[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 83 (Friday, May 1, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20282-20286]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-10057]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XO95


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION:  Applications for six new scientific research permits, 12 
modifications, and one renewal.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received 19 scientific 
research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon and 
green sturgeon. 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. The applications may be 
viewed on the NMFS website at https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/preview_open_for_comment.cfm.

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 June 1, 2009.

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), 
endangered upper Columbia River (UCR), threatened Snake River (SR) 
spring/summer, threatened SR fall, threatened Puget Sound (PS).
    Chum salmon (O. keta): threatened Columbia River (CR), threatened 
Hood Canal (HC).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened LCR, threatened UWR, threatened 
middle Columbia River (MCR), threatened Snake River (SN), endangered 
UCR, threatened PS.
    Coho salmon (O. kisutch): threatened LCR, threatened Southern 
Oregon Northern California Coasts (SONCC), threatened Oregon coastal 
(OC).
    Sockeye salmon (O. nerka): endangered SN.
    Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris)

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

[[Page 20283]]

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 1127 - 2R

    The Shoshone-Bannock Tribe (SBT) is seeking to renew its permit to 
annually take listed salmon and steelhead while conducting research 
designed to (a) monitor adult and juvenile fish in key upper SR basin 
watersheds, (b) assess the utility of hatchery Chinook salmon in 
increasing natural populations in the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers, and 
(c) evaluate the genetic and ecological impacts of hatchery Chinook 
salmon on natural populations. The fish would primarily benefit from 
the research in two ways. First, the research would broadly be used to 
help guide restoration and recovery efforts throughout the SR basin. 
Second, and more specifically, the research would be used to determine 
how hatchery supplementation can be used as a tool for salmon recovery. 
The SBT would observe, capture, anesthetize, handle, and tag the listed 
fish. The SBT does not propose to kill any of the fish being captured 
but some may die as an unintended result of the research.

Permit 1336 - 5M

    Port Blakely Farms (PBF) is seeking to modify their current 
research permit. The current permit authorizes the PBF to take juvenile 
natural origin and hatchery origin PS Chinook while conducting research 
designed to evaluate factors limiting fish distribution and water 
quality in streams owned by the PBF. The research would benefit listed 
salmonids by producing data to be used in conserving and restoring 
critical habitat. The modification would allow PBF to take juvenile, 
natural-origin PS steelhead. The PBF proposes to capture fish using 
backpack electrofishing and dipnetting, then handle, and release 
juvenile fish. The PBF does not propose to kill any of the fish being 
captured, but a small percentage may die as an unintended result of the 
activities.

Permit 1345 - 5M

    The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking to 
modify Permit 1345 - 4R which currently authorizes them to annually 
take listed salmonids during the course of Washington State's annual 
warmwater fish stock assessment surveys. They wish to modify the permit 
by increasing (slightly) the number of fish they may take and by adding 
one study in the Cedar River, Washington, and another in the Middle 
Columbia River. The purpose of the warmwater surveys is to gather data 
on the State's fish species and thereby allow the WDFW to manage them 
in the best way possible. The research would benefit listed fish by 
giving managers more information on their abundance, distribution, and 
health. The surveys would be conducted using boat electrofishing 
equipment in the backwater sloughs, oxbow lakes, and ponds associated 
with major river systems throughout Washington State. The purpose of 
the Cedar River study is to monitor predation by trout and other 
species on listed Chinook in the Cedar River. The research would 
benefit listed fish by helping managers set fishing regulations in a 
manner that would reduce predators--and therefore predation--on the 
local PS Chinook populations. This study would employ boat 
electrofishing. The study in the Middle Columbia River-Priest Rapids 
complex would be similar to the Cedar River study the researchers would 
examine predation among juvenile UCR Chinook and sockeye. This study 
would use a combination of tangle nets and boat electrofishing.
    Any juvenile listed salmonids captured during the research would be 
sampled for biological information and immediately released. If adult 
listed salmonids are seen, the electrofishing equipment would be turned 
off and the fish allowed to escape. The WDFW does not propose to kill 
any of the fish being captured, but a small percentage may die as an 
unintended result of the research activities.

