[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 97 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23844-23845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11943]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XP38


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Application for one scientific research permit modification.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received one scientific 
research permit application request 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. The application 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 22, 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 Snake River 
(SR) spring/summer, threatened SR fall.
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened 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 1134 - 5M

    The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is seeking 
to modify Permit 1134, under which they have been conducting research 
for more than ten years. The original permit was in place for five 
years (63 FR 30199) with one amendment (67 FR 43909); it expired on 
December 31, 2002. The next permit was also in place for five years 
expiring on December 31, 2007; it was renewed in 2008. The CRITFC is 
now asking to modify the permit to increase listed species take 
particularly for SR fall Chinook salmon. The permit would continue 
covering five study projects that, among them, would annually take 
adult and juvenile threatened SR fall Chinook salmon; adult and 
juvenile threatened SR spring/summer Chinook salmon; and adult and 
juvenile threatened SR steelhead in the Snake River basin. There have 
been some changes in the research over the last ten

[[Page 23845]]

years, nonetheless, the projects proposed are largely continuations of 
ongoing research. They are: Project 1 - Adult Spring/Summer and Fall 
Chinook Salmon and Summer Steelhead Ground and Aerial Spawning Ground 
Surveys; Project 2 - Cryopreservation of Spring/Summer Chinook Salmon 
and Summer Steelhead Gametes; Project3 - Adult Chinook Salmon Abundance 
Monitoring Using Video Weirs, Acoustic Imaging, and PIT tag Detectors 
in the South Fork Salmon River; Project 4 - Snorkel, Seine, Fyke Net, 
Minnow Trap, and Electrofishing Surveys and Collection of Juvenile 
Chinook Salmon and Steelhead; and Project 5 - Juvenile Anadromous 
Salmonid Emigration Studies Using Rotary Screw Traps. Under these 
tasks, listed adult and juvenile salmon would be variously (a) 
observed/harassed during fish population and production monitoring 
surveys; (b) captured (using seines, trawls, traps, hook-and-line 
angling equipment, and electrofishing equipment) and anesthetized; (c) 
sampled for biological information and tissue samples, (d) PIT-tagged 
or tagged with other identifiers, (e) and released. The CRITFC does not 
intend to kill any of the fish being captured, but a small percentage 
may die as a result of the research activities.
    The research has many purposes and would benefit listed salmon and 
steelhead in different ways. However, in general, the studies are part 
of ongoing efforts to monitor the status of listed species in the Snake 
River basin and to use those data to inform decisions about land and 
fisheries management actions and to help prioritize and plan recovery 
measures for the listed species. Under the proposal, the studies would 
continue to benefit listed species by generating population abundance 
estimates, allowing comparisons to be made between naturally 
reproducing populations and those being supplemented with hatchery 
fish, and helping preserve listed salmon and steelhead genetic 
diversity.
    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 
decision 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: May 15, 2009.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-11943 Filed 5-20-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S