[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 247 (Tuesday, December 27, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76445-76447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7852]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 121905A]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans

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

ACTION: Proposed Recovery Plan for the Evolutionarily Significant Unit 
(ESU) of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon

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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the 
availability for public review of a proposed Puget Sound Salmon 
Recovery Plan (Plan) for the Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) of 
Puget Sound Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). This Plan 
consists of a Draft Puget Sound Recovery Plan prepared by the Shared 
Strategy (Shared Strategy Plan) and a NMFS supplement to the Shared 
Strategy Plan (Supplement). NMFS is soliciting review and comment on 
the proposed Plan from the public and all interested parties.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed Puget Sound Salmon Recovery 
Plan closes on February 27, 2006. NMFS will consider and address all 
substantive comments received during the comment period. Comments must 
be received no later than 5 p.m. Pacific Standard. A description of 
previous public and scientific review, including scientific peer 
review, can be found in the NMFS Supplement.

ADDRESSES:  Please send written comments and materials to Elizabeth 
Babcock, National Marine Fisheries Service, Salmon Recovery Division, 
7600 Sandpoint Way NE Seattle, WA 98115. 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 Puget Sound Salmon Plan. 
Comments may also be submitted via facsimile (fax) to 206-526-6426.
    Persons wishing to review the Plan, can obtain an electronic copy 
(i.e., CD-ROM) from Carol Joyce by calling 503-230-5408, or by e-
mailing a request to [email protected], with the subject line CD-ROM 
Request for Puget Sound Salmon Plan. Electronic copies of the Shared 
Strategy Plan are also available on-line on the Shared Strategy website 
www.sharedsalmonstrategy.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Babcock, NMFS Puget Sound 
Salmon Recovery Coordinator (206-526-4505), or Elizabeth Gaar, NMFS 
Salmon Recovery Division (503-230-5434).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for the 
conservation and recovery of species listed under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The ESA 
requires that recovery plans incorporate (1) objective, measurable 
criteria which, when met, would result in a determination that the 
species is no longer threatened or endangered; (2) site-specific 
management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goals; and (3) 
estimates of the time required and costs to implement recovery actions. 
The ESA requires the development of recovery plans for listed species 
unless such a plan would not promote the recovery of a particular 
species.
    NMFS' goal is to restore endangered and threatened Pacific salmon 
ESUs to the point where they are again secure, self-sustaining members 
of their ecosystems and no longer need the protections of the ESA. NMFS 
believes it is critically important to base its recovery plans on the 
many state, regional, tribal, local, and private conservation efforts 
already underway throughout the region. The agency's approach to 
recovery planning has been to support and participate in locally led 
collaborative efforts involving local communities, state, tribal, and 
Federal entities, and other stakeholders to develop recovery plans.
    On June 30, 2005, the Shared Strategy for Puget Sound presented its 
locally developed recovery plan (Shared Strategy Plan) to NMFS. The 
Shared Strategy is a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 to 
coordinate recovery planning for Puget Sound salmonids. It includes 
representatives of Federal, state, tribal, and local governments, 
business, agriculture and forestry industries, conservation and 
environmental groups, and local watershed planning groups. The Shared

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Strategy Plan is based on individual watershed recovery plans put 
together by groups and local governments in 14 watershed planning 
areas.
    By endorsing a locally developed recovery plan, NMFS is making a 
commitment to implement the actions in it for which we have authority, 
to work cooperatively on implementation of other actions, and to 
encourage other Federal agencies to implement plan actions for which 
they have responsibility and authority. We will also encourage the 
State of Washington to seek similar implementation commitments from 
state agencies and local governments. NMFS expects the Plan to help 
NMFS and other Federal agencies take a more consistent approach to 
future interagency consultations required by section 7 of the ESA. For 
example, the Plan will provide greater biological context for the 
effects that a proposed action may have on the listed ESU. This context 
will be enhanced by adding recovery plan science to the ``best 
available information'' for section 7 consultations. Such information 
includes viability criteria for the ESU and its independent 
populations; better understanding of and information on limiting 
factors and threats facing the ESU; better information on priority 
areas for addressing specific limiting factors; and better geographic 
context for where the ESU can tolerate varying levels of risk.
    After review of the Shared Strategy Plan, NMFS has added a 
Supplement, which describes how the Shared Strategy Plan satisfies ESA 
recovery plan requirements, including qualifications and additional 
actions that NMFS believes are necessary to support recovery, and 
describes the agency's intent to use the Shared Strategy Plan as an ESA 
recovery plan for the Puget Sound. The Plan (including the Shared 
Strategy Plan and NMFS supplement) is now available for public review 
and comment. As noted above, it is available at the Shared Strategy 
website, www.sharedsalmonstrategy.com, and the NMFS Northwest Region 
Salmon Recovery Division website, www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/ESA-Recovery-Plans/Draft-Plans.cfm. NMFS will consider all 
substantive comments and information presented during the public 
comment period (see DATES).

