[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 159 (Friday, August 15, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47889-47891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-18945]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XJ70


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Applications for one scientific research permit, two permit 
modifications, and three permit renewals.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received six 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 September 15, 
2008.

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 (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), 
endangered upper Columbia River (UCR), threatened Snake River (SR) 
spring/summer (spr/sum), threatened SR fall, threatened Puget Sound 
(PS).

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    Chum salmon (O. keta): threatened Columbia River (CR), threatened 
Hood Canal summer (HCS).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened LCR, threatened UWR, threatened 
middle Columbia River (MCR), threatened SR, endangered UCR, threatened 
PS.
    Coho salmon (O. kisutch): threatened LCR, threatened Oregon Coast 
(OC).
    Sockeye salmon (O. nerka): endangered SR.

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 1290 - Modification

    Permit 1290 currently authorizes the Northwest Fisheries Science 
Center (NWFSC) to take juvenile UCR Chinook salmon, UCR steelhead, SN 
spring/summer Chinook salmon, SR fall Chinook salmon, SR sockeye 
salmon, SR steelhead, MCR steelhead, UWR Chinook salmon, UWR steelhead, 
LCR Chinook salmon, LCR coho salmon, LCR steelhead, and CR chum salmon 
associated with research to be conducted in the Columbia River estuary. 
They are asking to modify the permit so they may be allowed to take 
adult salmon and steelhead and a larger number of juveniles. The 
purposes of the research are to (1) determine the prevalence and 
intensity of pathogens in juvenile salmonids and (2) investigate the 
relationship between forage fish populations in the estuary and 
salmonid estuarine/marine survival. The research would benefit the fish 
by contributing information on (1) the extent to which diseases affect 
the growth and survival of juvenile salmonids in the estuarine and 
early ocean environments and (2) the relative relationship between 
forage fish abundance and salmonid survival in the estuary and marine 
environments. If adequate fish samples cannot be obtained from the 
Columbia River estuary, the researchers seek to collect fish at the 
juvenile bypass at Bonneville Dam. Juvenile salmonids would be 
variously collected (using beach and purse seines), anesthetized, 
weighed, scanned for tags, fin clipped, sampled for stomach contents, 
allowed to recover from the anesthesia, and released. Not all fish 
would have all these procedures, but all would be anesthetized. Some 
juvenile salmonids would be killed for pathogen analyses and a few more 
may die as an unintended result of the research. Any fish that are 
killed unintentionally will be retained in place those intentionally 
killed.

Permit 1484 - Renewal

    The Washington Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is requesting 
to renew permit 1484 for a period of five years. The original permit 
was in place for five years with one modification; it expires on 
December 31, 2008. Under the new permit, the WDNR would conduct 
research that would annually take juvenile PS chinook salmon, LCR 
chinook salmon, LCR steelhead, and CR chum salmon in WDNR-managed 
forest lands. The purpose of the research is to conduct surveys to 
identify stream types and thereby benefit listed species by increasing 
the size of riparian zones and protecting the habitat needed for 
healthy salmonid populations. The WDNR proposes to capture the fish 
(using backpack electrofishing equipment), identify, and release them. 
The WDNR does not intend to kill any of the fish being captured, but a 
small number may die as an unintended result of the research 
activities.

Permit 1487 - Renewal

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is requesting to renew 
permit 1487 for a period of five years. The original permit was in 
place for five years with one modification; it expires on December 31, 
2008. Under the new permit, the FWS would annually capture, handle, and 
release juvenile LCR steelhead, LCR chinook salmon, LCR coho and CR 
chum salmon. The research would take place in Cedar Creek, a tributary 
to the Lewis River in Washington State. The purpose of the research is 
to estimate the abundance and determine migration timing of recently-
metamorphosed lamprey and juvenile salmonids. The research would 
benefit the fish by providing information on the population 
characteristics and, ultimately, would help managers assess population 
responses to recovery measures.
    The FWS proposes to capture the fish using backpack electrofishing 
equipment, pot traps, rotary screw traps, inclined-plane traps, and 
possibly other types of traps. Once captured, the salmonids would be 
held temporarily in buckets of aerated water, identified, and released. 
The FWS does not intend to kill any of the fish being captured, but a 
small number may die as an unintended result of the research 
activities.

