[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 19 (Monday, January 30, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4897-4898]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1112]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 011806J]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Receipt of application for research permit 1558; request for 
comment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received an application 
for a permit for scientific research from William Mitchell, as 
principal investigator for Jones and Stokes, in Sacramento, CA. The 
permit would affect federally threatened Central Valley spring-run 
Chinook salmon and threatened Central Valley steelhead. This document 
serves to notify the

[[Page 4898]]

public of the availability of the permit application for review and 
comment.

DATES: Written comments on the permit application must be received at 
the appropriate address or fax number (see ADDRESSES) no later than 5 
p.m. Pacific standard time on March 1, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the permit application should be sent to 
the appropriate office as indicated below. Comments may also be sent 
via fax to the number indicated for the request. Comments will not be 
accepted if submitted via e-mail or the Internet. The permit 
application and related documents for permit 1558 are available for 
review by appointment at: Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 650 
Capitol Mall, Suite 8-300, Sacramento, CA 95814 (ph: 916-930-3604, fax: 
916-930-3629). Documents may also be reviewed by appointment in the 
Office of Protected Resources, F/PR3, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, 
Silver Spring, MD 20910 3226 (301-713-1401).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Tucker at phone number 916-
930-3604, or e-mail: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

    Issuance of permits and permit modifications, as required by the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 1543) (ESA), is based on 
a finding that such permits/modifications: (1) are applied for in good 
faith; (2) would not operate to the disadvantage of the listed species 
which are the subject of the permits; and (3) are consistent with the 
purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA. Authority to 
take listed species is subject to conditions set forth in the permits. 
Permits and modifications are issued in accordance with and are subject 
to the ESA and NMFS regulations governing listed fish and wildlife 
permits (50 CFR parts 222-226).
    Those individuals 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. All statements and opinions contained in the permit 
action summaries are those of the applicant and do not necessarily 
reflect the views of NMFS.

Species Covered in This Notice

    This notice is relevant to federally threatened Central Valley 
spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and threatened 
Central Valley steelhead (O. mykiss).

Applications Received

    William Mitchell of Jones and Stokes requests a 4 year-permit 
(1558) for take of juvenile Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon 
and Central Valley steelhead in the Yuba River, California. The purpose 
of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of specific flow 
reduction and fluctuation criteria that have been established for the 
lower Yuba River, by examining the levels of juvenile stranding and 
isolation, and redd dewatering that may occur as a result of flow 
fluctuations allowable under these new criteria. Take is expected to 
occur as a result of deliberate flow reductions that will be 
implemented for the specific purpose of studying the impacts of these 
reductions on juvenile salmonids. No field evaluations of redd 
dewatering are proposed. Instead, the potential for redd dewatering 
will be evaluated using a habitat modeling approach.
    Quantitative estimates of total take are not possible given the 
size of the area to be affected (the entire lower Yuba River from 
Englebright Dam to the mouth), substantial annual variability in fish 
distribution and abundance, and unpredictable impacts to listed 
salmonids associated with the proposed flow reductions (the purpose of 
the study). Instead, annual take estimates are expressed in terms of 
the total area of river where stranding and other forms of take may 
occur during each phase of the study. Based on preliminary estimates, a 
maximum of 20 acres of off channel habitat and 151 acres of low 
gradient (<2 percent slope) bar habitat could be isolated orexposed 
during the maximum range of flow reductions that would be implemented 
as part of the study.

    Dated: January 24, 2006.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-1112 Filed 1-27-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S