ESU Addressed and Planning Area

    The Plan covers the range of the Puget Sound Chinook Salmon ESU 
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), listed as threatened on March 24, 1999 (64 
FR 14307). The area covered by the Plan is the 16,000-square-mile Puget 
Sound Basin, the second largest estuary in the United States. It 
encompasses twenty major river systems originating in the Cascade 
mountain range to the east and the Olympic mountain range to the west. 
The recovery planning area ends at the Canadian border, but includes 
the San Juan Islands. The Plan focuses on the recovery of Puget Sound 
Chinook salmon. Many of the actions identified in the Plan will also 
benefit Hood Canal summer chum salmon, whose geographic range is 
contained within a portion of the range of Puget Sound Chinook salmon, 
and bull trout, whose geographic range includes, but is more extensive 
than, that of Puget Sound Chinook salmon. A draft recovery plan 
prepared specifically for the Hood Canal Summer-run Chum Salmon ESU was 
prepared by the Hood Canal Coordinating Council, a regional council of 
governments, and delivered to NMFS and the State of Washington in 
November 2005 for review through a separate process. NMFS has begun 
reviewing that plan and will present its findings for public review in 
early 2006. As the lead ESA agency for Chinook salmon, NMFS is 
responsible for reviewing these locally produced recovery plans and 
deciding whether adoption is merited. The geographic area covered by 
the Plan also encompasses the entire range of the Puget Sound Steelhead 
ESU (Oncorhynchus mykiss). NMFS is currently reviewing the status of 
this ESU under the ESA. The Puget Sound steelhead ESU is not currently 
listed or proposed for listing. At this time, NMFS is not considering 
benefits of salmon recovery measures proposed in this Plan for Puget 
Sound steelhead populations, but may do so in the future.

The Plan

    The Plan incorporates the NMFS viable salmonid population (VSP) 
framework as a basis for biological status assessments and recovery 
goals for Puget Sound Chinook salmon. The Plan also incorporates the 
work of the Puget Sound Technical Recovery Team (PSTRT) appointed by 
NMFS, which provided recommendations on biological criteria for 
population and ESU viability. The PSTRT set forth scientific conditions 
that would indicate a high probability of persistence into the future 
for Puget Sound salmon. The current status of the populations in each 
watershed was derived through local assessments in consultation with 
the PSTRT and state and tribal co-managers. The PSTRT review of the 
Plan is available at www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/ESA-Recovery-Plans/TRT-Review.cfm.
    In general, based on updated status evaluations considering the 
four VSP parameters of abundance, population growth rate, genetic and 
life history diversity, and spatial structure, the Plan concludes that 
all of the remaining 22 independent populations of Chinook salmon in 
Puget Sound are at high risk. Overall abundance has declined 
substantially from historical levels, many populations are small enough 
that genetic and demographic risks are likely to be relatively high, 
and spatial structure and diversity have been greatly decreased.
    The Plan provides a roadmap for implementation of recovery actions 
in the Puget Sound Basin of Washington State. It identifies threats to 
the Puget Sound Chinook Salmon ESU, includes actions intended to 
address all the manageable threats, and includes recovery goals and 
measurable criteria consistent with the ESA. The Plan's initial 
approach is to target reductions in all manageable threats and to 
improve the status of all 22 populations of the ESU. As monitoring and 
evaluation improve our understanding of the effectiveness of various 
actions and their benefits throughout the life cycle of salmon and 
steelhead, adjustments may be made through the adaptive management 
framework described in the Plan (see www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/ESA-Recovery-Plans/Adaptive-Mngmnt.cfm).
    A combination of habitat loss and degradation, harvest, hatchery 
production of salmon and steelhead, hydropower facility construction 
and operation, and ecological changes have resulted in reduced 
viability of the Puget Sound Chinook and its eventual listing under the 
ESA.
    The Plan identifies the following key threats to the ESU and 
recovery actions to reduce them:
    1. Habitat: Human activities have altered habitat-forming 
processes, such as sediment transport, hydrology, organic matter 
deposition, nutrient and chemical inputs, temperature and light, 
floodplain dynamics, riparian function, and nearshore dynamics. Major 
changes in land use have resulted in altered watershed function and 
extensive degradation of riparian areas, floodplains, and stream 
habitat. Intertidal habitat has declined by 80 percent and extensive 
industrial development and armoring of shoreline have reduced juvenile 
rearing and migration areas as well as food sources for salmon. Several 
major dams block

