[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 4, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16763-16764]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4843]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 032906A]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Applications for scientific research permits.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received two scientific 
research permit application 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 standard time on May 4, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the applications should be sent to the 
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 from the address above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Species Covered in This Notice

    The following listed species are covered in this notice:
    Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): threatened lower 
Columbia River (LCR); threatened upper Willamette River (UWR).
    Chum salmon (O. keta): threatened Columbia River (CR).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened LCR; threatened UWR.
    Coho salmon (O. kisutch): threatened LCR.

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). Such hearings are held at the 
discretion of the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS.

Applications Received

Permit 1561

    The EES Consulting, Inc. (EESC) is asking for a 3-year research 
permit to

[[Page 16764]]

take juvenile LCR Chinook salmon, LCR coho salmon, and LCR steelhead in 
selected tributaries of the Cowlitz River in Washington. The research 
is designed to provide information on fish presence, abundance, 
distribution, and movement within the upper Cowlitz River. The research 
would benefit listed salmonids by providing baseline information about 
fish populations in areas affected by the Packwood Lake Hydroelectric 
Project, and that information, in turn, would be used during the 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's relicensing negotiations. The 
EESC proposes to observe fish and use backpack electrofishing equipment 
to capture them. The captured fish would be anesthetized, sampled for 
tissues and biological information, and released. The EESC does not 
intend to kill any fish being captured but some may die as an 
unintentional result of the research activities.

Permit 1562

    The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) is asking for 
a 5-year research permit to take juvenile LCR Chinook salmon, UWR 
Chinook salmon, LCR coho salmon, CR chum salmon, LCR steelhead, and UWR 
steelhead in the Willamette Basin, Oregon. The purpose of the research 
is to evaluate the overall ecological health of the region's streams by 
evaluating vertebrate and macroinvertebrate assemblages and comparing 
them to such assemblages in relatively unimpaired reference streams. 
The research would benefit listed species by allowing the ODEQ to more 
effectively assess the condition of habitat streams in the Willamette 
Basin. The information from the study would be used to guide listed 
species recovery planning and limiting factor analyses. The ODEQ 
proposes to capture fish using backpack, boat-, or raft-mounted 
electrofishing equipment or seines (beach or boat) measure them, check 
them for external pathology, and release them. The ODEQ does not intend 
to kill any fish being captured but some may die as an unintentional 
result of the research activities.
    This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of the ESA. NMFS 
will evaluate the application, associated documents, and comments 
submitted to determine whether the application meets 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, 2006.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-4843 Filed 4-3-06; 8:45 am]
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