Permit 1521 - 2M

    Wyllie-Echeverria Associates (WEA) is requesting a modification to 
their current research permit. The current permit authorizes the WEA to 
take juvenile natural origin and hatchery origin PS Chinook while 
conducting research designed to determine which salmonid species and 
which Chinook salmon stocks use the nearshore marine habitats of Orcas 
and Waldron Islands, Washington. The modification would allow them to 
take juvenile natural origin PS steelhead. The WEA proposes to capture 
fish using beach seines, toss nets, and surface tow nets. The fish 
would be handled, anesthetized, fin clipped, and released at selected 
sites in the nearshore marine habitats of the islands. The WEA does not 
propose to kill any of the fish being captured, but a small percentage 
may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 1524 - 2M

    The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) is seeking to modify 
their current research permit. The current permit authorizes the NWFSC 
to take juvenile natural origin PS Chinook while conducting research 
designed to study changes in population characteristics of wild Chinook 
and coho in response to estuarine habitat reconnection and restoration 
in the Skagit River and Puget Sound, Washington. The modification would 
allow them to take juvenile natural origin PS steelhead. The NWFSC 
proposes to capture fish using beach seines, mark fish and place them 
in enclosures. All captured steelhead would immediately be released. A 
portion of the juvenile Chinook captured would be sacrificed for diet 
and otolith analysis. All samples collected would be stored at the 
Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Aside from the few fish that may be 
sacrificed, the NWFSC does not propose to kill any listed fish, though 
a few may die as an unintended consequence of the research actions.

Permit 1562 - 3M

    The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Laboratory and 
Environmental Assessment Division is asking to modify Permit 1562. The 
Permit currently authorizes them to take adult and juvenile UWR Chinook 
and steelhead; adult and juvenile LCR Chinook, coho, and steelhead; 
adult and juvenile CR chum; adult and juvenile MCR steelhead; adult and 
juvenile SR steelhead, fall-run Chinook, spring/ summer-run Chinook, 
and sockeye; adult and juvenile OC coho; and adult and juvenile SONCC 
coho during the course of monitoring to evaluate the status of all 
perennial streams (wadeable and non-wadeable) across the United States. 
The permit would be modified by adding several take locations in Oregon 
and the Columbia River (and thereby increasing slightly the number of 
listed fish they are allowed to take). The Modification would also 
allow them to take UCR steelhead and

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Chinook. The monitoring would be conducted as part of the national 
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) which aims to 
advance the science of ecological monitoring and ecological risk 
assessment, guide national monitoring with improved scientific 
understanding of ecosystem integrity and dynamics, and demonstrate 
multi-agency monitoring through large regional projects. The monitoring 
would benefit listed salmonids by providing data and assessments of 
fish habitat condition and ecological resources to decision makers and 
the public.
    The DEQ proposes to capture (using backpack and boat 
electrofishing), identify, measure, and release juvenile fish. Adult 
fish may be encountered but would not be captured. The DEQ does not 
propose to kill any of the fish being captured, but a few may die as an 
unintended result of the activities.

Permit 1564 - 2M

    The University of Washington (UW) is seeking to modify their 
current research permit. The current permit authorizes the UW to take 
juvenile natural and hatchery origin PS Chinook while conducting 
research designed to monitor the success of habitat restoration 
projects within the Duwamish River estuary. The modification would 
allow them to add PS steelhead to the listed fish they are allowed to 
take. The goal of these projects is to understand changes in population 
characteristics among Chinook salmon in response to restoration of 
estuarine habitat. The habitat restoration work was conducted by the 
Port of Seattle and monitoring was a requirement of the permit issued 
by the Army Corps of Engineers. The habitat restoration projects were 
designed to improve habitats that are used by Chinook salmon for 
rearing and migration. Monitoring the restoration sites would help 
determine the effectiveness of the projects. The UW proposes to capture 
fish using enclosure nets and beach seines. Half of the juvenile 
Chinook salmon would be counted, checked for external marks and 
internal coded-wire tags, measured, and released. The other half of the 
captured juvenile Chinook would have their stomach contents sampled. 
The UW does not propose to kill any fish being captured but some may 
die as an unintentional result of the activities.

