[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 249 (Wednesday, December 30, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69068-69070]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-31005]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XT53


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Applications for five new scientific research permits and two 
permit modifications.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received seven 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. The applications may be viewed online 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 January 29, 
2010.

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, or 
online at apps.nmfs.noaa.gov.

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

[[Page 69069]]

Snake River (SR) spring/summer (spr/sum), threatened SR fall, 
threatened Puget Sound (PS).
    Chum salmon (O. keta): threatened Columbia River (CR).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened LCR, threatened UWR, threatened 
middle Columbia River (MCR), threatened SR, threatened UCR, threatened 
PS.
    Coho salmon (O. kisutch): threatened LCR, threatened Oregon Coast 
(OC).
    Sockeye salmon (O. nerka): endangered SR.
    Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris)
    Eulachon: Southern Distinct Population Segment (DPS) (Thaleichthys 
pacificus)

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 parts 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 1379-5M

    The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is seeking 
to modify a permit that currently allows them to take listed salmonids 
(UCR steelhead and Chinook; LCR steelhead and Chinook; MCR steelhead; 
and SR steelhead, spr/sum Chinook, fall Chinook, and sockeye) while 
conducting research designed to increase what we know about the status 
and productivity of various fish populations, collect data on migratory 
and exploitation (harvest) patterns, and develop baseline information 
on various population and habitat parameters in order to guide salmonid 
restoration strategies. The permit would comprise four studies: Project 
1--Juvenile Upriver Bright Fall Chinook Sampling at the Hanford Reach; 
Project 2--Adult Chinook, Sockeye, and Coho Sampling at Bonneville Dam; 
Project 3--Adult Sockeye Sampling at Tumwater and Wells dams; and 
Project 4--Acoustic trawl survey for Lake Wenatchee juvenile sockeye 
salmon. This modification would increase the number of fish CRITFC is 
allowed to handle and add Project 4. The research will benefit listed 
fish by helping managers set in-river and ocean harvest regimes so that 
they have minimal impacts on listed populations. It will also help 
managers prioritize projects in a way that gives maximum benefit to 
listed species including projects designed to help the listed fish 
recover. The CRITFC would obtain fish from the adult collection 
facilities at Bonneville, Wells, and Tumwater dams. The fish will be 
anesthetized, measured, examined for marks, scale-sampled, and allowed 
to return to the river. The researchers would also use beach- and stick 
seines to capture and tag juvenile fish in the Hanford reach of the 
Columbia River and capture fish during mid-water trawls in Lake 
Wenatchee. Those fish that are not immediately released upon capture 
would be transported to a holding facility where they will be 
anesthetized, examined for marks, adipose-clipped, coded wire tagged, 
allowed to recover, and released. The CRITFC does not intend to kill 
any of the fish being captured but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the activities.

Permit 14271-2M

    The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) is seeking to 
modify their 2 year scientific research permit that currently 
authorizes them to take juvenile and adult PS Chinook salmon, PS 
steelhead, and HC chum salmon. The modification would expand the area 
of the research to include the lower Columbia River and some Washington 
coastal areas. It would also allow them to take UCR steelhead and 
Chinook, SR sockeye, spr/sum Chinook, fall Chinook, and steelhead, LCR 
Chinook, coho and steelhead, MCR steelhead, UWR Chinook, CR chum, green 
sturgeon, and southern DPS eulachon. The purpose of the project is to 
continue developing a sampling plan to report 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 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. 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 14647

    Wyllie-Echeverria Associates (WEA) is seeking to renew a research 
permit (permit 1521-4M) that currently authorizes the WEA to take 
juvenile natural and hatchery PS Chinook while conducting research 
designed to determine which salmonid species and which Chinook salmon 
stocks use the nearshore marine habitats of San Juan Archipelago, 
Washington. The modification would allow them to take juvenile PS 
steelhead as well. The research would benefit the listed fish by 
helping managers set priorities for protecting salmonid habitat in 
Washington. Also, the information gathered would be used in salmon 
recovery planning. 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 number may die as an 
unintended result of the activities.

Permit 14678

    Mr. Kenneth L. Witty is seeking to annually take juvenile, 
threatened, MCR steelhead during the course of scientific research in 
the Yakima River basin in Washington. The purpose of the research is to 
study fish communities in the irrigation drainage networks of the lower 
Yakima River basin. The project will determine the extent to which 
threatened steelhead juveniles inhabit the irrigation networks. The 
research will benefit threatened MCR steelhead by giving Federal 
managers data on where the fish are in the Yakima River basin 
irrigation system thus helping them make decisions about how to run the 
system in a way that conserves the species. Backpack electrofishing 
equipment will be used to sample fish distribution and abundance. Mr. 
Witty does not intend to kill any listed salmonids but a few may die as 
an unintentional result of the research.

Permit 14717

    The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is requesting a one-year 
research permit to take juvenile LCR Chinook,

[[Page 69070]]

coho, and chum salmon. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has 
been conducting a comparative study of disturbed, undisturbed, and 
restored estuarine marshes in three tributaries of the Gray's River, 
Washington. Their study has examined the vegetative and hydrological 
conditions but relatively little information has been collected on 
salmonids. The objective of the FWS is to study species distribution 
and abundance in these three tributaries. The goal of the FWS is to 
determine if there is a significant difference in species abundance and 
diversity among these three sites. The research would benefit the 
species by helping managers learn more about the effectiveness of 
habitat restoration efforts. The FWS would use backpack electrofishing 
equipment to capture, handle, and release salmonids. Fish would be 
sedated with MS-222, weighed, measured, then allowed to recover before 
release. The FWS does not intend to kill any fish being captured but a 
small number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 14772

    The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is requesting a 
five-year research permit to take juvenile and adult OC coho salmon. 
The objective of the research is to determine fish abundance and 
distribution, as well as habitat preference in the Umpqua River. The 
ODFW would also study the distribution of non-native invasive species, 
interspecific competition, and predator-prey interactions. The 
information would benefit OC coho by helping to improve management 
plans. The ODFW would use backpack and boat electrofishing equipment to 
capture fish that would then be handled and swiftly released. The ODFW 
will avoid adult coho, but a few may be shocked. If the researchers 
were to encounter adult coho, they would shut off the electrical 
current and allow the fish to swim away and no more electrofishing 
would occur in that location. The ODFW does not intend to kill any of 
the fish being captured but a small number of juvenile coho may die as 
an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 15119

    The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) is requesting 
a 1-year research permit to take all fish species identified in this 
notice while conducting research throughout the coastal waters of the 
State of Washington. The research is part of the EPA-funded National 
Coastal Condition Assessment, which investigates the occurrence and 
concentrations of toxic contaminants in marine and estuarine fish 
tissue as one component of ecological health. The listed species would 
benefit indirectly from the development of actions to control, reduce, 
and remove toxic contaminants from Washington State's waters. Ecology 
would capture fish (using otter trawl, hook-and-line, or beach seine), 
handle, and release them. Ecology does not intend to kill any listed 
fish, 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: December 24, 2009.
Therese Conant,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-31005 Filed 12-29-09; 8:45 am]
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