[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 123 (Monday, June 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31008-31009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-15199]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XP52


Endangered and Threatened Species: Notice of Availability for 
Public Comment on Guidance for Monitoring the Recovery of Pacific 
Northwest Salmon and Steelhead Listed under the Federal Endangered 
Species Act

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY:  The National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) Northwest 
Region has drafted guidance on monitoring the recovery of Pacific 
Northwest salmon and steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA). This draft Pacific Northwest monitoring guidance is intended to 
assist NMFS' recovery partners in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho in 
understanding the recovery monitoring needs under the ESA. NMFS' 
Northwest Region is soliciting public review and comment on the draft 
Pacific Northwest monitoring guidance.

DATES: All comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. Pacific 
Standard Time on [August 28, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft Pacific Northwest monitoring guidance 
are available on the Internet at: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov, or upon 
request (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, below). You may submit 
comments on the draft Pacific Northwest monitoring guidance by any of 
the following methods:
    E-mail: The mailbox address for submitting e-mail comments on the 
draft monitoring guidance is [email protected]. Please include 
in the subject line of the e-mail comment the identifier ``Draft 
Pacific Northwest Monitoring Guidance.''
    Mail: You may submit written comments and information to Dr. Scott 
Rumsey, NMFS, 1201 NE Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232. 
Please identify the comment as regarding the ``Draft Pacific Northwest 
Monitoring Guidance.''
    Hand Delivery/Courier: You may hand deliver written comments and 
information to NMFS, 1201 NE Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 1100, Portland, OR 
97232. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays. Please identify the comment as regarding the 
``Draft Pacific Northwest Monitoring Guidance.''
    Fax: (503) 230-6893. Please identify the fax comment as regarding 
the ``Draft Pacific Northwest Monitoring Guidance.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Bruce Crawford, NMFS, Northwest 
Region, by phone at (360) 534-9348, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Section 4(c)(2) of the ESA requires that, at least every 5 years, 
the Secretary shall conduct a review of all ESA-listed species and 
determine whether any species should: (1) Be removed from such list; 
(2) be changed in status from an endangered species to a threatened 
species; or (3) be changed in status from a threatened species to an 
endangered species. In the Pacific Northwest, NMFS' reviews of the 
status of listed salmon and steelhead populations, and the extent to 
which the threats and other factors limiting the species' recovery have 
been addressed, are largely dependent upon monitoring information 
collected by state, tribal, and Federal co-managers. In an effort to 
provide more direction to agencies monitoring the status of ESA-listed 
salmon and

[[Page 31009]]

steelhead and their habitats, NMFS' Northwest Region has drafted 
guidance on monitoring the recovery of listed salmonids in the Pacific 
Northwest. This draft Pacific Northwest monitoring guidance will assist 
NMFS' recovery partners in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho in 
understanding the recovery monitoring needs under the ESA, and the 
desired level of statistical certainty for the monitoring information 
they collect. The draft monitoring guidance includes recommended 
priorities for monitoring, data collection, and reporting of the 
viability of Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead populations, 
threats to the species, and the ESA Section 4(a)(1) listing factors.

Information Solicited

    NMFS' Northwest Region is soliciting public comment on the draft 
guidance for monitoring the recovery of ESA-listed salmon and steelhead 
in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Specifically, NMFS' Northwest Region 
requests comment on the recommendations and priorities proposed in the 
draft Pacific Northwest monitoring guidance. In particular, we would 
like input on the proposed confidence intervals for status and trends 
monitoring of adult and juveniles, as well as on the targets for the 
relative abundance of hatchery- and natural-origin fish in spawning 
populations.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

    Dated: June 23, 2009.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Division of Endangered Species, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-15199 Filed 6-26-09; 8:45 am]
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