Permit 1566 - 2M

    The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) is seeking to modify 
their current research permit. The current permit authorizes the NWFSC 
to take juvenile natural origin and hatchery origin PS Chinook while 
conducting research designed to monitor proposed restoration sites 
along the Puget Sound shoreline, from near the Hiram Chittenden Locks 
north to Everett. The researchers determine fish presence, assess 
individual fish health, and examine the fishes' degree of toxic 
chemical contamination. The goal is to establish a pre-restoration 
baseline of the conditions at each of the proposed restoration sites 
and to monitor conditions following restoration. Sediments would be 
collected for each site for chemical analysis. The modification would 
(1) add juvenile PS steelhead to the fish they are allowed to take, and 
(2) increase slightly the amounts of take and unintentional mortality 
among juvenile PS Chinook.
    The NWFSC proposes to capture fish using beach seines, measure 
them, analyze individual condition factors and whole body lipid 
content, and release them. A portion of the juvenile Chinook captured 
would be sacrificed during the process. All samples collected would be 
consumed during the process of chemical and hormonal analysis of 
tissues.

Permit 1567 - 2M

    Ridolfi, Incorporated is seeking to modify their current research 
permit. The current permit authorizes the Ridolfi to take juvenile 
natural origin and hatchery origin PS Chinook while conducting research 
designed to monitor habitat restoration sites in the Commencement Bay 
of the Puget Sound. The goals are to measure the success of restoration 
efforts, identify adaptive management approaches if projects are not 
achieving goals, address monitoring requirements specified by 
permitting agencies, and serve as an outreach tool for dissemination of 
project information to interested parties. Commencement Bay provides 
nearshore marine and estuarine habitat for adult and juvenile Chinook 
salmon as well as the resident ``blackmouth'' stock of Chinook salmon 
and PS steelhead. While Puget Sound steelhead are not targeted, they 
may be encountered during the project; thus the modification would 
allow them to add juvenile PS steelhead to the fish they are currently 
allowed to take.
    Ridolfi, Inc., proposes to capture fish using block nets and beach 
seine nets at six restoration sites throughout Commencement Bay and its 
tributaries. Fish would be collected, identified by species, checked 
for marks or coded-wire tags, measured, and released. All fish would be 
sampled and released in a timely and appropriate manner in order to 
minimize stress. Every effort would be made to minimize injury. 
Ridolfi, Inc., does not propose to kill any of the fish being captured 
but some may die as an unintentional result of the activities.

Permit 1568 - 2M

    The NWFSC is seeking to modify their current research permit. The 
current permit authorizes the NWFSC to take juvenile natural origin and 
hatchery origin PS Chinook while conducting research designed to 
provide information on their basic life histories, ecology, and genetic 
compositions in the Snohomish River estuary in Washington State. The 
study is designed to (1) characterize the ecology of existing Chinook 
salmon populations and life history types in the Snohomish River 
estuary, and (2) evaluate how effectively habitat protection and 
restoration actions in the estuary help Chinook salmon populations in 
the Snohomish River basin. The information gathered by this research 
would benefit the fish by helping recovery planning in the Snohomish 
River estuary and other estuaries of the Puget Sound. The modification 
would allow the NWFSC to add juvenile PS steelhead to the fish they are 
currently permitted to take.
    The NWFSC proposes to capture fish using fyke nets and beach 
seines. They would then be anesthetized, measured, and weighed. The 
fish would also be tissue-sampled and checked for external marks and 
coded-wire tags. A portion of the captured fish would be sacrificed for 
full necropsy and a few more may die as an unintended result of the 
research. Accidental mortalities would be used in place of any 
sacrificed fish wherever possible. Any fish killed during field 
operations would be labeled and placed on ice in a plastic bag, then 
brought to the NWFSC and immediately frozen. Specimens would be thawed, 
weighed and measured; body tissues and otoliths, scales, kidney, fin 
clip, stomach, and CWTs would be removed and preserved. Remaining body 
tissues would be archived.