Permit 1559 - Renewal

    The Oregon State University (OSU) is requesting to renew permit 
1559 for a period of one year. The original permit was in place for 
three years with one amendment; it expires on December 31, 2008. Under 
the new permit, the OSU would take adult and juvenile PS Chinook 
salmon, PS steelhead, UCR Chinook salmon, UCR steelhead, SR spring/
summer Chinook salmon, SR fall Chinook salmon, SR steelhead, MCR 
steelhead, UWR Chinook salmon, UWR steelhead, LCR Chinook salmon, LCR 
coho salmon, LCR steelhead, CR chum salmon, and OC coho salmon in 
randomly-selected river systems in Oregon and Washington. The research 
is designed to help managers assess the condition of rivers and streams 
in the 12 coterminous western states and evaluate and develop 
scientifically and statistically rigorous field protocols for assessing 
large (unwadeable) rivers. The study would benefit listed salmonids by 
providing baseline information about water quality in the study areas 
and helping managers enforce the Clean Water Act in those river systems 
where listed fish are present. The OSU proposes to capture fish (using 
raft-mounted electrofishing equipment), sample them for biological 
information, and release them. The researchers will seek to avoid adult 
salmonids, but some may be handled as an unintentional result of the 
sampling. Moreover, OSU does not intend to kill any fish being captured 
but some juvenile fish may die as an unintended result of the research 
activities.

Permit 1609 - Modification

    The R2 Resource Consultants, Inc. (R2) is asking to modify Permit 
1609. The permit currently authorizes R2 to take juvenile PS Chinook 
and steelhead during research to designed to determine the relative 
abundance and distribution of juvenile salmonids in relation to 
mainstem and off-channel habitat types in the Sultan River, Puget 
Sound, Washington. The modification would increase the take of juvenile

[[Page 47891]]

Chinook and extend the research period through 2009. Information 
gathered by this study will be used to help develop the Henry M. 
Jackson Hydroelectric Project management plan. The study will help 
resource managers design water management strategies and habitat 
protection and restoration projects for salmonids. The researchers 
propose to conduct snorkeling and electrofishing surveys for juvenile 
salmonids. Supplemental sampling may also be conducted using minnow 
traps. Fish will be captured, anesthetized, measured, checked for 
hatchery marks, allowed to recover, and released. The researchers do 
not intend to kill any listed fish but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the activities.

Permit 13434

    The Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) is requesting a 
two-year research permit to take juvenile and adult UCR spring-run 
Chinook salmon, UCR steelhead, SR spring/summer Chinook salmon, SR fall 
Chinook salmon, SR sockeye salmon, MCR steelhead, LCR Chinook salmon, 
LCR coho salmon, LCR steelhead, CR chum salmon, PS Chinook salmon, PS 
steelhead, and HCS chum salmon. The DOE would conduct surveys for the 
Environmental Protection Agency's National Rivers and Streams 
Assessment project. The purpose of the research is to assess the 
condition of Washington's rivers and streams and establish a baseline 
description for future comparisons. The information gathered by this 
research would benefit listed salmonids by helping resource managers 
evaluate water quality conditions and ecological health of habitats 
occupied by listed salmonids. The applicant proposes to capture fish 
with backpack and boat electrofishing equipment in randomly selected 
streams throughout Washington. Listed fish would be enumerated and 
immediately released. The applicant does not intend to kill any listed 
fish species, but a small number may die as an unintended result of the 
activities.
    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: August 12, 2008.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-18945 Filed 8-14-08; 8:45 am]
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