[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28666-28667]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-14264]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XP81


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

AGENCY:  NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U. S. Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION:  Notice of receipt of a permit application; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received an application 
for a permit to conduct research for scientific purposes from Thomas R. 
Payne and Associates (TRPA) in Arcata, California. The requested permit 
would affect the endangered Southern California Coast Distinct 
Population Segment of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The public is 
hereby notified of the availability of the permit application for 
review and comment before NMFS either approves or disapproves the 
application.

DATES:  Written comments on the permit application must be received at 
the appropriate address or fax number July 17, 2009.

ADDRESSES:  Written comments on the permit application should be sent 
to Matt McGoogan, Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 501 W. Ocean 
Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802. Comments may also be sent 
using email ([email protected]) or fax (562-980-4027). The permit 
application is available for review, by appointment, at the foregoing 
address and is also available for review online at the Authorizations 
and Permits for Protected Species website at https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Matt McGoogan at phone number (562-
980-4026) or e-mail: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

    Issuance of permits, as required by the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531B1543) (ESA), is based on a finding that such 
permits: (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 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 provide the specific reasons why a hearing on that 
application would be appropriate (see ADDRESSES). The holding of such a

[[Page 28667]]

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.

Permit Application Received

    TRPA has applied for a scientific research permit to conduct a 
study with endangered Southern California (SC) Distinct Population 
Segment (DPS) steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Ventura River. The 
purpose of this study is to use monitoring and sampling methods to 
gather information that will contribute to the understanding of 
abundance and distribution of juvenile steelhead in various portions of 
the Ventura River watershed. Information obtained by this study is 
anticipated to help support restoration efforts for the SC DPS. For 
this study, snorkel surveys will be used to the greatest extent 
possible for assessing steelhead abundance within stream habitats. 
Electrofishing will also be used as a sampling method to calibrate fish 
counts obtained from snorkel surveys and provide estimates of steelhead 
abundance in selected run and riffle habitat types. Electrofishing will 
be conducted only by qualified individuals and according to NMFS' 
electrofishing guidelines. The proposal specifies a 5-year study 
starting in 2009 and ending in 2014. Field activities for this study 
would occur between March 1st and September 30th during each year of 
the study. TRPA has requested an annual non-lethal take of up to 600 
juvenile steelhead. The unintentional lethal take that may occur as a 
result of project activities is up to 30 juvenile steelhead. See the 
permit application for a complete project description including tables 
and figures.

    Dated: June 12, 2009.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-14264 Filed 6-16-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S