Permit 1585 - 2M

    The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is 
seeking to modify their current research permit. The current permit 
authorizes the DNR to take juvenile natural origin PS Chinook and HC 
chum while conducting research designed to determine the presence and 
distribution of salmonids to help improve management decisions. The 
modification would allow them to add juvenile PS steelhead to the fish 
they are

[[Page 20285]]

currently permitted to take. The DNR proposes to capture (using 
backpack electrofishing equipment), handle, and release listed 
salmonids. The DNR does not propose to kill any of the fish being 
captured, but a small number may die as an unintended result of the 
activities.

Permit 1586 - 2M

    The NWFSC is seeking to modify their current research permit. The 
current permit authorizes the NWFSC to take juvenile natural origin and 
hatchery origin PS Chinook and HC chum while conducting research 
designed to characterize how wild, juvenile PS Chinook salmon use 
nearshore habitats in the Whidbey Basin, Admiralty Inlet, the Strait of 
Juan de Fuca, and the San Juan Islands. Additional goals are to define 
what life history strategies are present in these areas, and identify 
their residence time, distribution, timing of movements, diet, health, 
age, and origin. This research would benefit the listed species by 
helping managers develop protection and restoration strategies and 
monitor the effects of recovery actions. The modification would (1) add 
PS steelhead to the listed fish they are allowed to take, and (2) 
increase slightly the unintentional mortality of juvenile natural 
origin HC chum. The NWFSC proposes to capture fish using beach seines, 
tow nets, purse seines, and lampera nets, temporarily hold fish in 
live-wells, mesh pens, aerated buckets (or in the bag of the net), 
anesthetize, measure, weigh, check for tags or marks, fin clip, allow 
fish to recover from anesthesia, and release the listed salmonids. A 
subsample of juvenile PS Chinook would be tagged with acoustic 
transmitters. A small portion of the captured juvenile PS Chinook would 
be killed for whole body analysis, but the great majority are not 
intended to be sacrificed. Any fish unintentionally killed during the 
research would be used in place of the sacrificed fish.

Permit 1605 - 2M

    Windward Environmental, LLC (Windward) is seeking to modify their 
current research permit. The current permit authorizes Windward to take 
juvenile and adult natural origin PS Chinook during the course research 
intended to characterize concentrations in fish tissues following 
remediation of contaminated sediments in the Lower Duwamish Waterway 
(LDW) Superfund Site and East Waterway Operable Unit of the Harbor 
Island Superfund Site. The long-term goal is to provide information to 
help resource managers determine if remediation activities have 
successfully reduced the concentration of chemical contaminants in fish 
and other animals. An additional goal is to further characterize the 
LDW environment and determine what risks contaminated sediments pose to 
the organisms living in it and to humans using it. The modification 
would allow Windward to intentionally kill a small number of both 
hatchery and natural origin juvenile Chinook. It would also allow them 
to take juvenile PS steelhead and adult PS Chinook. Continued fish 
tissue monitoring would be used to determine if cleanup activities are 
successfully reducing chemical contaminant concentrations in the 
superfund sites. If monitoring results show elevated risks, additional 
remedial actions may be considered.
    Windward proposes to capture fish using trawl nets, beach seine, 
and traps. Most fish would be captured, handled, and released. Targeted 
juvenile Chinook would be sorted and placed in a bucket of ice, 
inspected for damage, and placed in Ziploc bags, and transported to 
coolers for processing and analysis.

Permit 13374

    The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is seeking a 5-year 
permit to annually take juvenile, natural MCR steelhead during the 
course of research designed to assess the current distribution and 
health of the fish in Rock Creek, Washington. The research would 
benefit the fish by helping managers plan recovery actions in the 
area--particulalry the Rock Creek Subbasin Recovery Planning Group. The 
researchers would use backpack electrofishing units to capture the 
fish. The fish would then be anesthetized, measured, and given passive 
integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Some of the fish would also receive 
fin clips for genetic sampling purposes. Another portion of the fish 
would be sacrificed do determine if any pathogens are present in the 
population. Any fish that die as an accidentlal result of the capturing 
and tagging activities would be used in place of fish that would have 
been lethally taken for the pathogen analysis.

