program 
will continue its efforts in directly increasing the abundance of the 
listed stocks. Removing salmon that stray from other hatchery programs 
will reduce adverse ecological and genetic interactions and preserve 
the listed stock. Information from the captured steelhead is essential 
to monitor the satus and productivity of the listed populations, to 
help managers make decisions about how best to operate the hydro power 
system, and to gauge the effectiveness of a number of recovery efforts.
    The fish would be captured at the Lower Granite Dam adult trap. 
When not directed into the trap, most fish pass the ladder unimpeded. 
Trapped fish are anesthetized, examined, biological samples are taken, 
and the fish are either (1) returned to the ladder to continue their 
upstream migration (all of the steelhead and most of the chinook 
salmon), (2) selected for broodstock (in the case of a portion of the 
hatchery-origin and natural-origin chinook salmon), or (3) removed from 
the population (all hatchery-origin chinook salmon that are identified 
by tags or marks as strays from other hatcheries). Transport to one of 
the hatchery facilities fish collected for broodstock occurs daily 
during peak run periods. Some natural-origin Snake River fall chinook 
salmon would be collected to integrate into the broodstock. Scale 
sampling may occur on-site prior to transport to the hatcheries. Once 
sampled, fish not collected for broodstock are allowed to recover in 
small tanks and then returned to the fish ladder to continue their 
upstream migration.
    The general effects on the environment considered include the 
impacts on the physical, biological, and

[[Page 40987]]

socioeconomic environments of the Snake River Basin.

    Dated: July 12, 2005.
P. Michael Payne,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-13991 Filed 7-14-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S