[[Page 76447]]

access to historic Chinook salmon spawning and rearing habitat.
    2. Harvest: The Plan reviews the history and effects of commercial 
and recreational harvest on Puget Sound Chinook and notes that harvest 
today is managed under the following major management forums: the 
Pacific Salmon Commission, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, 
and the Federal court proceedings of U.S. v. Washington. Current 
management objectives emphasize survival and recovery of wild salmon 
populations.
    3. Hatcheries: The Plan reviews risks to the listed ESU from 
hatchery production, which include genetic effects that reduce fitness 
and survival, ecological effects such as competition and predation, 
facility effects on passage and water quality, mixed stock fishery 
effects, and masking the true status of naturally produced fish. The 
Plan describes recent efforts toward hatchery reform and refers to the 
Chinook Hatchery Resource Management Plan and NMFS' Chinook Hatchery 
and Genetic Management Plans for actions to help recover natural 
populations and reconfigure production-based hatchery programs to 
minimize impacts on natural populations.
    4. Additional Factors: The Plan reviews the following additional 
factors that affect Puget Sound salmon: global climate change, 
fluctuating ocean cycles, and marine mammal interactions. These 
considerations further support recovery actions to protect and restore 
local habitat conditions as a buffer against larger-scale changes.
    5. Integration across all the Hs (Habitat, Harvest, Hatcheries): 
The Plan states that recovery will depend on integrating actions that 
address habitat, harvest, and hatcheries and working together to adjust 
approaches and actions over time as population conditions change. The 
Plan calls for advancing the work on all-H integration in the first 
years of plan implementation.
    The Plan identifies substantive actions needed to achieve recovery 
by addressing the threats to the species. The Plan also incorporates an 
adaptive management framework by which Plan actions and other elements 
will evolve and adapt to information gained as a result of monitoring 
and evaluation. The Plan anticipates that future actions will be 
influenced by additional analysis of costs and effectiveness of 
recovery actions to maximize efficiency.
    The long-term goal is to achieve viable salmonid populations, i.e. 
to achieve self-sustaining populations of Puget Sound Chinook salmon in 
terms of abundance, productivity, spatial distribution, and diversity.
    Because of the complexity and extent of the changes necessary to 
reach the recovery targets and the technical and policy uncertainties 
associated with the long term, policymakers chose to focus on 
developing a ten-year work plan within the context of the overall 
recovery need, while recognizing that recovery could take much longer. 
Since the existing 22 independent Puget Sound Chinook salmon 
populations are currently at high risk of extinction, the short-term 
goal is to improve conditions for all the populations and to get on a 
trajectory toward recovery early in implementation. Additional goals in 
this timeframe include implementing and evaluating the set of short-
term strategies and priority actions identified; gaining a preliminary 
view of the status and trends of important recovery indicators; and 
making mid-course corrections as needed. In ten years, watershed and 
regional leaders will put forward the next set of strategies and 
actions toward achieving the long-term goal.
    An implementation schedule is incorporated into the Plan. The first 
step involves further coordination among the Shared Strategy, local 
watershed groups, and various decision makers and responsible entities 
to develop an adaptive management and monitoring program that is 
integrated at the watershed and regional level.

Public Comments Solicited

    NMFS solicits written comments on the proposed Recovery Plan, 
including the Shared Strategy Plan and the Supplement. The Supplement 
states NMFS' assessment of the Shared Strategy Plan's relationship to 
ESA requirements for recovery plans and specifies recovery (de-listing) 
criteria for the ESU. The Supplement also explains the agency's intent 
to use the Shared Strategy Plan to guide and prioritize Federal 
recovery actions in the ESU and to ultimately adopt the Shared Strategy 
Plan as a final ESA recovery plan for the ESU. All substantive comments 
received by the date specified above will be considered prior to NMFS' 
decision whether to endorse the Plan as a final recovery plan. 
Additionally, NMFS will provide a summary of the comments and responses 
and notice of the final Plan. NMFS seeks comments particularly in the 
following areas: (1) the analysis of limiting factors and threats; (2) 
the recovery strategies and measures; (3) the criteria for removing the 
ESU from the Federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife and 
plants; and (4) meeting the ESA requirement for estimates of time and 
cost to implement recovery actions by soliciting implementation 
schedules.

Authority

    The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered 
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

    Dated: December 20, 2005.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Division of Endangered Species, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-7852 Filed 12-23-05; 8:45 am]
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