Permit 13475

    The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is requesting a 
5-year research permit to take juvenile and adult UCR Chinook salmon, 
SR spr/sum Chinook salmon, SR fall Chinook salmon, LCR Chinook salmon, 
UWR Chinook salmon, CR chum salmon, LCR coho salmon, SR sockeye salmon, 
UCR steelhead, SR steelhead, MCR steelhead, LCR steelhead, and UWR 
steelhead. The FWS manages five National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the 
lower Columbia River basin (i.e., Lewis and Clark, Julia Butler Hansen, 
Ridgefield, Steigerwald, Franz Lake, and Pierce NWRs). These NWRs 
provide important rearing and migration habitat for listed species of 
salmon and steelhead. The purpose of the FWS's research is to (1) 
inventory and characterize fish and aquatic resources and (2) monitor 
and assess habitat restoration and management actions in the NWRs and 
surrounding areas. The research would benefit listed salmonids by 
providing baseline information about the distribution and abundance of 
listed salmonids within the NWRs and helping managers monitor the 
effectiveness of habitat restoration projects. The FWS would capture 
fish using seines, nets, traps, and backpack and boat electrofishing 
equipment. Captured salmon and steelhead would be identified by 
species, measured, and released. Subsamples of the captured fish would 
be variously marked, sampled for scales, stomach contents, and fin 
tissue. Some fish may be collected and transported to new locations. 
The FWS does not propose to kill any of the fish being captured, but a 
small number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 14046

    The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (KCDNRP) 
is requesting a research permit to take juvenile PS Chinook and 
steelhead during studies designed to (1) evaluate the effectiveness of 
restoration actions through biological monitoring, (2) understand the 
importance of agricultural drainage ditches and other off-channel 
habitats in providing habitat for listed species, and (3) assess 
salmonid habitat status and trends in small streams with varying 
degrees of land use. By conducting this research, the KCDNRP would be 
implementing actions identified in the NOAA-approved salmon recovery 
plan to benefit Chinook in the following four major watersheds: 
Snoqualmie, Cedar/Sammamish, Green/Duwamish, and Puyallup/White. This 
research would provide data to determine if restoration and recovery 
actions in the Plan are contributing to the recovery of Chinook salmon 
and steelhead, provide information on the extent of rearing by juvenile 
salmonids in agricultural watercourses, guide future projects so they 
may be more precisely designed to take advantage of the results from 
monitoring, provide information on habitat use by yearling fall 
Chinook, and contribute to our knowledge of Chinook life histories.
    The KCDNRP proposes to monitor juvenile Chinook and steelhead by 
conducting snorkel surveys and capturing fish with seines, fyke nets,

[[Page 20286]]

minnow traps, and backpack electrofishing. Fish would be captured, 
removed from nets or traps quickly and temporarily retained in cool, 
aerated water. Time spent handling fish would be kept to a minimum to 
limit stress. After handling, all fish would be allowed to recover in 
cool, aerated water, and released. When necessary, fish would be 
anaesthetized. The KCDNRP does not propose to kill any listed fish but 
a small number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 14271

    The Washington State Department of Ecology (ECY) is requesting a 2-
year scientific research permit to take juvenile and adult PS Chinook 
salmon, PS steelhead, and HC chum salmon. The purpose of the project is 
to develop a sampling plan that reports on the status of watershed 
health and salmon recovery efforts at three spatial scales: Water 
Resource Inventory Area, Salmon Recovery Region, and statewide. The 
goal is to develop a quality assurance monitoring plan for statewide 
probability-based sampling of aquatic habitat conditions and species 
diversity and abundance. The ECY's research application is for the 
pilot project which would take place in the Puget Sound, Hood Canal, 
and Strait of Juan de Fuca. The information gathered by this research 
would benefit listed salmonids by helping resource managers evaluate 
the effectiveness of habitat restoration efforts and the status and 
trends of aquatic species. The applicant proposes to capture fish with 
backpack and boat electrofishing equipment in at least fifty sites 
within the Puget Sound, Hood Canal, and Strait of Juan de Fuca. Listed 
fish would be enumerated and immediately released. The applicant does 
not propose to kill any listed fish species, but a small number may die 
as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 14283

    Environmental Assessment Services (EAS) is requesting a scientific 
research permit sample fish in the Columbia River in support of the 
U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site Cleanup Mission and regulatory 
drivers under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 
and Liability Act (CERCLA). The research would take place in four areas 
the Columbia River waters extending from upstream of Wanapum Dam to 
McNary Dam. The researchers are targetting non-listed resident fish but 
may also capture UCR steelhead and Chinook, MCR steelhead, and SR fall 
Chinook, spr/sum Chinook, and Steelhead. The research would benefit 
listed fish by helping monitor and reduce contamination from the 
Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The researchers would capture the fish 
using electrofishing, hook and line, and long-line techniques. Any 
captured listed fish would immediately be released. The researchers do 
not propose to kill any listed fish but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the activities.

Permit 14290

    The NWFSC is seeking a permit to examine fish behavior and develop 
criteria to be used in designing effective screening and bypass systems 
at dams on the Columbia River (and elsewhere). Researchers would 
videotape juvenile SR fall Chinook salmon to determine if their 
behavior is altered in regard to velocity gradient changes in a test 
flume at McNary Dam. The research would benefit the fish by helping 
managers design safer, more efficient bypass units for fish to use when 
moving past hydroelectric facilities.
    The fish would be collected from orifice traps installed within the 
bypass channel at McNary Dam and transferred to the test flume. They 
would then be video-taped as they approach and either pass through or 
reject an orifice in the McNary flume. Different flow conditions would 
be created by changing the head on the orifice. The researchers would 
then overlay a flow profile of the test area on the videos and 
determine specific areas and movements for the test fish. After 
testing, the fish would be returned to the bypass channel. The 
researchers do not propose to kill any of the fish being tested, but a 
small number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 14457

    The Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST) is seeking to 
renew research previously done under Permit 13508, while increasing the 
numbers of locations and fish to be taken. Under the new permit they 
would annually capture, handle, and release juvenile SR sockeye salmon, 
SR fall Chinook salmon, SR spring/summer Chinook salmon, UCR Chinook 
salmon, LCR Chinook salmon, UWR Chinook salmon, SR steelhead, UCR 
steelhead, MCR steelhead, LCR steelhead, UWR steelhead, LCR Coho, CR 
chum salmon, OC coho salmon, and green sturgeon. The research would 
take place in Baker Bay, Grays Bay, Washington and Youngs Bay, Oregon 
in the Columbia River estuary, and Ecola Creek, just south of the 
Columbia River confluence. The purpose of the research is to evaluate 
estuarine habitat restoration efforts. Specific objectives are to (1) 
determine species composition, relative abundance, and residence time 
of various listed fish by using pre-restored and restoration project 
habitats and adjacent references sites; (2) determine prey utilization 
by juvenile salmon; and (3) determine prey availability. The research 
would benefit listed salmonids by determining how effectively currently 
altered habitats support salmonids and using that information to guide 
future habitat modifications.
    The CREST would capture the fish using fyke nets, trap nets, and 
beach seines. Salmonids would be anesthetized, identified, counted, 
measured, weighed, checked for tags and hatchery marks, and released. 
Some of the fish may be tagged with passive integrated transponders, or 
injected with dye or visible implant elastomers. Fin or scale samples 
for genetic or age analysis would be taken from a portion of the 
captured juvenile Chinook salmon. Some of the captured juvenile 
salmonid would be sampled for stomach contents. The CREST does not 
propose to kill any of the fish being captured, 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: April 28, 2009.
Susan Pultz,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-10057 Filed 4-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S